Rustico/casale
rif 184 - Santo Stefano di magra. Località Madonnetta Rustico da ristrutturare di 49mq ampliabile di 15mq circa con campi a terrazze (mq 1.200) e bosco. Acqua e corrente allacciabili. Prezzo trattabile. Possibilità di acquistare ulteriore porzione di uliveto circa 2.000 mq (a € 14.000). euro 35.000.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
Condition not stated in the listingMust be done first
- Connections
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Estimated renovation ~€1,100/m² gives a total cost ≈€88,900 (≈€1,814/m²) versus the regional baseline €487/m², so the effective price is far above market. The plot (1,200 m² terraces) and 7 km to the sea are positives, but water/electricity are only 'allacciabili' so the unit is not currently habitable.
More on the house and the area
A pretty stone rustico set among terraced olive groves just 7 km from the sea — very attractive setting and a strong bargain for €35k. The building is standing and photogenic but sold as a renovation project, not move-in ready; with rebuilding and services connected it could become a charming small country home.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,100/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€19,000 – €29,000
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.
- Rustico da ristrutturare — needs substantial renovation
- No confirmed utilities currently connected (water/electricity can be hooked up)
- Small footprint (49 m²) — limited living space unless expanded
- Rural access on a dirt track; check vehicle access and planning rules
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 73/100The area sits in the lower Magra valley between the Ligurian Apennine foothills and the Gulf of La Spezia. The Magra river is the main watercourse nearby, and the Ligurian coast is a few kilometres away at La Spezia and Lerici. The Montemarcello-Magra-Vara Regional Park extends across the mouth of the Magra and the Vara and Magra valley landscape is part of daily surroundings here. La Spezia is the nearest town of size, with a port, rail links and full services. Lerici and Tellaro on the gulf are close coastal centres, and Portovenere and the Cinque Terre are reachable farther south-west but outside the immediate 15 km landscape. The area is known for the river plain, olive-covered slopes and the transition between inland Lunigiana and the Gulf of La Spezia.