Casa Indipendente in vendita a Santa Caterina Albanese
Casa Indipendente in vendita a Santa Caterina Albanese. 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
Asking €13,000 for 244 m² but estimated renovation €700/m² (~€170,800) yields an effective price of ~€183,800, i.e. ~€754/m²—well above the regional median of €417/m². Sea 14 km; the listing only states 'needs renovation' with no further detail, so this looks like a costly restoration rather than a bargain.
More on the house and the area
A large traditional village house (244 m²) with real character — original hex terracotta floors, an old wood-fired oven and small balconies overlooking the borgo and nearby hills. The structure is intact but shows clear damp, ceiling and attic damage and will need substantial renovation before it becomes a comfortable 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€48,000 – €86,000
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.
- Major renovation required — visible ceiling/roof and damp problems.
- Attic and some rooms appear dirty/partly degraded and will need gutting and structural checks.
- Access is via narrow village lanes; parking likely not at the doorstep.
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 is in the inland belt between the Coastal Range of north-west Calabria and the Crati plain. The Esaro valley is the main local landform here, with cultivated hills and low mountains around it. The Riviera dei Cedri on the Tyrrhenian is close enough to matter for daily life, with the nearest coastal towns around the mouth of the Esaro such as Santa Maria del Cedro and Cetraro. Pollino National Park is farther inland beyond the 15 km radius and does not define the immediate setting. The nearest larger town is Cosenza, which provides the main rail links, hospital and full services for this part of northern Calabria. This part of Calabria is known for mixed olive groves, vineyards and hill villages linked to the Tyrrhenian coast and the inland valleys.