Borassi, val Borbera
Borassi, val Borbera. Needs renovation, autonomo heating, esposizione esterna, impianto tv con parabola satellitare, cantina.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Wiring
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The €10,900 asking price is only €89/m², but a substantial renovation estimated at about €700/m² brings the effective cost to roughly €789/m², well above the local €345/m² benchmark. The property is in a remote inland hamlet 29 km from the sea, which adds little location premium.
More on the house and the area
A genuine rural Piemonte house with generous grassy outdoor space, glimpses of wooded mountains, and appealing old timber-and-stone character. It is more than a bare shell—the main room has tiled floors, a basic kitchen, bathroom, and wood stove—but the property is clearly dated and needs significant renovation before comfortable full-time living.
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 – €43,000
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 dated interiors, visible wall and ceiling cracking, and likely roof/structural checks.
- The upper/storage areas appear very rough, with exposed masonry and aging timber roof structure.
- Only one bathroom is shown; utilities, heating performance, and legal/structural conformity should be verified.
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 61/100The cluster is in the Scrivia valley on the Ligurian Apennines, with wooded ridges and narrow side valleys around the settlements. The Scrivia river runs through the area. The Parco Naturale Regionale dell’Antola lies nearby on the Ligurian Apennine crest. The nearest ski slopes are the small lifts of Santo Stefano d’Aveto, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours away, so they are not part of the local landscape. Arquata Scrivia and Busalla are the nearest service centres, while Genoa is the nearest large city for major rail links, hospitals and higher-order services. The area is known for Apennine chestnut woods, mixed forest and old village settlements along the valley routes between Liguria and Piedmont.