Sala Biellese
Sala Biellese. Needs renovation, autonomo heating, armadio a muro, balcone, terrazzo, impianto tv con parabola satellitare, cantina, esposizione doppia.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Damp
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €54/m² the asking price looks low, but renovating 1,279 m² at an estimated €700/m² produces an effective cost of about €754/m², far above the €276/m² local benchmark. The listing provides no building year or energy classification, and the remote location offers little additional value.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuine, spacious Italian home with multiple bedrooms, a functioning kitchen and bathroom, characterful original floors and woodwork, plus a large terrace, garden and impressive mountain backdrop. It is not a polished dream villa—several areas are dated and show moisture or maintenance issues—but it appears realistically livable while being renovated rather than a bare project.
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€253,000 – €449,000
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.
- Clearly usable and furnished, but dated throughout and in need of renovation.
- Visible peeling plaster and damp staining should be investigated, especially around terraces and exterior walls.
- The listed 1,279 sqm should be verified as it may include substantial garden or land.
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 63/100The cluster is in the Serra morenica di Ivrea, the long glacial ridge that runs across this part of southern Biella and Canavese. The Dora Baltea plain and the Ivrea area are close to the south, and the first Biellese pre-Alps rise to the north. The nearest larger town is Biella, with the provincial services, shops and rail connections. Ivrea is also nearby, with a larger historic centre and the UNESCO-listed industrial city of Olivetti. This area is known for morainic hills, woodland, small vineyards and mixed farming.