Casa centralissima
Situato nella tranquilla località di Martone, il terratetto unifamiliare in vendita si trova in Traversa Marconi, una zona che offre un contesto sereno e riservato. La posizione ad angolo dell'edificio garantisce una buona esposizione su due lati, permettendo di godere di una discreta luminosità naturale. Martone è un…
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 €17,000 for 70 sqm, the asking price is €243/sqm, but with a typical needs-renovation budget of about €700/sqm the effective cost is roughly €943/sqm, well above the very low Calabria townhouse baseline of €423/sqm. Still, it is legally habitable (A/3), has 22 photos, a garage, and sits only 7 km from the sea, which supports a solid but not exceptional score.
More on the house and the area
This is a very cheap real house rather than a ruin, with a few charming touches like the painted ceiling and some old-town balcony life. But the overall feel is tired and worn, with damp marks, basic fittings and no real scenic view, so it reads more as a low-cost renovation project than a dream home today.
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€14,000 – €25,000
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 throughout, with visible damp/staining and dated finishes.
- Bathroom is very basic and the kitchen/utility areas look incomplete or poor.
- Exterior and balconies/terrace show wear and likely need maintenance.
- No heating is present, so year-round comfort would require upgrades.
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 60/100The cluster is in the lower slopes of the Serre Calabresi above the Ionian side, in a landscape of steep olive-covered hills and short valleys running down toward the coast. The Torbido valley is the main local landform around Grotteria. The nearest larger town is Locri on the coast, with everyday services, a hospital, rail connections and the archaeological area of Locri Epizefiri. Aspromonte National Park is farther south and does not fall inside the immediate 15 km landscape. This part of the Locride is known for olive groves and hill villages set above the Ionian plain.