Venasca – Borgata Rolfa –
Baita cielo/terra libera su due lati composta da: piano terra tavernetta e locale di sgombero. Scala esterna in pietra. Al primo piano ampio monolocale – bagno – ripostiglio – Riscaldamento stufa a legna.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingHabitable- Registered as agricultural or storage, not as a dwelling
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The description shows only a mono-room on the first floor plus bagno and ripostiglio, while the ground floor is tavernetta and locale di sgombero, i.e. ancillary/storage space rather than full dwelling area. At €20,000 for 48 sqm it looks cheap, but with likely functional/legal limits and about €700/m² renovation/adaptation risk, the effective cost is around €1,117/m² versus a €461/m² baseline.
More on the house and the area
This has real rustic Alpine charm outside: rough stone walls, old shutters, a stone stair and a green hamlet setting give it genuine character. The key plus is that it is actually usable now, with a bathroom, kitchen area and heated living space, but the interior is very plain and dated rather than dream-home beautiful. At €20k it feels appealing as a simple habitable foothold with atmosphere, not a full wow house yet.
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€10,000 – €17,000
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.
- Very small: essentially a one-room upper living space plus ground-floor tavern/storage.
- Interiors are basic and dated rather than pretty, so it needs cosmetic upgrading.
- External stone stairs and split-level access may be inconvenient for daily living.
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 68/100The cluster sits in the lower Valle Varaita with the Cottian Alps closing the view westward. The Varaita river runs through the valley. The upper valley leads into the Monviso area, with the Po headwaters and the Parco del Monviso within the wider valley system, though the stronger alpine scenery is upstream from here rather than at the village itself. Sampeyre is the main mountain centre up the valley and has services for the upper valley; Saluzzo is the nearest larger town and has a substantial historic centre and everyday services. The area is known for mixed Alpine valley farming, chestnut and fruit cultivation in the lower valley, and Occitan culture in the Varaita valley.