Casa colonica in San Vincenzo la Costa
Casa colonica in San Vincenzo la Costa. Needs renovation, autonomo heating, cucina, balcone, parzialmente arredato.
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
240 m2 farmhouse priced €45,000 but listed as “needs renovation”; estimated renovation €700/m2 → €168,000 renovation, effective price ≈€213,000 (≈€888/m2). That is well above the regional median of €244/m2, so this is an overpriced renovation project.
More on the house and the area
Large, solid roofed farmhouse with big rooms, working heating and multiple living/kitchen spaces — clearly habitable but dated. The interior has fireplaces and generous space, but needs cosmetic renovation; at €45k for 240 m² this is a real bargain for someone wanting to live in and update a Calabria farmhouse.
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€48,000 – €84,000
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.
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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.
- Needs renovation: cosmetic updates and some systems work likely required
- Bathrooms and fixtures are dated and will need replacing
- No exterior, land or view shown in photos — confirm garden/parking/outdoor space
- Check utilities/structural and local access before buying
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 58/100The cluster sits in the Coastal Range hills west of Cosenza, in inland terrain of olive groves, woods and steep valleys above the Tyrrhenian side of Calabria. The Crati valley and the city of Cosenza are the nearest larger urban reference, with full services, rail connections and the historic centre of Cosenza a short drive away. The Tyrrhenian coast around Paola and San Lucido is nearby for daily use, but it is outside the immediate inland landscape. This part of the province is known for hill villages, olive oil and wooded slopes between the coast and the inland basin.