Cascina in Barasso
Cascina in Barasso
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
Condition not stated in the listingMust be done first
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The asking price is €458/m², but the listing does not say whether the 120 m² farmhouse is habitable or requires renovation; assuming substantial work, the effective cost is about €1,158/m² versus a €354/m² local benchmark. The description is extremely sparse and gives no layout, bathrooms, or condition details.
More on the house and the area
This is a characterful Lombardy farmhouse with rough stonework, brick arches, traditional balconies, and an unusually generous green garden with mature olive trees. However, the photos show mostly rustic, open storage areas rather than a finished home, so it is better viewed as a substantial renovation project than a realistically move-in-ready house.
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€24,000 – €42,000
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.
- The property appears to require substantial renovation; no livable interior, kitchen, or bathroom is shown.
- Old balconies, exposed timber, and outbuildings should be checked structurally.
- Utilities, roof condition, and legal status are not established by the photos or description.
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 55/100The cluster is in the built-up area of Varese, so the resident setting is an urban area rather than open countryside. The Campo dei Fiori massif rises immediately north of the city, with Sacro Monte di Varese on its slopes and the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park within the same local area. Lake Varese lies just south-west of the city and Lake Maggiore is a short drive to the west. The nearest larger centre is Milan, while Varese itself has a full provincial-city range of services, rail links and hospitals. Sacro Monte di Varese is part of the UNESCO-listed Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy. The area is known for its chain of prealpine lakes and for access toward the Swiss border.