SilverCoast Paws The Family
A Sterrenberg family business
Four people. One standard. Every property treated like our own. Welcome to SilverCoast Paws & Home.
Our Story
Why we do this
A few years back, Justin walked away from a corporate desk. The reason was simple: he’d rather spend his days looking after homes, building someone’s dream project, and being present for the people he works for than sit through another meeting. His wife Debbie joined him on the home-care side, and what started as a clean break became a proper family business.
Justin’s father Michael came over from South Africa with 30+ years of cladding and construction behind him — the kind of trade knowledge that means we build the deck ourselves instead of subcontracting it. Ana, Justin’s mother and a native Portuguese speaker, brought a designer’s eye for interiors and gardens, and the fluency that keeps a project running on Portuguese time with Portuguese tradesmen. Freya and Griffon, Justin’s dogs, gave us half our name — and remind us every day what real attention to detail looks like.
What it means for you: when you message us, you reach the family. Not an agency. Not a subcontractor. Not the third cleaner this year. The same four faces, every visit. The same eye on your weekly inspection as on your year-end renovation. We do this work because we love it, our name is on it, and we know what it feels like to hand over the keys to your home and want to trust the person on the other end. That’s the whole reason SilverCoast Paws & Home exists.
Justin Sterrenberg
The man on the ground
Property management lead · Trade & repairs · Pet care & training
The face you’ll meet first, and the one running the day-to-day on the ground. After years in the corporate world, Justin made the call to walk away from the desk and build something with the family on the Silver Coast. He’d rather spend his days looking after homes, building people’s dream projects, and creating memories alongside the people he works for than sit through another meeting.
He grew up in the trade, learning the craft directly from his father Michael, and went on to study architectural drafting so he could read a project from the first sketch through to the finished build. That combination means Justin can pick up a call about a leaky pipe in the morning and be drafting a deck extension by the afternoon. He doesn’t shy away from a challenge, and the work he doesn’t already know, he learns fast.
Alongside the trade, Justin brings 10+ years of positive dog training and behaviour work, and the kind of connection with animals that comes from a lifetime spent around them. Freya and Griffon, the reason for the “Paws” in our name, are the standard he holds for every resident pet he looks after. Whether it’s a five-minute property check, a project you’ve been thinking about, or a dog who needs minding while you travel, Justin is your first call.
Justin’s Work
Renovations, property care, and the dogs along for the ride
Stone-clad bathroom with walk-in shower and timber-framed window — finished and ready.
From dated tile cubicle to stone-clad walk-in — a complete bathroom transformation.
White walls, oak flooring, live-edge timber shelf — a renovated room handed back ready to live in.
A second stone-clad bathroom — walk-in shower, rain head, full stone surround.
Quiet sunset session with a client dog — calm, focused, building trust.
A bit of character on the daily walk — the kind of detail that says you’ve done this a while.
From an impassable tangle of ivy and brambles back to open ground — a Silver Coast garden cleared by hand, no shortcuts.
Debbie Sterrenberg
The eye for detail
Home care lead · Cleaning & BnB turnovers · Gardens & planting
The cleaning queen behind every five-star stay we deliver. Debbie runs everything inside the home: deep cleans, regular cleaning rhythms, BnB turnovers, linen, and the kind of details guests notice and owners forget. She’s the reason our holiday-let owners keep collecting five-star reviews for cleanliness, even on the back-to-back turnover weekends. If there’s a speck of dust on a surface no one was meant to check, Debbie finds it first.
Outside the home, Debbie has the same standard, just with her hands in the soil. Gardening is her quiet passion, and she tends to flowers and planting on our client properties with the kind of care and patience that keeps a Silver Coast garden actually thriving through the summer. The same eye she has for a clean surface, she has for a healthy plant.
Working alongside her mother-in-law Ana, Debbie completes the circle on the home side of our business. Five-star reviews on every BnB turnover. Gardens that survive a Portuguese summer. A home that feels properly looked after the second you walk in. If that’s the standard your Silver Coast property deserves, message us and Debbie will take it from there.
Debbie’s Work
Gardens that thrive, finishes that last
An overgrown side bed tidied back to a planted, paved garden — the difference a patient hand makes.
Variegated agaves and aloes settled into a sunny Silver Coast border — built to handle a Portuguese summer.
Raised bed with rope-grid sections — lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, every square earning its keep.
From raw timber frame to a finished covered terrace — planters, lighting, somewhere to actually sit.
Michael Straub
30 years of trade craftsmanship
Master craftsman · Cladding, decking & stonework · Construction projects
The man with the kind of trade knowledge no Google search could compete with. Michael ran his own cladding and construction business in South Africa for more than 30 years, and brought every bit of that experience with him to Portugal. It’s the reason we can take on the skilled work most property managers have to subcontract out.
