Casa colonica in Castelnovo di Sotto
Casa colonica formata da due parti: parte dedicata ad abitazione e attraverso portico esterno parte dedicata a stalla. La parte residenziale necessità di essere ristrutturata globalmente; la parte a stalla ha il tetto crollato. Zona tranquilla posta al centro della frazione e allo stesso tempo è come vivere in campagna.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- On the market for a long time
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €60,000 for 188 sqm, the ask is €319/sqm, but with heavy works (~€900/sqm) the effective cost is about €1,219/sqm, far above the €290/sqm low-stock baseline. The listing has been on market 502 days, and the description says the residential part needs full renovation while the stable section has a collapsed roof, making this a very risky project rather than a straightforward home.
More on the house and the area
This has a decent patch of land and a quiet village-edge farmhouse feel, but the exterior is plain rather than romantic. The residential side looks standing yet tired, while the stable section has a collapsed roof, so this is firmly a renovation project rather than a home you could soon live in.
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, €900/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€37,000 – €66,000
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.
- Residential part needs full renovation
- Former stable section has a collapsed roof
- No interiors shown, so livability is unproven
- Flat village-edge setting with no real view
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 35/100This is the central Po plain between Reggio Emilia and Parma, with flat agricultural land, drainage channels and scattered farm settlements. The nearest city of size is Reggio Emilia, which has full services, a historic centre and rail connections; Parma is also nearby for daily needs. The area is known for intensive farming and for the food-producing plain of Emilia, including Parmigiano Reggiano and cured meats.