Rustico/casale in Via Santissima Trinità
Spendida cascina panoramica con progetto di trasformazione e 2.300 mq di terreno Ghiffa (VB). Sulle suggestive colline di Ghiffa, in una posizione panoramica di rara bellezza, proponiamo in vendita una caratteristica cascina di circa 60 mq, immersa nel verde e circondata da un terreno terrazzato di circa 2.300 mq, completamente recintato, con recinto a muro. ...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The description says it is a 'cascina' with a 'progetto di trasformazione', which strongly suggests it is not currently a legal dwelling; that is a veto risk for a livable-home buyer. At €100,000 for 59 sqm (€1,695/sqm) plus an estimated heavy conversion/restoration cost of about €1,100/sqm, the effective cost is far above this catalog's Piemonte farmhouse baseline of €263/sqm.
More on the house and the area
The lake-and-mountain panorama is genuinely spectacular, and the stone cascina on its terraced hillside is highly photogenic. But this is being sold with a conversion project: the current building looks rustic and basic, not a ready home, so the wow comes mainly from the setting rather than present livability.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,100/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€23,000 – €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.
- project property with transformation/renovation still to be done
- current photos suggest a rustic shell rather than a finished livable home
- steep terraced hillside may limit easy access and everyday use
- utilities/bathroom/kitchen readiness not proven
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 88/100Lake Maggiore is at the foot of the settlement, on the western shore above Verbania. The slopes rise immediately into the pre-Alps of the Val Grande area, and the Val Grande National Park begins a short distance inland. The Sacro Monte della Santissima Trinità di Ghiffa is a UNESCO site above the lake. Verbania is the nearest town of size, with the main services, ferry connections on Lake Maggiore and lakeside gardens. The area is known for lake-and-mountain scenery and for the Borromean side of Lake Maggiore.