Casa
Nel comune di San Zenone al Po, proponiamo in vendita caratteristica casa di corte disposta su tre livelli, ideale per chi cerca una soluzione indipendente e ricca di spazi accessori. L'abitazione si sviluppa al piano terra, dove troviamo una cucina abitabile in muratura e un accogliente soggiorno impreziosito da…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingNeeds renovationThe photographs say otherwise, and we go by the photographs.
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Asking €59,000 plus an estimated renovation of €600/m² (€81,600) gives an effective price of €140,600 or ≈€1,034/m², well above the regional median of €408/m²; the house has useful outbuildings but significant works are needed, so it’s overpriced.
More on the house and the area
A characterful courtyard townhouse with a working fireplace, high ceilings and a masonry kitchen, plus a double garage and about 100 m² of outdoor space. The ground floor is essentially usable but the upper floors and attic need real renovation — good value if you want a roomy home to finish yourself.
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, €600/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€27,000 – €48,000
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.
- Mixed condition: ground floor is largely liveable but first/attic floors need significant renovation
- Single bathroom only
- Top-floor room shows cracked floor and peeling/unfinished surfaces
- Kitchen units partly unfinished or missing fronts
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 43/100Arena Po sits in the lower Oltrepò Pavese on the Po plain, with the Po river close by and a landscape of levees, fields and small settlements. South of the plain, within this part of the province, the first hills of the Oltrepò Pavese rise into vineyard country around Stradella and the lower valleys. The nearest town of size is Stradella, which has rail links, services and a built-up small-town centre. This area is known for agriculture on the plain and for wine in the nearby Oltrepò hills.