Rustico in Dego
Rustico in Dego. Habitable.
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 €78,000 price is attractive at €312/m², but allowing about €200/m² for a habitable farmhouse brings the effective cost to roughly €512/m², above the typical €454/m² for comparable homes. The very brief description does not say enough about utilities, structural condition, or legal status, and the inland mountain location limits its appeal.
More on the house and the area
A beautiful Ligurian stone farmhouse with exceptional rustic character, terracotta and slate roofs, a generous grassy setting, and broad wooded mountain views. The main living area appears genuinely habitable, with a functioning kitchen, traditional beams, and a wood stove, though much of the complex remains agricultural or unfinished rather than fully usable living space.
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€17,000 – €28,000
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.
- Much of the 250 sqm appears to consist of rustic barns or auxiliary spaces rather than finished living accommodation.
- Only one bathroom is listed for the property.
- The photos do not establish the full condition of roofs, utilities, heating, or legal conversion of all buildings.
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 lies in the Bormida valley in the inland Ligurian hills, with low Apennine ridges and mixed woods around the settled valley floor. The Bormida di Spigno runs through this area. The nearest larger town in daily use is Cairo Montenotte, which has the main services, shops and rail connections for this part of the valley. Savona and the Ligurian coast are farther away and matter more for logistics than for the immediate landscape. This part of inland western Liguria is known for wooded hills, small valley villages and routes crossing from Liguria into southern Piedmont.