Abitazione semi-indipendente, ottimo investimento
ABITAZIONE SEMI-INDIPENDENTE, OTTIMO INVESTIMENTO. Habitable, autonomo heating, armadio a muro, balcone, terrazzo, cantina, esposizione doppia.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Effective price ≈ €90,000 (€70k + €20k estimated renovation at €200/m²), i.e. about €900/m² — well above the regional median of €435/m². The property is described as habitable with 25 photos and useful features (balcony, terrace, cellar), but the effective €/m² makes it an overpriced listing for Dumenza (Lombardia).
More on the house and the area
A solid, immediately-habitable semi-detached house with a charming covered veranda, narrow balcony over a rocky stream and tiered stone terraces — a very picturesque mountain setting. Interiors are lived-in and a bit dated but the structure and outdoor spaces make this a realistic, affordable home for someone who wants to live in the countryside.
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€7,000 – €11,000
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.
- Remote, mountainous setting with many external steps — access and services may be limited
- Only one bathroom and interiors are dated (cosmetic updating likely)
- House sits directly above a rocky stream/ravine — check flood risk, insurance and parking
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 76/100The cluster is in the lower Veddasca valley on the slopes above Lake Maggiore, with the lake reached at Maccagno in a few kilometres. The area is part of the pre-Alpine belt on the Swiss border, with wooded ridges and valleys around Monte Lema and Monte Tamaro across the frontier. The Tresa river valley is nearby and links Lake Lugano to Lake Maggiore. The nearest town of some size is Luino on Lake Maggiore, which has rail links, ferry services and the usual shops and services for the upper Verbano. Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca on the lake has a marina and lakeside services. The area is known for its lake-and-mountain setting on the eastern side of northern Lake Maggiore and for cross-border access toward the Swiss canton of Ticino.