From cladding and decking to paving, driveways, patios, pool surrounds and complete garden landscapes. From stonework and pergolas to a fresh paint job or a full renovation. If you can dream it, we’ll get it built. Calm, sensible, and the one who pushes a project to the end with an energy that still puts younger guys to shame. When he says it’s done right, it’s done right.
As we build SilverCoast Paws & Home on the Silver Coast, Michael is the steady hand guiding Justin through the next generation of projects and the kind of home upgrades this coast deserves. If you’re planning a renovation or a construction project at your Silver Coast property, Michael is part of the team behind it.
Michael’s Work
30 years of finished projects, built to last
Full stone cladding, hardwood pool deck and glass-cable rail — a complete villa exterior build.
Tiered natural-stone retaining wall — hand-laid, every stone placed by eye.
Two-storey villa with full stone cladding, terrace and external staircase — finished to the last joint.
Michael laying a crazy-paving patio — mixer running, stones set by hand, an installation in progress.
Finished crazy-paving path system winding through a fully landscaped Silver Coast garden.
Rounded stone-edged paths and planting beds — a complete garden build, ready to live in.
Aerial sign-off of a finished villa — poured terrace, outdoor dining, garden in place.
Ana Sterrenberg
The finishing touch
Interior decorating · Landscaping · Design & finish · Native Portuguese
The reason everything actually runs as smoothly as it does. Ana has spent her career on the side of the trade most people see but rarely name: the finish, the colour, the planting, the way a room or a garden actually comes together. She brings interior decorating, landscaping and a designer’s instinct to every Silver Coast project we take on, which is why our work doesn’t just function. It looks like it belongs.
Ana is also our native Portuguese speaker. When a tradesman, town hall or neighbour needs talking to in proper Portuguese rather than Google-translated English, Ana handles it. Projects don’t stall, contractors turn up on time, and our English-speaking clients never have to deal with the language barrier alone.
She’s the family’s problem-solver, contractor handler, and the steady eye that catches the small things the rest of us miss. If your Silver Coast property needs a renovation, a refresh, or someone who understands both the work and the language, Ana is part of the team that gets it done.
Ana’s Work
A glimpse of the gardens, designs and details
A rose-arch pergola framing a planted bed in full bloom — one of Ana’s favourite Silver Coast builds.
Stone retaining wall with a mixed perennial bed — snapdragons, chives and lavender.
Mass planting of snapdragons, alliums and lavender — full bloom in late spring.
Spring planting with a Buddha statue and white-rose obelisks — quiet, structured, deeply considered.
Blue irises against pelargoniums and hand-hung blue pots — the small details that lift a space.
“Angel Keepers” — lavender bundles and dried orange, Ana’s own line of handmade keepsakes.
Wedding-venue styling in a planted garden — rustic directional signage and a softly lit ceremony space.
Freya & Griffon · Brand Ambassadors
Our two reminders to take care of every detail
Freya and Griffon are Justin’s dogs — and they’re the reason this business has “Paws” in the name. They taught us that real care is in the details no-one else notices: the gate that wasn’t latched properly, the food bowl that didn’t get rinsed, the corner that dust collected in. We carry that standard into every property we look after.
Why Choose Us
What being a family business actually changes
The difference isn’t just sentimental. Here’s what changes when the people on your property are family, not contractors.
Family on every job
The family runs every project, start to finish. When the work calls for specialist trades, we bring in people we know and trust — but one of us is always on site, and the sign-off is always ours.
Skilled work in-house
Decking, cladding, painting, paving — we have the trade depth most property managers don’t.
Photo reports as standard
After every visit. You see the property, the work and any flags — the same week, every time.
English and Portuguese, both native
Native English with Justin and Debbie, native Portuguese with Ana. Talking to you, a tradesman, the town hall or a neighbour — no translation apps, no crossed wires, no awkward gaps.
Local & central
Based in Alcobaça, 30 minutes from Peniche, Nazaré, Óbidos and Caldas. We’re close enough to drop in.
Reputation we can’t outrun
Family means accountability. We can’t walk away from a bad job — so we don’t do them.
Service Area
Covering the Silver Coast — Peniche to Nazaré
We operate from our base in Alcobaça, centrally located within a 35km corridor covering the heart of the Silver Coast.
Primary Zone (0–20km)
Alcobaça (base)
Nazaré (~12km)
São Martinho do Porto (~18km)
Turquel / Aljubarrota (<10km)
Foz do Arelho (~20km)
Secondary Zone (20–35km)
Caldas da Rainha (~22km)
Óbidos & surrounds (~25km)
Praia D’El Rey / Royal Óbidos (~28km)
Bom Sucesso / West Cliffs (~28km)
Peniche / Baleal (~35km)