Bilocale in Briga Novarese
In posizione tranquilla e soleggiatissima, in una piccola palazzina di sole nove unità, proponiamo ampio appartamento bilocale, termoautonomo e con ridotte spese condominiali, composto da: ingresso, soggiorno, cucina abitabile, camera matrimoniale, bagno, balcone, sottotetto ad uso cantina, garage e posto…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
The €85,000 price is €1,214/m²; adding a modest €200/m² allowance for a habitable apartment gives an effective cost of about €1,414/m², well above comparable local homes at €672/m². Good maintenance, garage, balcony and proximity to Lake Orta add appeal, but the asking price remains high.
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 – €8,000
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 72/100The area lies in the upper Novara plain between the Sesia and Ticino basins, with the Monte Rosa section of the Pennine Alps visible to the northwest in clear weather. Lake Orta begins within about 10 km, with the west shore around Gozzano and Pettenasco; the south end of Lake Maggiore is also close by, around Arona. The nearest substantial town is Novara for wider services, while Arona on Lake Maggiore is the main nearby lake town with rail links and ferry connections. The Sacro Monte di Orta on Lake Orta is a UNESCO site. This part of Piemonte is known for its proximity to the prealpine lakes and for vineyards of the Colline Novaresi around Boca and Ghemme.