Pearl Of The Atlantic Skyblue B&B
Donation protected
A little about me. I was born on Jan 10, 1972, in Lisbon Portugal. On Jan 11, 1980, my parents moved to the US where we lived for almost 30 years. I was married for 14 years but in 2008 I got a divorce. After the divorce, I decided to move back to Portugal and start my new life. I soon got a job as a security guard at a shopping mall but the company was having a financial crisis so I was always at risk of losing my job.
Somewhere along this time, I decided to pursue a dream of mine. I always wanted to own my own bed and breakfast house and name it ‘Skyblue’. I did some research and found the perfect house but I knew that the money left from my divorce wouldn’t be enough so I began looking for a more stable job with better pay.
Shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to work in Belgium, and if I worked hard for 5 years I would be able to save up for my dream to come true. On Jan 11, 2012, I made the first move and I went to Belgium. I signed a 5-year contract with a halfway review point.
A year into my contract I felt comfortable with the job and I made the next step toward my dream. I went to Madeira and bought a house for 145,000 euros when the asking price was 170,000 euros. I made the down payment of 38,000 euros and the rest on a mortgage that I will pay every month. The market value of this house is 299,000 euros. Unfortunately when the halfway point review came, my contract was terminated early due to me not being able to fluently speak Dutch.
At this point, I was left without a job and with a new house that needed repairs before I could turn it into a Bed and Breakfast house. Once I got back to Portugal from Belgium I had to move everything from my old house. The initial down payment plus the cost of moving and some fixes needed to be done before moving in quickly started draining my savings.
At the moment I don’t make enough money to both pay my bills and start working on the house. The estimated cost is 88,500 euros for everything to be done as it should and by legal codes. This includes parts of the roof being repaired or changed, as well as adding floor to some of the bedrooms. Windows and doors need to be renovated and the balcony needs to be modified to be higher for safety reasons.
To make matters worse on Nov. 16, 2016 the side of the island where I live was hit but an unexpected storm which caused more damages to the house. 5 windows were destroyed. I had them temporarily fixed but they are not very safe at the moment. If another storm like that hits again I don’t think they will hold up. To completely fix the damaged windows it will cost around 2400 euros which I don’t have right now.
This is a more detailed estimate of where all the money donated will be used.
Windows - €25,000 (old wood windows, water comes in, some don’t close/open properly)
Roof - €25,000 (old wood beams that are caving in at the center)
Balcony - €15,000 (needs to be higher to meet safety regulations)
Paint inside and out - €20,000 (walls need special treatment before paint)
Floor - €3,500 (currently some floors just have cement)
Getting this Bed & Breakfast up and running will also allow me to take better care of my mother. She was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in May of this year. Her treatment costs €1,800 a month sometimes less sometimes more and it is split between me and my brother.
All the funds raised will go to fixing the house and getting Skyblue B&B up and running. Thank you for your support .
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to learn a little about my dream. I appreciate any support given, whether it is through donations or by sharing my story with others.
If you want to see pictures of the house please click the link below.
House History
The house is located in Santa Do Porto Moniz, Madeira which is located in the far northwest of the island. It is on top of a cliff on flat land about 3600 meters (12000 ft) above sea level. The front view of the house gives a beautiful view of the sea while the back is filled with hills and forests. Porto Moniz is very well known for its natural landscapes
The neighbors are mostly land farmers. They are very humble, friendly, caring sharing people. I could keep going but they are truly amazing people. The first time I came to see the house I was shocked to hear about the history behind this great big classy building as it’s called by the locals. I fell in love with the house.
The house was built by a French man, in the year 1976, who planned to use as a holiday home. At that time the house only had a ground floor and first floor. In 1979 the house was sold to a local couple. The new owners added an extra floor with two new bedrooms and a bathroom, but by 1980 they moved to South Africa. Up to this point, the house had only had two owners none of which ever lived in the house. Everything inside the house is still in its original state.
Because the house was closed for well over 30 years a lot of work needs to be done to meet legal codes, mainly the roof, windows and paint inside and outside.
Somewhere along this time, I decided to pursue a dream of mine. I always wanted to own my own bed and breakfast house and name it ‘Skyblue’. I did some research and found the perfect house but I knew that the money left from my divorce wouldn’t be enough so I began looking for a more stable job with better pay.
Shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to work in Belgium, and if I worked hard for 5 years I would be able to save up for my dream to come true. On Jan 11, 2012, I made the first move and I went to Belgium. I signed a 5-year contract with a halfway review point.
A year into my contract I felt comfortable with the job and I made the next step toward my dream. I went to Madeira and bought a house for 145,000 euros when the asking price was 170,000 euros. I made the down payment of 38,000 euros and the rest on a mortgage that I will pay every month. The market value of this house is 299,000 euros. Unfortunately when the halfway point review came, my contract was terminated early due to me not being able to fluently speak Dutch.
At this point, I was left without a job and with a new house that needed repairs before I could turn it into a Bed and Breakfast house. Once I got back to Portugal from Belgium I had to move everything from my old house. The initial down payment plus the cost of moving and some fixes needed to be done before moving in quickly started draining my savings.
At the moment I don’t make enough money to both pay my bills and start working on the house. The estimated cost is 88,500 euros for everything to be done as it should and by legal codes. This includes parts of the roof being repaired or changed, as well as adding floor to some of the bedrooms. Windows and doors need to be renovated and the balcony needs to be modified to be higher for safety reasons.
To make matters worse on Nov. 16, 2016 the side of the island where I live was hit but an unexpected storm which caused more damages to the house. 5 windows were destroyed. I had them temporarily fixed but they are not very safe at the moment. If another storm like that hits again I don’t think they will hold up. To completely fix the damaged windows it will cost around 2400 euros which I don’t have right now.
This is a more detailed estimate of where all the money donated will be used.
Windows - €25,000 (old wood windows, water comes in, some don’t close/open properly)
Roof - €25,000 (old wood beams that are caving in at the center)
Balcony - €15,000 (needs to be higher to meet safety regulations)
Paint inside and out - €20,000 (walls need special treatment before paint)
Floor - €3,500 (currently some floors just have cement)
Getting this Bed & Breakfast up and running will also allow me to take better care of my mother. She was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in May of this year. Her treatment costs €1,800 a month sometimes less sometimes more and it is split between me and my brother.
All the funds raised will go to fixing the house and getting Skyblue B&B up and running. Thank you for your support .
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to learn a little about my dream. I appreciate any support given, whether it is through donations or by sharing my story with others.
If you want to see pictures of the house please click the link below.
House History
The house is located in Santa Do Porto Moniz, Madeira which is located in the far northwest of the island. It is on top of a cliff on flat land about 3600 meters (12000 ft) above sea level. The front view of the house gives a beautiful view of the sea while the back is filled with hills and forests. Porto Moniz is very well known for its natural landscapes
The neighbors are mostly land farmers. They are very humble, friendly, caring sharing people. I could keep going but they are truly amazing people. The first time I came to see the house I was shocked to hear about the history behind this great big classy building as it’s called by the locals. I fell in love with the house.
The house was built by a French man, in the year 1976, who planned to use as a holiday home. At that time the house only had a ground floor and first floor. In 1979 the house was sold to a local couple. The new owners added an extra floor with two new bedrooms and a bathroom, but by 1980 they moved to South Africa. Up to this point, the house had only had two owners none of which ever lived in the house. Everything inside the house is still in its original state.
Because the house was closed for well over 30 years a lot of work needs to be done to meet legal codes, mainly the roof, windows and paint inside and outside.
Organizer
Mario Moniz
Organizer
