Rustico
Nel tranquillo comune di Masio, in provincia di Alessandria, proponiamo in vendita un caratteristico rustico libero su quattro lati, ideale per chi desidera vivere immerso nella quiete della campagna senza rinunciare alla comodità degli spazi. L'abitazione, attualmente in stato abitabile, si compone di un accogliente…
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 €39,000 for 90 sqm, the ask is €433/sqm; with an estimated €500/sqm renovation budget for a rustic that the text calls habitable but the listing mark as needing renovation, effective cost is about €933/sqm. That is far above the local sub-€100k baseline of €264/sqm, so despite the detached layout, garage and 21 photos, it looks only a fair/weak deal.
More on the house and the area
This is a simple Piedmont village farmhouse with a decent detached presence, garage and yard, and it reads as a real house rather than a shell. Interiors are usable in principle, with floors, bathroom and heating visible, but condition is tired and patchy, with damp, smoke staining and renovation needs holding the wow factor down.
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.
Our read of the photos, €500/m², falls in this band.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€11,000 – €18,000
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 clear renovation and deep cosmetic refresh
- Some damp/cracking visible on walls and lower sections
- Kitchen shows soot/damage and may need full replacement
- Property is subject to a right of way
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 52/100Masio sits in the Bormida plain between the lower Monferrato hills and the Tanaro basin. The Bormida river runs nearby. Alessandria is the nearest town of size, with rail connections, services and a substantial historic centre. This part of the province is known for mixed farming and for the wine landscapes of Monferrato in the wider area.