It's 7 PM in late September. The southwest-facing terrace is washed in low gold light, the kind that only happens on the Atlantic coast in the hour before sunset. The pool is still warm from the day. You're barefoot on Fermacell screed, no shoes needed inside because the CLT walls held the day's temperature without the AC having to work for it. The house breathes. So do you.

This is one of the only Cross-Laminated Timber builds going up in the Western Algarve. The structure is already standing on a 717 m² plot in Praia da Luz, and the keys are roughly six months out. If the idea of a brand-new home with no waiting list, no concrete, and no mold appeals, this is the one to look at.

Built from solid Austrian timber, not blockwork

The shell is MM Crosslam CLT, the same cross-laminated timber used across central Europe for healthy, breathable homes. It is wildly rare in the Algarve, where concrete dominates and humidity wins. CLT does not. The walls breathe, regulate moisture, and stay quiet. Pair that with Rockwool stone wool insulation through the floors, ceilings and roof, and the house holds temperature in a way concrete cannot match. A+ energy certificate, Panasonic Aquarea heat pump running at SCOP 5.12, underfloor heating throughout, and the structure is already pre-wired and pre-piped for solar PV. Running costs will be a fraction of a comparable villa.

Indoor-outdoor living across two floors, southwest-facing

Spread over 280 m² of usable space across two floors, with the main living areas and the heated pool opening onto a southwest-facing terrace. That orientation is the prize: midday south sun warms the slab, then the long afternoon light rolls in from the west and stays until the sun drops behind the Atlantic horizon. Sunsets on the terrace, in October, with the pool still swimmable. Four bedrooms, six bathrooms (every bedroom en-suite, plus guest and pool WCs), fitted wardrobes throughout, a proper storage room, and a private garage included in the price. Ledo timber-aluminium windows with triple glazing, Grohe and Geberit bathroom fittings, LG ArtCool AI air conditioning, and a Samsung-LG-Bosch-Siemens appliance package in the kitchen.

On the hillside above Luz, with both beaches in reach

The plot sits on the elevated land above Praia da Luz village, towards Almádena. Two practical advantages: the prevailing Atlantic breeze actually reaches you, and you are out of the summer crowd that fills the seafront. Praia da Luz village and beach are around four minutes by car, or a 25-minute walk down through the lanes. Burgau, the quieter fishing village to the west, is five minutes by car. Lagos and the marina are ten minutes east. Faro airport sits at one hour fifteen, easy for the UK and Irish flight schedules.

Key features

• 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, every bedroom en-suite
• 280 m² built on a 717 m² southwest-facing plot
• CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) structure by MM Crosslam, Rockwool insulation throughout
• Energy certificate A+, Panasonic Aquarea heat pump (A+++, SCOP 5.12), underfloor heating
• Heated swimming pool, landscaped garden, terrace and balcony
• Private garage included in the price
• Ledo triple-glazed timber-aluminium windows, breathable construction with no mold risk
• Grohe and Geberit bathrooms, LG ArtCool AI air conditioning, premium appliance package
• Pre-installed for solar PV (SOFAR inverter, Jinko Tiger Neo bifacial-ready)
• Built 2026, structure complete, finishing in approximately 6 months

The sign-off

Happy to walk you through the plans and finishes, or to meet on site if you want to see the CLT structure in place before the interior works close it up. If you have not lived in a timber-frame house before, it is worth a conversation about what changes day to day. The short version: the air is different, the bills are lower, and the house stays comfortable without you having to think about it.