Villa in Contrada Balla
Sciara (PA), la Re/max propone in vendita una villetta indipendente situata a pochi minuti dal centro abitato. L’immobile, con una superficie catastale di circa 125 mq si sviluppa interamente su un unico livello ed è composto da 5 vani, tra cui 3 camere da letto e 2 bagni, una cucina abitabile ed un grande soggiorno. La proprietà si...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €392/m², the €49,000 asking price is essentially identical to the Sicilia villa baseline of €389/m², so there is no clear pricing discount. The 125 m² layout, garden, 32 photos and sea access within 5 km are positives, but condition and key technical details are missing; assuming approximately €200/m² for ordinary updating gives an effective cost near €592/m².
More on the house and the area
The property has a genuinely attractive Sicilian rural setting, with olive trees, open countryside and mountain views, plus a substantial 125 sqm footprint and garden. However, the building is currently a severe renovation project: damaged interiors, cracked walls, temporary supports, exposed rebar and incomplete exterior works make it uninhabitable today.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€8,000 – €14,000
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.
- Major structural renovation is evident, with exposed reinforcement and unfinished or damaged walls.
- Interiors are dusty and deteriorated, with no visible usable kitchen or bathroom.
- Roof condition, utilities, permits, and structural safety require thorough verification.
- Access appears to be via an unpaved rural track.
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 area sits in the northern Sicilian hills between the Tyrrhenian coast and the inland ridges of the Madonie, with cultivated slopes, olive groves and cereal land around the settlement. The Torto river valley is nearby and the Tyrrhenian coast is reached around Termini Imerese and the beaches of the Campofelice di Roccella stretch. The Madonie mountains and Madonie Regional Natural Park begin inland, but the main high peaks and core mountain scenery are beyond the 15 km radius. Termini Imerese is the nearest larger town, with a port, rail station, services and a substantial historic centre. Cerda is known in Sicily for artichoke cultivation and for the annual Sagra del Carciofo.