Villa
Villa
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Listed at €87,500 (€473/m²) vs regional median €270/m²; estimate renovation €200/m² (185 m²) gives effective €124,500 or ~€673/m², well above the local median. The description does not state the property condition, so extra inspection is needed.
More on the house and the area
A large, roofed three‑storey brick shell set on its own fenced plot with pleasant countryside/hill views. Structurally present but entirely unfinished inside — a renovation project rather than a move‑in home; good potential if you want to complete a modern villa.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€12,000 – €21,000
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.
- Unfinished shell — no internal finishes, floors, windows or fitted services
- Likely full-cost renovation needed (plumbing, electrics, bathrooms, kitchens, insulation)
- Confirm planning permissions/permability to complete and utilities/road access
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.