Lower Floor: TV Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen & Utilities

As you walk down the sweeping wooden staircase, you are greeted by a massive open space which is the dining room and TV lounge. The dining room has a solid chestnut with ironwork and glass top table for 10 people, with two carver chairs. Alongside the specially made table (with spot lights positioned above exactly to illuminate the eating area of each person) runs the four recessed illuminated display cases housing our fine antique sword collection valued at €82,000 (available for purchase for €50,000). To one end is a bar area with chestnut display cabinet and concealed under-bar refrigerator.

The lower level is partly below ground level (as the house is built on an incline, one end if fully below ground while the other is at ground level); there is not a damp patch to be found. Because of this, the dining room and TV lounge is extremely cool during the summer. We have an air conditioning unit above the bar but seldom use it. This large living space can make a perfect retreat though if it ever does get to hot for someone or if the air quality (like from the forest fires of 2006) ever make opening windows in the bedrooms a bad idea. The quality terracotta Spanish floor tiles used in the dining room and TV lounge also help to keep the room cool.

The TV Lounge has an L-shaped sofa under a large window looking out to a circular flower garden. All of the windows here and in the adjoining kitchen are fitted with ornate French style exterior railings for security purposes. In addition, a heavy metal chalice (stored in the utility room or "Lavandaria") can be padlocked into place on the stairs preventing anyone getting up or going down; this is mainly for insurance purposes for if and when the house in unoccupied. The adjacent large fully fitted kitchen is granite tiled (same granite and non-slip floor tiles used upstairs in the breakfast and bath rooms) with a wall mounted TV extension from the lounge.

A second gate / video entry console is located at the entrance to the utility room where the oil fired boiler is located and which is currently used as an indoor clothes drying and ironing area with some exercise equipment as well. The utility room is also the place for the wine fermentation vat as a) the temperature here is perfect year round and b) the smelly gas that comes out of the vat while fermentation is taking place is easily directed through a tube and out a small to outdoors. Another part of the kitchen leads to storage cupboards, a small bathroom with shower, a wash room (plumbed in for washing machine) and an adega or wine cellar (also has a chest freezer in it with some space for storage as well).

Two sets of solid hardwood doors with opaqued double glazed security windows lead out onto the outdoor dining area; a huge specially made granite table which easily seats eight adults and is set in a fortress style circular granite walled extension over the hill / bank below. This area is part of the driveway down to the river but has granite patio tiles instead of the kubos granite cobblestones used for the road and benefits from two large wooden gates which keep our dogs apart when we chose. This area has a gate and steps up to the family garden where the BBQ area is located. It therefore is used regular and safely by our children on their bikes.