Trilocale in Mortara
Trilocale in Mortara. balcone, arredato, cantina.
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €45,000 (€592/m²), the apartment looks inexpensive, but allowing roughly €200/m² for its unstated condition brings the effective cost to about €792/m², slightly above the local comparison level. The listing does not say whether major systems or finishes need updating; the G energy rating adds some renovation uncertainty.
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€5,000 – €9,000
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.
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 42/100Mortara sits in the Lomellina plain, a flat agricultural area between the Ticino and Sesia rivers with extensive rice fields and irrigation canals. The nearest larger town is Vigevano, which has a substantial historic centre focused on Piazza Ducale and the Sforza Castle. Pavia is also within ordinary driving distance for services and rail links. This area is known for rice cultivation and for goose-based food traditions of the Lomellina.