Casa indipendente
Casa indipendente
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
Condition not stated in the listingMust be done first
- Damp
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €48,000 (€168/m²), the house is about 50% below comparable stock, but the listing gives no condition or renovation details for 285 m². Allowing roughly €700/m² for renovation would bring the estimated total to about €247,500, or €868/m².
More on the house and the area
This is an unusually large, characterful town house at a remarkably low price, with colorful shutters, traditional terrazzo floors, a private garden, broad rooftop terrace and views toward a historic church tower. The main living areas appear solid, furnished and immediately usable, but the house is old-fashioned and needs modernization, while some secondary spaces are rough and the visible cracking deserves investigation.
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€56,000 – €100,000
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.
- Interiors are clean and usable but very dated, with old fixtures, furnishings and heating equipment.
- Visible wall cracks and damp-looking wear require a structural and moisture inspection.
- Parts of the property, including an auxiliary room and garage, are unfinished or utilitarian rather than living-ready.
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 53/100The area is the lower Scrivia valley at the edge of the Tortonese hills, with mixed farmland, vineyards and low rolling ridges. The Scrivia river runs nearby. Within this radius the main centre is Tortona itself, which has a substantial historic core, services and rail connections. The area is known for wine and agricultural production of the Colli Tortonesi.