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Host is looking for help immediately
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2 May 2026
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Description
Dear community,
We’re a young couple who chose a path rooted in simplicity, practical skills, sustainability, and building something real with our own hands. In the quiet hills of northern Portugal, we’re transforming an old place from the ground up using natural building techniques, permaculture systems, and collaborative work. Our vision is to create a circular living environment.
Here we focus on:
- Natural building with clay, wood & stone
- Permaculture & food forest design
- Collective living & creative exchange
- Surf & flow with nature
Whether you’re experienced with tools, curious about natural construction, or looking for a surf‑friendly project with meaning, you’ll find something valuable here.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
More info on events, availabilities, and ongoing projects below ⬇️
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
Interests
Architecture
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Plant care
Music
Drawing & painting
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Sailing / Boating
Outdoor activities
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Fitness
Dancing
Camping
Adventure sports
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
As a Workawayer with us, you'll be part of a hands-on environment where learning, creativity, and cultural exchange is available upon you initiative. You can gain practical experience in natural building techniques, permaculture gardening, sourdough baking, fermenting, and vegetarian / vegan cooking with organic ingredients.
During the week, Jannis and I work regular hours at our desk jobs, which means you’ll have a good mix of guided tasks you can explore independently / together with the other workawayer present. On weekends, we come together for our “big do-time”, working as a team on ongoing projects.
We love sharing our journey: from following a classic career-oriented path to choosing a more minimalist and sustainable lifestyle, using what we have and what we know to build something meaningful. If you're curious, we’re happy to share knowledge in areas like natural building, permaculture design, yoga, and surfing. We also welcome you into our daily life, from local events and regional trips to casual evenings.
What you take from your time here depends not only on the projects happening during your stay but also on your own curiosity and proactivity. There's always something to learn for those who are open, present, and ready to get involved.
OUR DAILY SCHEDULE
08.30 - 11.30 morning session
11.30 - 13.30 Lunch break
13.30 - 15:30 afternoon session
Our helping schedule can vary depending on the weather and the type of tasks at hand. In general, we ask for 5 hours of help per day, not including your participation in regular household chores, which we all share as part of living together. You'll have 2 days off during the week, usually either Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday.
If this rhythm doesn’t work for you, we’re happy to talk and explore alternative setups that might better suit your needs while keeping the exchange fair and balanced for everyone.
Help
GENERAL AVAILABILITY
01.05. - 15.05. + 2 people max
27.06. - 01.08. + 2 people max
02.10. - 31.10. + 4 people max
We strongly prefer Workawayers with experience in:
- carpentry
- natural building
- agroforestry / permaculture
- landscaping
- practical tool work
That said: if you're motivated, reliable, enjoy physical work, and like solving problems hands-on — reach out anyway. Passion and a proactive attitude go a long way.
We prefer stays of 1 to 3 months, and invite people who enjoy living closely with others and becoming part of a temporary co-living. If you bring special skills, that reduce your kickoff time on the projects, we are also open for min. stays of 2 weeks.
OPEN SLOTS & FOCUS
Summer: May - September
→ Carpentry (furniture built for tiny house)
→ Focus on Natural Building in big house
→ 2 - 4 spots available + more if you bring your own tent / van
PROJECT AREAS
ECO-CONSTRUCTION
We're currently building with wood, straw, and clay. Experience in related crafts is very welcome. For those with solid skills in craftsmanship, we’re open to offering a small financial compensation.
PERMACULTURE
We’re developing a 1000 m² homestead agroforest with edible trees, berries, and medicinal plants. The design is still unfolding. There’s always work to do — from weeding and grass cutting to planting and experimenting. If you are a trained Permaculture Designer, we’d love to hear from you! 👋🏻
CARE & HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT
This is your slot, if you want to contribute but don't bring in specific skills: We always appreciate people who love caring for animals, the home, and the people around them.
ARRIVAL INFO
Please try to arrive Friday afternoon. We use the weekend to get you settled in, introduce you to the space and rhythms, and make sure you feel at home before diving into the week.
