# Roofs in Funchal: mild climate, red tile and the PRESERVA programme > Roofs in Funchal, with sources: IPMA climate, the Madeiran popular house, the PDM in the historic centre and the PRESERVA programme. - Page: https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/roofs-funchal - Language: English - Updated: 2026-11-02 ## The roofs of Funchal Funchal has 28,018 buildings in the 2021 Census. 27.5% date from before 1961 and 83.7% were built by 2000. 5.9% need deep repair, the highest value among the towns on this site (country: 4.6%). INE measures the whole building, not only the roof. An article from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, citing the study by Victor Mestre, links the image of the Madeiran popular house to eaves and under-eaves in red ceramic or to thatch, with white lime walls. The same article illustrates the elementary house with a tile roof (Fajã da Ovelha) and with thatch (Camacha): tile and vegetable roofing coexisted. We found no official sources on sea salt, slopes and wind as wear factors for Funchal roofs. We do not claim them here. ## Buildings (INE Census 2021) - 28018 buildings counted in Funchal - 27.5% built before 1961; 83.7% built up to 2000 - 5.9% with deep repair needs (whole building, not only the roof) - Antes de 1919: 1307 (4.7%) - 1919-1945: 2698 (9.6%) - 1946-1960: 3692 (13.2%) - 1961-1980: 7030 (25.1%) - 1981-1990: 4195 (15.0%) - 1991-2000: 4526 (16.2%) - 2001-2005: 2018 (7.2%) - 2006-2010: 1607 (5.7%) - 2011-2015: 448 (1.6%) - 2016-2021: 497 (1.8%) Source: INE, Census 2021, indicator 0011482, updated 2022-11-12. CC BY. ## Rain, wind and sun At the IPMA station in Funchal (1991-2020) average rainfall is 574.3 mm a year and the mean temperature is 20.0 °C, with mean highs of 22.9 °C and lows of 17.0 °C. July and August have almost no rain (1.7 and 1.3 mm). There are 18.4 days a year with 10 mm or more and 3.9 with 30 mm or more. The station records no sub-zero readings: 0.0 frost days a year and a minimum of 8.5 °C, in March 2011. The heaviest daily rain was 158.6 mm, on 26 November 2010. Here the risk is not ice but the water of a few very strong days in a hillside city. ## Houses and roofs - The Madeiran popular house is associated with lime walls and eaves with red ceramic under-eaves, according to the FAUP article. On steep slopes, water running off the roof needs a gutter and somewhere to go. - The Historic Centre of Funchal is a rehabilitation area with a Systematic Urban Rehabilitation Operation (Aviso 14539/2014). The PDM gives the council power to limit roofs next to historic street lines, as explained below. ## Rules and permits In Funchal's PDM (Aviso 53/2018, article 66(3)), for works on buildings fronting historic urban street lines (for example Rua da Carreira and Rua Direita), the council may require rehabilitation and limit volume and the occupation and transformation of roofs. The Historic Centre is a rehabilitation area, and in 2026 the council used the systematic operation to expropriate a property on Rua da Infância (Resolution 8/2026). We did not read the PDM regulation end to end, nor that of the rehabilitation area, and we found no specific tile colour or material rule. https://joram.madeira.gov.pt/joram/2serie/Ano%20de%202018/IISerie-053-2018-04-05.pdf ## PRESERVA programme and the 2026 storms Funchal's municipal PRESERVA programme gives non-repayable grants of up to 8,000 euros for maintenance of homes of households in need. According to the council page, since 18 July 2026 there is no fixed application deadline. Check the conditions with the council. Funchal is not among the 22 additional municipalities of Despacho 2389-A/2026, which speaks of the mainland. Decree-Law 79-A/2026 extends support to any part of the territory with special and abnormal damage between 28 January and 15 February 2026, but the text we read does not name Madeira. We found no official data on damaged roofs in Funchal. ## Sources - [IPMA, normal Funchal](https://www.ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_91-20_FUNCHAL.pdf) - [FAUP, article on the Madeiran house](https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/bitstream/10216/70569/3/46542.pdf) - [Funchal PDM, Aviso 53/2018 (JORAM)](https://joram.madeira.gov.pt/joram/2serie/Ano%20de%202018/IISerie-053-2018-04-05.pdf) - [Funchal council, PRESERVA](https://funchal.pt/?p=12613) - [INE, Census 2021 (0011482)](https://www.ine.pt/ine/json_indicador/pindica.jsp?op=2&varcd=0011482&lang=EN) ## FAQ ### Does Funchal have frost? No. At the IPMA station in Funchal (1991-2020) there are 0.0 frost days a year and the lowest recorded temperature was 8.5 °C, in March 2011. ### What is the PRESERVA programme? It is a municipal programme in Funchal that gives non-repayable grants of up to 8,000 euros for maintenance of homes of households in need. Since 18 July 2026 there is no fixed application deadline, according to the council. Ask the council whether a roof is eligible. ### Can I change the roof of a building in the historic centre of Funchal? For buildings fronting historic street lines such as Rua da Carreira and Rua Direita, the PDM lets the council limit the transformation of roofs. Ask the council for guidance before any work and see the permit guide. ### Did storm Kristin affect Funchal? Funchal is not on the list of Despacho 2389-A/2026, which covers the mainland. We found no official data on roof damage in Funchal. See the aid guide for what applies. --- Source: https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/roofs-funchal. Independent information, not legal or tax advice.