Antico oratorio a Malgrate in Lunigiana Toscana Italia
Sulle colline soleggiate della frazione di Malgrate, a pochi metri dall’antico castello medievale, nella porzione del borgo definita “Aia del Goggio”, VENDIAMO edificio anticamente destinato a oratorio, costituito da vano unico di 40 mq, attualmente utilizzato come ricovero attrezzi. Ma trasformabile. Oggetto molto…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- Registered as agricultural or storage, not as a dwelling
- On the market for a long time
Must be done first
- Plumbing
- Bathroom
- Kitchen
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €40,000 plus estimated €35,000 of renovation (700 €/m²) the effective price is about €75,000 → €1,500/m², roughly three times the regional median of €500/m². The listing notes the unit is currently used as a tool shed but “transformable,” and it has been on the market 2,527 days (stale_listing), so expect conversion work and possible permitting hurdles.
More on the house and the area
Lovely small former oratory with a handsome arched façade, stone base and intact roof set on a sunny hill with valley views. Structurally promising and very characterful, but it's a single 40 m² room currently used as storage and will need renovation and conversion works to be a full-time 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€10,000 – €18,000
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.
- Needs full renovation and likely change-of-use/permits (was an oratory).
- Single open room ~40 sqm — very limited living layout as-is.
- Uncertain utilities/interior fittings (kitchen, heating, bathroom upgrades likely required).
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 71/100The cluster is in the upper Lunigiana, with the northern Tuscan Apennines close by and the Apuan Alps within roughly this radius to the southwest. The Magra valley runs through the area. Part of the territory of Filattiera falls in the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano. The nearest skiing is on the Zum Zeri slopes, roughly a 35–45 minute drive depending on the exact hamlet. Pontremoli is the nearest substantial town, with a rail station, services, and a preserved historic centre; Aulla is the larger service hub farther down the valley. The wider Lunigiana area is known for stone villages, castles and the Via Francigena corridor through the Magra valley.