Breia - fraz. Castagneia - casa colonica con terreni
Breia - fraz. Castagneia - casa colonica con terreni. Needs renovation, caminetto, mansarda, taverna, esposizione esterna, armadio a muro, balcone, terrazzo, impianto tv con parabola satellitare, cantina.
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 €70,000 for 147 sqm, the ask is €476/sqm; with a typical needs-renovation budget of about €700/sqm, the effective cost is roughly €1,176/sqm. That is far above this catalog baseline of €265/sqm for Piemonte farmhouses, so despite the large size and features, this looks expensive for its condition.
More on the house and the area
This has real old-world farmhouse character, especially the tall covered loggias, columns and layered wooden balconies. It feels atmospheric and potentially very beautiful to restore, but as presented it is a renovation project rather than an easy move-in home. Good size and low price help the appeal, yet the current wow is more in the architecture than in ready livability.
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€29,000 – €51,000
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 renovation before comfortable full-time living
- Exterior galleries/wooden elements may need structural inspection and repairs
- No proven view or finished high-quality interiors from the photo provided
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 76/100The cluster is in the hills between Lake Orta and the western shore of Lake Maggiore, with wooded slopes and prealpine ridges around the lower Strona valley. Lake Orta is within the local area, and Lake Maggiore is also close on the east side of the ridge. The nearest larger town is Omegna on Lake Orta, which has everyday services and rail links. Orta San Giulio, on Lake Orta, is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia. This part of the province is known for lake scenery, forested slopes and small hillside villages.