Casa indipendente in Frazione Cantarana
La proprietà è situata nella caratteristica Frazione Cantarana, a pochi passi dalla rinomata fontana locale, celebre per l'erogazione di un'acqua di eccezionale leggerezza. La posizione unisce la tranquillità di un contesto naturale alla comodità, infatti in meno di 5 minuti d'auto si raggiunge il centro di Ormea, dotato di tutti i servizi di prima necessità. L'immobile si presenta...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €29,000 for 60 sqm, the asking price is €483/sqm, but with no stated condition I assume a prudent renovation budget of about €700/sqm, bringing the effective cost to roughly €1,183/sqm versus a low-stock baseline of €414/sqm in Piemonte country houses. Good photo count and a plausible village setting near Ormea help, but on the numbers this is not a clear discount deal.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuinely charming little stone house in a dramatic mountain setting, with a striking rocky backdrop and a pretty rustic exterior. The key positive is that it looks like a real, usable home now: roofed, furnished, with kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms already in place. It is not a design gem inside, but at this price the combination of character, scenery and livability gives it real dream-home appeal.
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€12,000 – €21,000
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.
- Interiors are dated and fairly plain despite being usable.
- Some signs of wear/patchy walls suggest refreshment work is needed.
- Outdoor space looks limited and mostly steep/hardscaped rather than a true garden.
- Mountain hamlet location may mean a quiet but less convenient year-round base.
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 Maritime Alps are the immediate setting here, with narrow upper valleys, forested slopes and higher limestone peaks around the Tanaro headwaters. The Tanaro rises in this area and runs through Ormea. The Ligurian Alps Regional Natural Park lies nearby on the Piedmont side, and the Ligurian side of the divide includes the Alta Via route and protected mountain terrain. Small local ski slopes operate at Garessio 2000, roughly 20–30 minutes by road depending on starting point and conditions. Ormea itself is a small mountain town with an arcaded centre and services for the upper valley. The area is known for mountain pasture, chestnut and beech woods, and road access over the watershed toward the Ligurian coast.