Villa Guardia (Pontedassio) – Autentica casa ligure
Nel suggestivo Borgo di Villa Guardia, frazione di Pontedassio, a soli 20 minuti dal mare di Imperia, proponiamo un'autentica casa ligure dal fascino senza tempo, ideale per chi sogna di creare una dimora ricca di carattere nel cuore della Riviera dei Fiori. Tra vicoli in pietra, scorci sul campanile e il silenzio…
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 €29,000 for 90 sqm, the ask is just €322/sqm, but the home is explicitly completely to renovate; using about €1,000/sqm renovation, the effective cost is roughly €1,322/sqm, far above the Liguria farmhouse baseline of €434/sqm. The near-sea Liguria location, terrace and strong photo set support the listing, but this is mainly a character project rather than a cheap turnkey bargain.
More on the house and the area
The appeal is the authentic Ligurian borgo setting, the old shutters, arched rooms and the stone-vaulted cellar/taverna mentioned in the listing. But this is clearly a full renovation project rather than a livable house today: interiors are bare, worn and damaged, with no functioning bathroom or finished kitchen shown. At €29k near Imperia it has dream potential and bargain pull, but the current reality is project-first, home-second.
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, €1,000/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€18,000 – €32,000
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; currently not a usable home
- No bathroom shown and major interior works are needed
- Visible damp, peeling plaster and damaged ceilings
- Renderings may overstate the finished feel
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 is in the coastal hills above the Ligurian Sea, with olive terraces and short valleys running down to the Riviera di Ponente. The nearest coast is the stretch around San Lorenzo al Mare and Imperia, with small beaches and a built seafront. Imperia is the nearest town of size, with a port, a larger urban centre and full services. This part of western Liguria is known for Taggiasca olives and olive oil.