Roccabruna - rustici con terreno in borgata balanzone
ROCCABRUNA – B.TA BALANZONE: gruppo di fabbricati rustici da ristrutturare, con giardino e terreni adiacenti. Zona tranquilla, immersa nei boschi e ben soleggiata.
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 €30,000 for 100 sqm, the ask is €300/sqm; with a typical renovation budget of about €700/sqm for 'da ristrutturare', the effective cost is roughly €1,000/sqm, far above the €263/sqm baseline for cheap farmhouses in Piemonte. Quiet sunny setting with garden/adjacent land helps a bit, but this is a rustic renovation project rather than a standout bargain.
More on the house and the area
This has real rustic mountain charm: a peaceful wooded hamlet feel, old stone outbuildings, land, and a lovely valley-and-mountain outlook. But it does not read as a ready home in its current state—more a cluster of solid rural buildings needing major renovation before comfortable living. The setting lifts it, yet condition keeps it firmly in project territory.
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€20,000 – €35,000
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 full renovation; no bathroom is shown and interiors are not provided.
- Some buildings look like rustic outbuildings/barns rather than ready living space.
- Hillside woodland setting may mean steeper access and ongoing land maintenance.
- Views are partly screened by trees and utility wires are visible.
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 72/100The cluster lies at the foot of the Cottian Alps in the lower Maira valley, with Monte Chersogno and the first Alpine ridges close above the settled area. The Maira torrent runs through this valley system. Cuneo is the nearest town of size, with full services, rail connections and a substantial historic centre. Dronero is the nearest small town with everyday services and is the main gateway into the Val Maira. This part of the province is known for Alpine valleys, chestnut woods and mountain hamlets; the upper Val Maira farther west is a noted hiking area, but that is outside the immediate surroundings.