Rustico in Ventimiglia
Rustico in Ventimiglia. Needs renovation, autonomo heating.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
A project, not a home yet
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Structure
- Roof
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €28,000 (€350/m²), the asking price is low, but renovation at roughly €700/m² brings the estimated total to about €84,000, or €1,050/m²—well above the €462/m² local benchmark. Its position only 4 km from the sea is a positive, but the listing gives little detail on the renovation scope.
More on the house and the area
The hillside setting is attractive, with views over a Ligurian village, wooded slopes and cultivated terraces. However, the property itself appears to be a heavily overgrown stone ruin rather than a livable farmhouse, so the €28,000 price represents a substantial reconstruction project.
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€16,000 – €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.
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.
- The photos show an overgrown stone ruin with apparent roof loss or collapse, not a usable home.
- Major reconstruction is likely, including structural work, floors, utilities, bathroom and kitchen.
- Access appears to be via a narrow hillside footpath, which may complicate construction and everyday use.
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 82/100The Maritime Alps (Alpi Marittime) rise immediately inland from the town and form steep coastal foothills within the local horizon. The town sits on the Ligurian Sea at the mouth of the Roya (Roia) river. The Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Gardens) are within the municipal territory on the coast. There is a railway station on the Genoa–Ventimiglia–Nice line and an A10 motorway exit serving cross-border traffic. The French border and the town of Menton are adjacent across the border; Sanremo is the nearest larger Italian town to the east. There are no significant ski lifts within 15 km; Alpine ski areas in the Maritime Alps and Piedmont require about an hour or more by car. Ventimiglia is a cross-border transport hub and hosts a well-known weekly open-air market (Friday market) attracting shoppers from both sides of the border.