Rustico in Fabbriche di Vergemoli
"BORGO DEL CARBONAIO" - Vendesi in Toscana, immersa nel verde delle colline dell'Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, a circa 900 mt sul livello del mare, nel Comune di Fabbriche di Vergemoli, caratteristica proprietà costituita da tre edifici rurali in pietra completamente da ristrutturare per complessivi 150 mq. lordi e con…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- Registered as agricultural or storage, not as a dwelling
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The description says the property consists of rural buildings including an old stable/hayloft, a warehouse, one small utility building, one structure is partly collapsed, and utilities are absent; this makes residential use and habitability highly doubtful. At €48,000 for 95 sqm plus a full-restore estimate of about €1,100/sqm, the effective cost is roughly €1,605/sqm, far above the €512/sqm baseline.
More on the house and the area
The setting is genuinely beautiful: a tiny stone hamlet in the woods with mountain views, lots of land, and strong rustic character. But the condition is project-level rather than home-level, with ruined/empty rural buildings and no visible habitable interiors or services. Dreamy for a restoration fantasy, not for someone wanting to move in and live soon.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,100/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€38,000 – €56,000
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.
- Completely to be renovated; this is not currently a livable home.
- One outbuilding is partly collapsed and the usable volume appears fragmented across three rural buildings.
- Very isolated mountain access, about 16 km from the main road.
- No utilities shown; water source is seasonal.
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 78/100The cluster is in the Serchio valley with the Apuan Alps close by to the west and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines to the east. The Serchio river runs through this part of the valley. Much of the surrounding area falls within the Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane. The nearest ski area is Careggine in Garfagnana, with small lifts roughly 30–40 minutes away depending on the exact hamlet. Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is the nearest town of size, with shops, schools, rail services and the main services for the upper valley; Lucca is the nearest larger city for broader services. Barga is nearby and is listed among I Borghi più belli d’Italia. This area is known for the Garfagnana landscape of wooded valleys, chestnuts, mountain villages and access routes into the Apuan massif.