Important:
Please do not bring your own animals — we already share our home with quite a few 😊
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Portuguese: Beginner
Accommodation
YOUR TENT
Summer: We have spacious "glamping" tents (3x3m in size), equipped with real beds and high enough to stand in.
Autumn: You'll have a space in the house,
SANITATION
We have an outdoor shower, which is the only warm water source and an indoor composting toilet. As it came to a surprise to one or the other: anyone staying with us might also be involved in emptying and cleaning the composting toilet. If you use it - you also take care of it :)
WATER
We have well and are connected to the tap water (not drinkable). There is a river with water from the mountains next to the property. We collect drinking water from nearby natural springs.
ELECTRICITY & WIFI
Provided + super speedy glass fibre internet. It's the best.
NUTRITION
We provide all meals always. We are living mostly vegan and sugar reduced - so will be our food. We are still developing the habits around it, and it’s very difficult if we’re continuously surrounded by other types of food. Therefore, if you need sweets to survive, I’d ask you to keep these things out of the “main” areas - otherwise the munchies are hitting and we’ll go back to spooning Nutella 😂
LAUNDRY
There will be a washing machine available for use and a communal washing line, cost is 1 EUR per wash (including organic washing liquid). You can also share this with other guests.
What else ...
SURFING, MOUNTAINS & MOVEMENT
The property is located:
15 minutes by car from excellent surf spots
directly by a clear river stream, connected to one of the purest estuaries in europe
close to hiking and mountain biking areas
If you don’t have a car, be prepared to cycle, walk, or uber. We provide bicycles you can borrow. The next town and beach are reachable in 30 minutes by bicycle. The closest train station is Seixas (30–40 min walking). You’ll find trains to all beaches and bigger cities.
We also provide:
Surfboards & wetsuits for beginners & experts, rental 15€/day
Blow up canoe rental to paddle along the coura river, which starts directly by the house, or from any location of your wish, 50€/day
For the experienced, we have fishing equipment to rent
Initially we didn’t take any money for sharing our equipment, but beginners luck and wear & tear includes that repairs and replacements are needed from time to time, hence we decided to take a little fee.
TRAVEL INSTRUCTIONS
Big sorry beforehand: We don't pick-up workawayers from train stations. Most of the time, your arrival times are somewhat within our working hours and with the flow of workawayers in and out of this house, we can’t handle it. But there are ways to get here even without our help, and many have done it before you ;)
> Generally, Seixas is the clostes train station. If you don't find trains to Seixas, try Caminha.
> Take the Autna Bus from Porto Airport to Vila Nova de Cerveira. Take a train from Vila Nova de Cerveira to Seixas.
> Take the train from Porto to Seixas.
> A taxi / uber from Caminha or Seixas to Vilar de Mouros should be around 5 - 15 €.
Trains and Buses in Portugal are super cheap - so don't hesitate to try them out.
THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING (SUMMER EDITION - June - September)
- A mosquito net to throw over your bed
- Working gloves (we have some you can use, but some people prefer their own)
- A hat
- Mandatory: Biodegradable Sunscreen (mineral based), 100% Biodegradable toothpaste and soap (our water directly flows out watering our plants. If you don't find suitable products, you can buy homemade soap and shampoo (each 5€) and toothpaste from us.)
- Yoga mat and games if you like :)
THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING (WINTER EDITION - October- March)
Same as in summer, and:
- A warm hat, warm socks, and warm clothes in general. It gets really chilly during the night and in the mornings.
HOUSE RULES
Some practical basics that help the place function:
no smoking or drinking on the property
no smoking outdoors in summer outside concrete areas (fire risk)
do not interact with dogs on arrival (training reasons)
respect chickens and animals. We have free ranging chicken & geese. They are friendly. Behave calm and friendly around any animal you encounter. When you are stressed, they are stressed.
do not remove natural materials from land
remove shoes indoors
If you break something due to incompetence or maltreatment, please offer to pay for it
If you move something, put it back
only use tools after instruction
clean tools after use
return tools properly
sharpen tools before working
attend morning meetings
attend weekly community meetings
only use organic hygiene products
Don't pull a weed out or take a plant unless you know what it is and have been asked to do so. We have lost so many lovely plants due to people being unaware that the grass was onions. Also, this is a good learning exercise for you.
