Rustico in Cerrina Monferrato
In un piccolo borgo, nel cuore del Monferrato, ad un ora da Torino, casa di campagna a Cerrina Monferrato, da ristrutturare, libera sui 3 lati, indipendente, con struttura in tufo e mattoni. La casa, contraddistinta da caratteristiche rustiche tipiche del Monferrato (volte a vela, pavimenti in cotto, camini), è di 250…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Listed at €77,000 for 250 sqm (€308/sqm), but as a farmhouse needing renovation with no heating and several ancillary spaces (ex stable, barns, cellars), the effective cost is about €1,158/sqm after ~€850/sqm works, far above the low-stock baseline of €264/sqm in Piemonte. Positives are the Monferrato village setting, panoramic view, utilities connected and 4,700 sqm land, but this looks like a substantial conversion/renovation project rather than a cheap bargain.
More on the house and the area
This has real old-house character: vaulted rooms, original patterned floors, fireplaces and a long farmhouse balcony give it genuine Piedmont rustic appeal. It is a substantial, roofed house rather than a ruin, but the worn finishes, damp/peeling plaster and empty basic interiors mean it needs serious renovation to become an inviting home. The price for 250 sqm adds some dream value, but the current wow is more potential than ready-to-live beauty.
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, €850/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€50,000 – €88,000
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.
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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.
- Needs significant renovation before comfortable living
- Facade and interiors show damp, peeling plaster and visible cracking
- Only one bathroom shown/listed for a large 250 sqm house
- Outdoor spaces are plain and somewhat overgrown rather than landscaped
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 68/100This is the Monferrato hill country, with ridges of vineyards, woods and cultivated slopes above the Po plain. The Po runs a few kilometres to the north, and the area sits between the lower Monferrato and the first hills rising from the river plain. Casale Monferrato is the nearest town of size, with a substantial historic centre, services and rail links. The wider Monferrato wine landscape is what the area is known for, with wine villages, isolated farmhouses and Romanesque churches scattered through the hills.