Casa colonica
Casa colonica. Needs renovation, caminetto, esposizione interna, 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
Estimated renovation 700 €/m² → €84,000; effective price €119,000 equals about €992/m², far above the regional median €244/m², so this needs a large investment and is not a bargain.
More on the house and the area
Solid, lived-in village house with a characterful brick fireplace and usable room layout. The property is a genuine bargain for the size but will need cosmetic and systems renovation to be a comfortable long-term 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€24,000 – €42,000
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.
- Needs renovation — visible damp, peeling plaster and dated finishes throughout.
- Outdated bathroom/kitchen and likely electrical/plumbing upgrades required.
- No private garden or scenic view; tight village street location and small balcony only.
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 68/100To the east the Ionian Sea borders the Sibaritide coastal plain. The archaeological remains of ancient Sybaris (the Sibari area) lie on the coastal plain nearby. The Crati river valley runs through the vicinity and reaches the Ionian coast in the same plain. The lowland around Cassano is intensively farmed with irrigated crops, orchards and olive groves. Marina di Sibari and nearby litorals provide bathing beaches and summer tourist facilities. Sibari has a railway station on the Ionian rail line. The nearest city with major regional services is Cosenza to the northwest.