Casa indipendente da ristrutturare
CASA INDIPENDENTE DA RISTRUTTURARE. Needs renovation, esposizione esterna.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Damp
- Wiring
- Heating
- Kitchen
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The €28,000 asking price is very low, but the stated renovation need adds roughly €102,900, bringing the estimated total to €130,900 or about €890/m². That is roughly double the €438/m² benchmark for comparable homes, making this a weak deal unless renovation costs are substantially lower than expected.
More on the house and the area
The façade has modest historic character, with exposed brick, old shutters, an arched entrance, and traditional town-street presence. Inside, however, this is a deeply deteriorated renovation project rather than a usable home, with damaged rooms, damp-looking walls, debris, and a partially compromised interior.
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€29,000 – €51,000
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.
- Major renovation required, including widespread plaster, masonry, windows, and interior finishes.
- At least one area shows severe water damage, debris, vegetation, and possible ceiling or structural deterioration.
- No kitchen is visible, and utilities and overall structural condition are unconfirmed.
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 43/100The area lies on the Po plain beside the Po River, with reclaimed farmland, irrigation channels and embankments as the dominant landscape. Gualtieri is known for its planned Renaissance piazza and for links to Antonio Ligabue. Guastalla is the nearest town of some size and provides the usual services and rail connections, while Reggio Emilia is the main city for higher-level services farther south. This is lowland countryside rather than a hill or mountain setting.