I’m an older entrepreneur living near Porto. My children have grown up and scattered across different countries, and this smart home I built is far bigger than one person needs. I’m also half-disabled — I don’t move around as fast as I used to. So rather than rent rooms out, I open them to remote workers, makers and families who’d rather not pay rent. There’s no money in this. What I ask is simple: be part of the household, lend a hand with small everyday things, and keep me good company — in English, ideally, since I’m still learning it.
This isn’t a business and it isn’t a hostel — it’s my home. The idea is old and simple: the way a big house used to work, with a few people under one roof, everyone doing what they can. The smart-home system takes care of the house. What a system can’t do is be human — company, a hand, understanding. That part is what we share instead of rent. Coliving, in the most literal sense: we live together, and we work together.
A private bedroom with two beds, fully furnished, yours for the length of your stay.
Fast fibre, a proper desk and quiet space — built for people who actually work.
No rent and no fee. In return, a little everyday help and genuinely good company.
I built Domovoy as a near-complete smart home. It manages climate, lighting, security and energy on its own, and access is handled through an app — so the house is genuinely secure. It was also built to keep a quiet eye on the people inside it: if someone falls or something is wrong, the house notices. That’s the part I’m proudest of.
Here is the honest version, with no fine print. You give time and presence; you get a home. It is not a job and there are no fixed hours — it works the way help works in a family.
A little, most days — arranged naturally around your own work.
No timesheet, no shifts. The smart home handles everything mechanical. What it can’t do is be human — that’s the part I’m asking for.
A genuine home base while you focus on your own work.
Gifts are always welcome — someone brought a bottle of kefir the other day. But that’s never the point. The point is good company.
…you want a hotel or a hands-off rental. This is a shared home, and it only works if you’re someone who can be relied on for small, everyday help and genuinely good company. If that sounds like you, you’ll fit right in.
Domovoy sits a short drive from Porto, with the Atlantic just 15 minutes away. This stretch of coast is one of the world’s great surf regions — Nazaré, up the coast, sees the biggest waves on the planet.
There are two private rooms. This is a shared home, so it starts with a conversation — a little about you, a little about the house, and an honest sense of whether we’d get along. Get in touch and tell me who you are.
Nothing. No rent and no fee, and the house bills are included — power, water, heating and internet. You cover your own food, travel and personal spending. Small gifts are welcome but never expected.
Light, everyday things — a hand with what I can’t do quickly, a shop run a couple of times a week, the occasional drive. There are no fixed hours. It works like help in a family, not a shift at a job.
I’m an older entrepreneur and I’m half-disabled — I don’t move as fast as I used to. My children have grown and moved abroad, and the house is bigger than I need. I’d far rather share it with good people than rent it to strangers.
A month at minimum, so we both have time to settle in. Longer stays are welcome and easy to arrange once you’re here.
Yes. Each room has two beds, so a couple or a small family works well. Just mention it when you write.
Yes — that’s the idea. Fast fibre throughout, a proper workspace and a private room of your own. The house is set up for people who work.
No. We get by in English — and helping me practise mine is part of the deal. Portuguese is handy for daily life around Porto, but it’s never required.
The house manages climate, light, security and energy on its own, with access through an app. It also keeps a quiet eye on everyone inside — it was built so that if someone falls, it is noticed.