Common QuestionsCommonQuestions

Alma Houses is a housing project in Portugal developing thoughtfully designed homes with a focus on affordability, comfort, natural materials and a simpler, more transparent building process. The first Alma Houses are planned from 2027.

Alma Houses starts from a simple question: why has getting a good home become so difficult? The project is addressing how design, materials, construction methods and the customer journey can be improved so that creating a home becomes more accessible and less complicated.

Alma Houses is creating homes that aim to be more affordable and more predictable to build, while providing comfort, quality and sustainability. That means rethinking not only how homes are built, but also the materials we use, how healthy they are to live in, and how the whole process can work better for the people involved.

It means treating a home as more than a product. Alma Houses aims to make the route to a home easier to understand, more transparent and more responsive to real people, while working to keep homes financially accessible and comfortable to live in.

Not yet. Alma Houses is currently in development. The team is working on the first show homes (construction is in progress), refining construction systems and processes before sales begin.

The first Alma Houses are planned for 2027. More precise dates will be published when the development and delivery schedule is confirmed.

Alma Houses is currently being developed for Portugal. Specific locations and projects will be announced as sites are confirmed.

Yes. You can register your interest through the Alma Houses website and follow the project as it develops across our social media channels. We’ll share progress, new insights and updates there as the first homes take shape.

Alma Houses is developing new homes designed around everyday living, comfort and long-term value, using natural materials including hemp-based building systems. The exact models, sizes, layouts and specifications are still being refined and will be shared once confirmed.

The project is using off-site and prefabricated construction as a way to improve control, reduce delays and simplify parts of the building process. Final construction specifications will be described only when they are confirmed.

No. Alma Houses will offer several models, with different levels of flexibility depending on the design. The aim is to balance the efficiency and consistency needed for prefabrication with enough choice for each home to feel personal. Some elements will be standardised, while others can be adapted to suit individual needs and preferences.

Yes, but the degree of customisation is still being developed. Alma Houses is exploring where flexibility adds meaningful value and where standardisation can reduce cost, complexity and delays.

Comfort includes how a home feels to live in across seasons: temperature, air, moisture, light, acoustics and the usability of the space. Alma Houses treats living quality as a core design question, not an optional extra.

The project is intended for people looking for a well-designed home in Portugal who value affordability, comfort, a clearer process and lower-impact material choices.

Affordability is a central objective of Alma Houses. The team is exploring how design decisions, construction systems, local supply chains and a more controlled process can help manage costs. Exact prices have not yet been published.

The project is examining cost across the whole process, including design efficiency, standardisation where useful, off-site construction, material choices, build time and coordination between different parts of the value chain.

That is not the intention. Alma Houses is specifically aiming to control costs without giving up comfort, durability or thoughtful design. Final performance and specification claims should be supported by confirmed technical information.

Because cost is only one part of the housing problem. Delays, unclear responsibilities, changing timelines and fragmented decision-making can make building a home stressful and unpredictable. Alma Houses aims to make that journey clearer and more transparent.

A more efficient build process is one of the project goals, including the use of off-site construction. Until the final system and delivery programme are confirmed, Alma Houses will not publish a fixed build time.

The intended approach is based on clarity, dialogue and trust: people should understand what is happening, what decisions they need to make, what is included and what comes next. The aim is to reduce unnecessary complexity rather than make the customer navigate it alone.

Alma Houses is using natural and lower-impact materials, including hemp- and lime-based building materials. The final material specification for each home will be published once confirmed.

Hemp is relevant because it has very specific qualities as a building material and is part of the wider ECDF (Eco-Casas do Futuro) ecosystem. Canhamais works with hemp cultivation, while Canhawall develops hemp-based construction systems. Alma Houses is where those systems become part of an end-user home.

Sustainability is one of the principles shaping how we design and build Alma Houses, but we don’t think it makes sense to call any house simply “sustainable”.

Our walls combine hemp with a lime-based binder. Hemp is a renewable, plant-based material that absorbs CO₂ while it grows, while the lime in the walls gradually absorbs some CO₂ through a natural process called carbonation. Over time, this process also contributes to the wall becoming stronger.

We’re also thinking about what happens much further down the line. Hemp-lime material has the potential to be crushed and reused, for example as insulation, although this isn’t currently part of our process. Our aim is to make considered choices about materials, construction and the life of the house, while being transparent about where there is still room to improve.

Yes, hemp and lime are well suited to creating comfortable, healthy-feeling homes. Hemp-based walls can help manage moisture and temperature and are made from a relatively simple combination of hemp, lime and water. Together with good ventilation and carefully chosen finishes, they can contribute to good indoor air quality and a comfortable indoor environment.

Natural materials are a central part of the Alma Houses approach. The current wall system is based on hemp and lime, but with a small amount of additives used in the lime. Some conventional materials will still be needed in the complete building system, so the final specification will describe clearly where natural and non-natural materials are used once the design is fully finalised.

Alma Houses is part of the ECDF ecosystem together with Canhamais and Canhawall. The three brands cover different parts of the same value chain, from hemp cultivation to building systems to finished homes.

Canhamais is the agricultural part of the ECDF ecosystem. It works around hemp cultivation and the development of a reliable local supply of hemp.

Canhawall is the construction-technology part of the ECDF ecosystem. It develops hemp-based building systems and focuses on how those materials can be used consistently and effectively in construction.

The simplest way to understand the ecosystem is: Canhamais grows, Canhawall engineers, and Alma Houses brings the result into everyday living. Each brand has its own role, but they are intended to reinforce one another across the same value chain.

No. Alma Houses is an end-user housing brand with its own goals around affordability, comfort, design and process. Its connection to Canhamais and Canhawall gives it access to a wider material and construction ecosystem, but the home is designed around the needs of the people who will live in it.

Yes. Alma Houses is interested in suitable building plots in Portugal for future projects.

Yes. Landowners with potentially suitable plots can contact the Alma Houses team through the website or the designated land-acquisition contact.

Yes. If you already own land, Alma Houses can build your home there. We’ll work with you to understand the site and what is possible, taking into account local planning requirements and the characteristics of the land.