Our 6-Year Impact Report
“May our future grandsons harvest the fruits from the trees we are planting in this piece of paradise.”
The journey until today
A 100-year-old familly homestead (originally built in 1921), Vivenda Felicidade has spent the past six years transforming a former monoculture landholding into a thriving 6,000 m² sanctuary for regeneration, slow tourism, permaculture design principles, community living and a healthy lifestyle.​
​Every guest staying at Vivenda Felicidade directly finances the ecological regeneration of the land, supporting a balanced ecosystem where humans, animals, and plants thrive together.
Key 6-Year Milestones
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Main House Restoration: Structural recovery and preservation of the historic main building, including full roof replacement, improved thermal insulation, and repainting.
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Land Transformation: Shifted the depleted "Rocha" pear monoculture into a diverse sanctuary boasting 100+ species of herbs, shrubs, and trees.
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Ruin Conversion: Fully rehabilitated a 70 m² historic ruin into a functional, self-contained guest studio with a private kitchen and bathroom.​
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Coliving as Business Model to integrate tourism and local communal living together.
1. Environmental Pillar: Land, Water & Circularity
Land Regeneration & Permaculture Framework
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Farm Scale: 6,000 m² estate with active ongoing restoration across multiple heritage structures.
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Kitchen Garden: 1,000 m² dedicated regenerative food site located between the main house and the studio.
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Soil Health & Composting:
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30 m³ of rich compost produced to build initial garden beds using no-till and companion planting techniques.
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Daily Vermicomposting: ~30 liters of daily organic waste (greens/browns) diverted to 2 active on-site worm composting systems.
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Farming Philosophy: Low-cost, pesticide-free, syntropic, organic regenerative systems inspired by JADAM (Youngsang Cho), Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, Daniel C. Wahl, Fernanda Botelho, the Gaia Institute and others.
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Annual Yield (Year 6): Planting ~100 kg of seasonal, chemical-free produce with an open-source harvesting policy for colivers who contribute back to the soil.
Water & Waste Management
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Water Capture: Approximately 80 m³ of water collected across two natural wells and three 1 m³ storage reservoirs dedicated to irrigation.
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Wastewater Treatment: Bio-digestion septic system designed and built by architect Celestino Magalhães (Chico's grandfather) to treat greywater output naturally.
Energy Transition
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Current Status: >5% renewable energy dependency.
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Future Target: Construction of an on-site power plant integrated onto an unrestored ruin to produce 18–20 kWh/year of renewable solar energy.
2. Social Pillar: Community, Wellbeing & Local Synergy
Guest & Coliving Reach
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Hosted Guests: 350+ international colivers and eco-conscious travelers.
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Average Length of Stay: 3 weeks (21 days) per guest, fostering deeper community connection vs average lenght of stay of the region (Sintra) of 2 nights.
Community Activities & Value Exchange
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Weekly Core Offerings: Surf sessions, yoga classes, breathwork sessions, community dinners around the bonfire, and weekly community farming days.
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Guest-Led Skill Shares: Workshops covering fermentation, meditation, acting, writing, dancing, cooking, artificial intelligence, and coaching.
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Facilities & Common Spaces:
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Main House (3 floors): 5 guest rooms, coworking area, living room, shared kitchen, 4 bathrooms.
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3rd-Floor Attic: 120 m² dedicated movement studio for yoga, meditation, and group gatherings.
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60m2 studio accomodation
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100m2 garage adapted to a barbecue and workshop area.
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Local Economic Support
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Local First Purchasing: Prioritizes local neighbors, friends, and small businesses whenever outsourcing maintenance, supplies, or specialty services.
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Local Facilitation: Engages Portuguese local housekeeping family (Margarida and Mónica, mother and daughter), instructors and facilitators for surf, yoga, and wellness events to directly reinvest in the local economy.
3. Governance Pillar: Operating Principles & Future Outlook
Operational Philosophy
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Guided by the core permaculture principles of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. Guests contribute both financially and actively to maintaining garden beds and planting seeds for future residents.
Chico and Liam are the current stewards of the land, managing and guiding people's involvement in the project, with shared values and responsibilities to create a healthy, respectful, and thriving living experience.
We are open to...
Collaborations
We want to increase our networks and help other communities to grow. Let us know your ideas to collaborate and exchange value.​
In the form of:
Events/ Retreats/ Artistic Residencies
Got an idea? Let's talk about it
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Reach Out to Us
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