If rules are repeatedly ignored, we may end the stay with one day notice. We ask the same notice if you decide to leave early. In severe cases, we ask you to leave the house within a shorter timeframe.
DONATIONS
If you'd love to give something back to the land / compensate your travel emissions or help us grow this place, literally, you can. We're building a food forest and nursery, and every new tree helps shape the future here. You're welcome to sponsor a tree: we’ll go to the market together, pick one, and you can plant it yourself, with a little handmade sign in your name or for someone you love.
We also gratefully receive useful things! If you're visiting, it means the world when people bring along:
- Art & craft supplies (paints, brushes, paper, thread)
- Books, musical instruments, seeds, essential oils
- Old comfy work clothes, mugs, plates, tools, or any beautiful handmade objects
These optional contributions are help keep this place alive, creative, and wild. They find their way into our exchange box: a small open system where you can swap clothes, books or small items. Leave something, take something, and help keep the circle flowing.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have Fibre glass super high quality internet and one room with a desk.
Space for parking camper vans
You can park either on a public parking space close to a nearby chapel or on a piece of land next to our property. The access to the land is very steep and requires you to drive carefully. Very deep vans might have difficulties.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Babbitty Rabbitty & Cottontail
Chicken & Ducks
Benjen
Totoro
Cat
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (22)
During my days, I helped prepare the stable for the geese and mostly worked in the garden: raising the ground level using stones and pieces of terracotta… read more
They were both super welcoming and fun to be around. Emma was always enthusiastic to share her knowledge about natural building methods and permaculture. I had a variety of different tasks among which was also to take care of their many lovely animals. It was a joy to go on fun walks with the dogs, Toto… read more
Work 4/5 - For a 4-week stay, I expected to learn and do many more different things, but hey, work is work.
I did learn a couple of… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.6)
Cultural exchange:
(4.3)
Communication:
(4.5)
During my days, I helped prepare the stable for the geese and mostly worked in the garden: raising the ground level using stones and pieces of terracotta… read more
They were both super welcoming and fun to be around. Emma was always enthusiastic to share her knowledge about natural building methods and permaculture. I had a variety of different tasks among which was also to take care of their many lovely animals. It was a joy to go on fun walks with the dogs, Toto… read more
Work 4/5 - For a 4-week stay, I expected to learn and do many more different things, but hey, work is work.
I did learn a couple of… read more
I had an amazing and transformative time in Vilhar de Mouros! I really enjoyed the work, which was purposeful and varied. I felt welcomed and appreciated from the moment I arrived,… read more
Our tasks were very diverse, from creating bricks from clay and straw, cutting glass bottles, building the walls and adding the last touch of clay plaster. It was hard work that paid off as we saw one of the buildings almost to completion. Another project was the permaculture garden, where… read more
I really admire the way Emma and Jannis… read more
I wish you good luck in the future!✨️
Emma and Jannis are wonderful and inspiring young people who have chosen to live… read more
Katarina isn't just good; she's the kind of person who makes everything better. She's this wonderful mix of gentle yet hardcore, proactive, and adaptable. No matter the situation, she's a rockstar, taking care of herself while spreading happiness all… read more
He also brought a lot of joy and ease into the group. Everybody enjoyed his music and got to their limits with small workouts he… read more
My time was spent learning natural building techniques, enjoying the amazing places of Portugal and meeting so many amazing people.
We had a lot of fun working as a group of workawayers and Emma and Jannis on the tiny house… read more
Amongst the fun and the easy going vibe they are really dedicated to their work, and serious about their project - approaching every little bit with great professionalism. This combination is so great to work in and work with. The tasks were set… read more
The little family brought a lot of warmth… read more
Emma and Jannis are lovely chilled and fun people and inspiring to see how they live their lives in such a sustainable way. Their home is so lovely and it felt like 'home' straight… read more
Emma and Jannis are very… read more
