Baita/bungalow/chalet/trullo in Borgata Ballou
ISASCA - BORGATA BALLOU Sogni una seconda casa immersa in un contesto fiabesco? Desideri trascorrere i weekend immerso nel verde, nella pace della natura, godendo di una vista mozzafiato sulla vallata circostante? La nuova soluzione immobiliare è quella giusta per te! Borgata Ballou è posta a 950 metri sul livello del mare e dista 7,3 km dalla vicina Brondello...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
With no clear condition given, this looks more like generic habitable/second-home stock, so I used about €200/m² renovation: effective price is about €66,000 total, or €1,200/m². The local baseline (€404/m²) is very weak with only 4 comps, so I cannot trust it much; for a 55 m² mountain trullo/second home at 950 m altitude, the ask seems plausible but not especially cheap.
More on the house and the area
This is a very photogenic stone mountain house with real alpine-borgo charm, a lovely garden and an open green valley view. The home looks roofed, furnished and usable now, with a kitchen area, stove heating, bedroom and bathroom, but it remains simple and rustic rather than fully modernized. For €55k, it feels like a genuine livable dream retreat, not just an empty project.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€4,000 – €6,000
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.
- Rustic mountain house rather than a true trullo.
- Some interiors feel basic and partly refreshed rather than fully polished.
- Upper exterior woodwork and old roof structure may need ongoing maintenance.
- Likely best as a weekend/second home given the small size and mountain borgata setting.
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 61/100The cluster is in the lower Varaita Valley, with the Cottian Alps rising to the west and wooded lower slopes and cultivated valley sides around the built-up area. The Varaita river runs through this part of the valley. Saluzzo is the nearest substantial town, with a brick historic centre and services. The upper valley leads toward Casteldelfino, Sampeyre and the Monviso area, but those higher alpine landscapes are farther up the valley and outside the immediate 15 km setting. This part of the valley is known mainly for mixed farming and for being the approach to the upper Valle Varaita.