Terratetto unifamiliare in Montese
Montese (MO), frazione San Giacomo Maggiore: Abitazione singola costituita da più unità abitative e relative pertinenze in prossimità della viabilità principale (SP 27) con adiacente fermata autobus ACTM ed itinerario delle Sorgenti e dei Lavatoi. Immobile su 2 piani (piano terra e I piano) collocato a piè di monte in…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingNeeds renovationSee what needs doing and what each job costs
At €45,000 (€225/m²), the purchase looks cheap, but estimated renovation of about €140,000 brings the effective cost to roughly €925/m²—nearly double the €467/m² local benchmark. The 23,000 m² of woodland and panoramic setting add value, but the listing does not explain the condition, utilities, or conversion/use of the large C6 spaces.
More on the house and the area
This is a substantial, roofed two-storey house surrounded by lush woodland and close to the Fontana Saburano springs-and-washhouses trail. The nearly 23,000 sqm of adjoining woodland is the main attraction, but the exterior is utilitarian and the stated renovation needs, combined with the lack of interior evidence, keep it from feeling like a ready-to-live-in dream home.
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€40,000 – €70,000
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.
- The property visibly needs renovation, with a very plain exterior and no interior photos to confirm livability.
- The large wooded landholding may add value but will require maintenance and may have access or planning restrictions.
- Its position near the main road and bus stop could mean traffic noise.
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 68/100The cluster is in the northern Apennines, in the Modenese mountain belt near the border with Tuscany. The Panaro valley and the wooded ridges around Montese shape the immediate area, with chestnut woods, pasture and small farm clearings typical of this part of the Apennine. Montese has a substantial hill-town centre with everyday services, and the larger centres most used for shopping and administration are Vignola and Modena on the plain. The line of the Gothic Line crossed these mountains, and the area is known for wartime history as well as for porcini, chestnuts and mountain farming. The Corno alle Scale area and ski lifts are the nearest established winter-sports zone, roughly an hour by road depending on the exact hamlet.