Rustico in Alessandria
CASCINA LIBERA SU TRE LATI DA RISTRUTTURARE CON AMPIO CORTILE A MANDROGNE In una posizione riservata, immersa nella tranquillità e lontana dal traffico, proponiamo in vendita una casa indipendente libera su tre lati da ristrutturare con ampio giardino privato, una soluzione ideale per chi desidera realizzare…
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
The €23,000 asking price is attractive at €230/m², but estimated renovation adds about €70,000 (€700/m²), producing an effective cost near €930/m² versus the Piemonte baseline of €263/m². The house is legally residential and well documented with 27 photos, but the renovation burden largely eliminates the apparent discount.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuine old Piemonte farmhouse with a handsome terracotta roof, traditional shutters, usable tiled interiors, a kitchen and bathroom, and a generous private yard. It is not a ruin, but the damp-stained finishes, peeling ceilings, dated services, and neglected presentation make it a real renovation project before it becomes a beautiful home. At €23,000, the combination of authentic character and outdoor space gives it strong potential for a hands-on countryside transformation.
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€20,000 – €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.
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.
- Substantial renovation is needed, including peeling ceilings and walls, outdated kitchen and bathroom, and general clearing/refreshing.
- The broad gravel-and-grass yard is attractive in size but currently unfinished rather than landscaped.
- The flat agricultural surroundings provide openness but no dramatic scenic view is shown.
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 42/100This cluster sits in the built-up area of Alessandria, in the flat alluvial plain where the Tanaro and Bormida rivers meet. The nearest larger landscape is the Monferrato hill country, which begins outside the city and is known for vineyards and wine villages, but it is not inside the immediate urban setting. Alessandria is a provincial capital with rail links, services, and a substantial urban fabric. The wider area is known for mixed agriculture and river plain country.