Casa Indipendente
Casa Indipendente. Needs renovation, balcone.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Small farmhouse listed at €25,000 (130 m²). Estimated renovation €700/m² → effective price ≈ €116,000 (≈€892/m²), far above the regional median €244/m², so it looks overpriced for a major renovation.
More on the house and the area
A characterful stone village house with an arched doorway and pleasant valley/olive‑grove views — good rustic charm. The property is roofed and structurally occupiable but the interior is a stripped, unfinished shell requiring substantial renovation to become a livable home.
Certified wiring, water and drainage, a heat source, a roof that keeps the water out, one working bathroom. Facade, insulation, a second bathroom and the floors wait.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Our read of the photos, €700/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€26,000 – €46,000
Wiring, water and sanitary work of any kind, heating, air conditioning and gas go to a registered firm by law, and so do flues and the air openings for gas appliances. That labour stays in the bill. Yours is the stripping out, plaster, paint, floors, tiling and carpentry.
Labour is 61% of a renovation price on average and 67% at the median, across 191 items of the Emilia-Romagna 2025 public price list. Materials are the rest. An averaged price list, not a quote.
Materials you buy yourself carry 22% VAT; supplied by the firm doing the work they go at the 10% renovation rate. On a €30,000 materials bill that is €3,600 of extra tax.
Household wiring installed before 13 March 1990 counts as compliant if it has a main breaker with overcurrent protection, protection against direct contact and a 30 mA RCD. Having a firm bring the existing wiring up to that and certify it is the cheapest lawful route.
Bringing a house that has stood empty back into service: new water, sewer and electricity, plus the practices. The same sum on an 80 m² house and on a 300 m² one, which is why a €40,000 house is not a €40,000 project.
Show more
Water 1,800 · sewer 2,500 · electricity 700–1,600 · CILA 1,000 · cadastral filing 500 · structural design 700 · Legge 10 report 900 · safety coordination 1,800
No mains drain: add €2,000–4,500 for a septic tank. Listings never say, so ask.
- Complete interior renovation required — floors, finishes, plumbing and electrics are missing or unfinished.
- Some window/door openings are bricked up and will need re‑opening or replacement.
- Inspect roof/structure and utilities before purchase (photos show patching and exposed masonry).
Estimate from the listing and its photos, not a survey. Treat it as the starting point for your own quotes. An Italian builder's quote is normally written without VAT and without design fees, so add about a quarter to any figure a firm gives you.
The area around
Location score 52/100The western edge of the Sila foothills rises immediately east of Marano Marchesato, with the lower Crati valley opening nearby and the Tyrrhenian coast around Paola and San Lucido roughly 10–15 km to the west. The urban area of Cosenza and Rende lies just to the east and has the main services, rail connections and the University of Calabria. The Sila National Park is farther inland and outside the immediate 15 km landscape. This part of Calabria is known for the transition from hill country to the coastal plain and for its proximity to the Cosenza urban area rather than for a single protected or iconic landscape feature at the door.