Casa Indipendente
Fabbricato con ingresso indipendente sito al piano terra ad uso abitativo con 2 locali e 1 bagno, situato nel pittoresco comune di Pontremoli (MS). Con una superficie di 34 mq, questa proprietà offre un'ottima opportunità per chi desidera un rifugio accogliente in un ambiente tranquillo. L'appartamento necessita di…
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Price is €17,000 for 34 sqm (€500/sqm), but the description says it needs renovation, so I estimate about €700/sqm extra (€23,800 total works). Effective cost is roughly €1,200/sqm versus a €505/sqm baseline for similar low-priced stock in Tuscany, so despite the low entry price this is weak value unless the renovation needed is very light.
More on the house and the area
This is a very cheap, tiny ground-floor village property rather than a romantic dream home. It appears enclosed and basically intact with a bathroom, but the interiors are dark, dated, cluttered, and in need of real renovation before it would feel pleasant to live in. The low price helps, but the wow factor is minimal.
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€7,000 – €12,000
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.
- Needs full interior renovation and clearing out.
- Ground-floor facade shows visible damp and peeling render.
- Very small 34 sqm layout limits liveability.
- No view, outdoor space, or notable character shown in the photos.
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 northern Tuscan Apennines are immediately around Pontremoli, with wooded ridges and valleys at the meeting point of the Magra valley and the routes toward the Cisa pass. The Magra river runs through the area. Part of the municipality lies in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park. The nearest ski area is Zum Zeri in the Zeri mountains, roughly a 45-minute drive, with larger lifts farther away on the Emilian side. Pontremoli itself is the main town nearby, with a substantial historic centre and the Castello del Piagnaro housing the Stele Statue museum. The area is known as Lunigiana, for stone villages, chestnut country and the historic road corridor between Tuscany, Liguria and the Po plain.