Rustico in Cogorno
A pochi km dal centro di Lavagna, vendesi rustico sito in Via dei Mulini ( che collega la SP per Cogorno con la SP per Santa Giulia) che si sviluppa su 3 livelli, composto da 8 vani (180 mq) , con piccolo cortile e ampia terrazza, con annesso fabbricato rurale di 4 vani ( 90 mq) circondato da terreno di 800 mq…
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
Main house is €70,000 for 180 sqm (€389/sqm) and is explicitly described as da ristrutturare, so I used about €700/sqm renovation, giving an effective cost near €1,089/sqm. That is well below the local cheap-stock baseline once renovation is included, and the setting is attractive at 2 km from the sea with terrace, courtyard and tourist-use potential; the separate rural outbuilding is a caution but the listing clearly presents the main rustico as residential/tourist suitable.
More on the house and the area
This has real Ligurian rustic charm: stone walls, old beams, a terrace, olive trees and a lovely green hillside setting close to the coast. But it is not move-in ready at all—the interiors are very rough, with no usable bathroom visible and clear signs of age, so this is more an evocative renovation project than an easy home. The beauty and size keep the dream alive, but condition holds it to the low-50s.
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€36,000 – €63,000
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.
- Full renovation needed before it is realistically livable
- No bathroom shown and interiors look very basic/unfinished
- Ancillary rural building is separated from the house by an asphalt road
- Some damp/age wear and likely systems/roof upgrades required
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 58/100The cluster sits in the lower Val Fontanabuona near the Entella basin, with wooded hills and narrow valley slopes around it. The Entella river is nearby, and the Ligurian coast at Chiavari and Lavagna is a short drive away, but the setting here is inland valley rather than seafront. The nearest town of size is Chiavari, which has a full range of services, a railway station and a historic centre. This part of eastern Liguria is known for slate working in the Fontanabuona valley and for olive groves on the lower hills.