Terratetto plurifamiliare in Occhieppo Superiore
In zona centrale, casa semindipendente composta di due unità abitative da ristrutturare. Il piano terra è composto da ingresso che fa da disimpegno a tutti i locali. La zona giorno è composta da cucina abitabile, separata dal soggiorno. Completano il piano un locale lavanderia/depisto e un bagno con doccia e finestra.…
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 130 sqm, the ask is just €223/sqm, far below the already-low local baseline of €353/sqm; even adding a typical needs-renovation budget of about €700/sqm gives an effective €923/sqm, which is still very plausible for a central townhouse with garden, terrace and 26 photos. The description clearly says two residential units to renovate, with autonomous heating/flue and no legal-use red flags, so the main driver is the very low entry price rather than hidden defects.
More on the house and the area
This is a real house, not a ruin: it has floors, rooms, a bathroom, fireplace, balcony and a small private courtyard, plus some old-house character in the beams and covered gallery. But the visible condition is poor, with heavy damp staining and clear water ingress, so it feels more like a serious renovation project than a ready Italian dream home. The very low price helps, yet the setting and visuals are modest rather than wow.
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€26,000 – €46,000
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.
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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.
- Widespread damp and water damage are visible in multiple rooms.
- Needs significant renovation before comfortable full-time living.
- Outdoor space is small and enclosed rather than scenic.
- Bathroom and kitchen are basic/dated and likely need updating.
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 Biellese Prealps rise immediately above Sordevolo, with the Mucrone ridge and the Oropa valley within the local landscape. The area is inside the Parco Naturale della Burcina Felice Piacenza, and the Oasi Zegna begins a short distance to the north-west in the upper Cervo valley. The nearest ski lifts are the Bielmonte lifts in the Oasi Zegna area, roughly a 35 to 45 minute drive depending on the exact starting point. Biella is the nearest town of size, with full services, a historic upper town at Biella Piazzo, and rail connections. The wider area is known for wool-textile manufacturing, for the Sacro Monte di Oropa above Biella, which is part of the UNESCO Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, and for the long-running Passione di Sordevolo religious performance.