M4| Friday, February 28, 2020 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
from scratch.
The Greves wanted one house
largely for themselves, which they
built on the lower hotel lot, closer
to the shoreline. They also wanted
a second house for family and
friends to replace the earlier villa
on the small bluff above it. They
planned both properties with
rental income in mind.
The couple have three adult chil-
dren, two sets of retired parents,
and a number of siblings and in-
laws. Mr. Greve estimates his ex-
tended family numbers over 100.
The two homes are similar on
the outside, with white geometric
facades, but different inside.
The main home, called Casa M, is
a Nordic-Iberian ranch house with aareas: To the east, close to the Al-
garve’s international airport in
Faro, are a cluster of planned com-
munities with the coast’s most ex-
pensive properties. They are ad-
mired for their golf courses,
though their villas often come with
airplane noise. Central Algarve is
marked by partying summer en-
claves. The west, where the Greves
are, has calmer communities and
wilder nature.
Mr. Martins says the west offers
“a different kind of luxury” than
the rest of the coast. Located at thePORTUGAL
THEALGARVEFaro
AirportPORTUGALLagosI
n the early 1980s, two Nor-
wegian students in love
spent a few charmed weeks
camping on a beach in the
Algarve, on the southwest-
ern coast of Portugal. The trip
ended with a romantic marriage
proposal by candlelight.
Now, after nearly four decades
of marriage, the two have returned.
This time they are owners of a big,
two-home
oceanfront lux-
ury estate.
In May 2019,
they completed
work on the
compound,
which has two
mansions, two
infinity pools,
five ponds, dra-
matic coastline vistas, and enough
bedrooms to accommodate nearly
two dozen members of their multi-
generational family at one time.
The total cost: about $7.2 million.
Egil Greve, a 62-year-old health-
supplements entrepreneur, and his
wife, Birgitte Grann Greve, 60, a
veterinarian, divide their time be-
tween their primary home in afflu-
ent west Oslo, two Norwegian va-
cation homes and the new
Portuguese property.
The two coastal homes, in a
sheltered spot outside the walled
town of Lagos, feature German
kitchen appliances and decorative
fountains controlled by phone.
In April 2015, after annual vaca-
tions in a nearby luxury resort, the
couple decided to purchase two ad-
joining lots that had become avail-
able in the midst of Portugal’s
yearslong recovery from the 2008
financial crisis. The smaller of the
two, at just over^1 / 2 acre, came with
a 1960s villa and cost $760,000.
The second, a 3/4-acre lot with the
foundation of an unbuilt hotel, had
a price tag of $1.1 million.
The couple hired local architect
Mario Martins, known for his
gleaming-white contemporary vil-
las. After briefly considering saving
the old house, they decided to start
large basement, combining pine ac-
cents outside and oak detailing
throughout. Portuguese homes typi-
cally have tile floors and separate
kitchens, but the Greves chose wood
floors, and wood cabinets for their
open-plan, Danish-style kitchen.
The couple spent about $3 mil-
lion on the 6,200-square-foot Casa
M. It has six bedrooms and six bath-
rooms on the main floor. There is a
home cinema, gym, pool table and
seventh bathroom in the basement.
In the $2.3 million guesthouse,
Casa L, the interior is pan-Mediter-
ranean, with ivory-tile floors and
black, white and beige furniture. In
contrast to the flat-lying Casa M,
Casa L is a rounded, two-story,
5,500-square-foot villa. The en-
trance is double-height with a
grand staircase.
One day, the Greves decided to
climb up to the top of Casa L, using
a maintenance ladder. “We were
stunned by the view,” says Mr.
Greve.
As a result, their architect de-
signed a roof deck accessed by an
alternating-tread staircase. “It’s
lovely to have an afternoon drink
up there and watch the sunset,”
adds Mr. Greve.
The Algarve has three distinctBYJ.S.MARCUS
BALANCE SHEET
Big Enough for Everyone
On Portugal’s Algarve coast, a Norwegian couple built a compound with two mansions, two pools and plenty of rooms for family
Egil and
Birgitte Greve,
below right,
built two villas
on Portugal’s
Algarve coast.
Casa M,
above, is
mainly for
themselves.
Casa L, below,
is for the
extended
family. Both
properties will
also be rented.IT TAKES A VILLA
Upkeep for the compound
Maintenance:$65,000 a year
Water bills:Up to $870 a
month, including for grounds
Heating and cooling systems:
$325,000
SPLURGES
Home cinema in Casa M:
$107,000
Furniture for the Casa L
guesthouse:$200,000
Elaborate interior/exterior
landscaping:$187,000
The cost to buy the two
lots was $1.86 million.edge of the open Atlan-
tic, it also has windier
conditions. The Greves’
homes are built to re-
sist that wind, which
swoops down from the
north in summer,
threatening to bring
sand storms to beach
holidays. The villas are
oriented southward,
and pools are placed to
let the houses shield
them from the gusts.
Though the pair chose to have
native plants in their landscaping,
such as almond trees and rosemary
shrubs, they also decided to have
Northern European-style lawns.
“We wanted spaces for kids to
play,” explains Mr. Greve.
The landscaping—costing a total
$187,000—extends indoors, to
planted areas in Casa M and sunlit
crevices around both villas. This
leads to high water bills of up to
$870 a month, but the Greves are
pleasantly surprised that mainte-
nance costs for the property haven’t
exceeded about $65,000 a year.
Mr. Greve regards his $107,000
home cinema—with equipment
from U.S. maker Kaleidescape—as
his great splurge. He also has no
regrets spending nearly $325,000
for heating and cooling systems,
though it was unexpected.
The couple plan to spend up to
two months a year at Algarve, and
already have hosted dozens of fam-
ily members in Casa L.
Having capped off their project
last summer with the purchase of
several works from Spanish painter
Luis Bujalance, the pair have noth-
ing left on their property to-do list,
says Mr. Greve, other than “to use
it more.”Casa M features
wood floors
throughout.The guesthouse has a roof deck with wide ocean views. The Greves offer the villa for rent.The entrance
hall is double-
height.Casa L cost $2.3 million
to build and furnish.RICARDO JUNQUEIRA FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (5); CECILIE GREVE (PORTRAIT); JASON LEE (MAP)MANSION | WATERFRONT LIVING
$7.2
MILLION
Cost to build two
luxury villasCasa M, the main house,
cost $3 million to build
and furnish.