Casa indipendente nel centro storico di Sambiase
Casa indipendente nel centro storico di Sambiase. Needs renovation, esposizione esterna, balcone.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Damp
- Wiring
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €32,000 (€267/m²), the house looks cheap upfront, but substantial renovation at about €700/m² brings the effective cost to roughly €967/m²—well above the local €401/m² benchmark. Its historic-center location, balcony, and panoramic view add appeal, but the renovation burden outweighs the discount.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuine, spacious 120 sqm townhouse with multiple furnished rooms, a kitchen, bathroom and balconies, rather than an empty shell. Its strongest feature is the striking elevated sea view over Lamezia Terme, but the interiors are dated and some areas show damp, deteriorated ceilings and significant renovation needs.
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.
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.
- Substantial renovation is needed, including damp/peeling finishes, aging ceilings, wiring and general modernization.
- The kitchen and bathroom are functional-looking but dated; utility systems and compliance should be verified.
- Dense town-center setting with no garden or private outdoor space; balconies are modest.
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 42/100This is the plain of Sant’Eufemia at the head of the Gulf of Sant’Eufemia, with low coastal farmland and the first slopes of the Calabrian inland rising behind it. The Tyrrhenian coast is nearby. The nearest substantial town is Lamezia Terme itself, which is a service city with the main airport of Calabria, major rail links, hospitals and retail areas. The urban cap applies because the cluster is inside the built-up area of a city above 50,000 residents.