Amid the hurricane destruction, one building material demonstrated an important advantage in the aftermath of the storms: Hemp blocks produced by Cânhamor, also in Portugal, and used in the walls of a couple of renovated structures in the village.

When my husband, Steve, and I moved from the UK to Portugal’s Silver Coast, we certainly didn't plan on buying an entire ruined village. Our original idea was just a small house and an Airbnb conversion. But then Chumbaria caught my eye online—it was love at first sight! We bought the small cluster of derelict stone buildings for €200,000, and our epic renovation journey began.