Via Pecorara, 31, Cavallara
Via Pecorara, 31, Cavallara. Needs renovation, autonomo heating, cantina.
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
The €31,557 asking price is attractive at €198/m², but renovation at roughly €700/m² brings the estimated all-in cost to about €899/m²—more than double the €419/m² local comparison level. The sparse description and absence of stated bathrooms or energy information add uncertainty.
More on the house and the area
This is a generously sized townhouse with a useful terrace and some freshly finished-looking surfaces, but the setting is ordinary and urban rather than distinctly Italian or scenic. The renovation requirement—and especially the absence of a reported bathroom—makes it a project rather than a realistically livable dream home at present.
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€31,000 – €56,000
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.
- The listing facts say the 159 sqm townhouse needs renovation and report zero bathrooms.
- Several polished interior/exterior images appear inconsistent with the actual property photos and may be illustrative or communal-building images.
- The urban terrace is promising, but there is no confirmed scenic view, garden, or move-in-ready kitchen/bathroom.
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 area lies in the Po plain on the lower Oglio, close to its confluence with the Po, with flat farmland, embankments and riverine strips as the main landscape. The nearest town of size is Casalmaggiore, which has a historic centre and everyday services, while Parma is the larger city used for higher-order services and rail connections. Sabbioneta is within this radius and is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its planned Renaissance urban form. This part of the lower Mantovano and Casalasco is known for river plain agriculture and for the network of small centres along the Po.