Rustico/Casale in Residenziale
In un piccolo borgo collinare nel comune di Borgonovo, a circa 230 mt di altitudine, in posizione dominante e panoramica; piccola casa di campagna con garage di circa 130 mq. complessivi, da ristrutturare, su lotto edificabile di circa 700 mq. (I. F. 0,40 mq. /mq. ), con possibilita di demolizione e ricostruzione a…
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
At €60,000 for 130 sqm, the asking price is €462/sqm; with a typical needs-renovation cost of about €700/sqm, the effective cost is roughly €1,162/sqm versus a low-stock baseline of €292/sqm. The panoramic hill setting and rebuild potential help a little, but as a livable/renovation deal this looks expensive relative to comparable cheap-stock listings.
More on the house and the area
The hillside setting and open valley views are the clear draw here, and the 700 sqm plot adds some dreaming potential. But the existing farmhouse looks very tired and renovation-heavy, with no interior evidence that it is currently a comfortable, usable home. This feels more like a scenic project or rebuild opportunity than an immediately lovable cheap Italian house.
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€26,000 – €46,000
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.
- Needs substantial renovation
- Exterior looks tired and partially compromised
- Only exterior photos; interior livability is unproven
- Appeal is mainly the plot and panorama, not the current house
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 56/100The area sits in the lower Val Tidone, with the first hills of the Piacentine Apennines close to the south and a landscape of cultivated slopes, small valleys and scattered villages. The Tidone river runs through the valley. Pianello Val Tidone is the nearest small hill centre, and Piacenza is the nearest city of size, with full services, rail connections and a substantial historic centre. This part of western Emilia is known for wine production, especially Gutturnio and other Colli Piacentini vineyards.