Villa a schiera in Aci Castello
Villa a schiera in Aci Castello. Needs renovation, terrazzo, esposizione doppia, 500 m from the sea.
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 at €700/m² (major works) implies ~€87,500 of works and an effective total of €186,500 (≈€1,492/m²), well above the local median of €438/m². Excellent sea-front location and 28 photos help, but heavy renovation costs and missing energy/year data make this overpriced for the area.
More on the house and the area
Solid, roofed townhouse with high ceilings and tall doors — a liveable renovation project rather than a ruin. The private walled terrace is a useful outdoor space but is overgrown and needs cleaning/repairs; overall a modest but workable near-sea urban 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€25,000 – €44,000
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 — peeling plaster and visible damp patches
- Walled terrace is overgrown and in poor condition and will need work
- Street-level front on a narrow urban road with on-street parking / limited privacy
- No sea view visible despite being close to the coast
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 86/100The Ionian coast is on the doorstep, with the basalt sea stack of the Isole Ciclopi at Aci Trezza and the Norman castle on a lava cliff at Aci Castello. Mount Etna rises inland and dominates the local horizon; the lower slopes begin within this radius. The Riviera dei Ciclopi protected marine area covers the coastal waters here. Catania is immediately to the south, with full city services, rail links and the airport. The area is known for volcanic coastal scenery created by Etna’s lava reaching the sea and for the Cyclops myth linked to the sea stacks.