Casa indipendente
In centro storico, casetta su 2 piani con soggiorno/cucina, bagno e taverna al piano terra, camera matrimoniale con balcone al piano primo, in corpo staccato box con sovrastante mansarda, giardino di 150 mq su due lati.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
Condition not stated in the listingSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Listed at €45,000 (€312/m2) for 144 m2; assuming light renovation (~€200/m2) yields an effective ≈€512/m2, slightly above the Lombardy median of €457/m2. Good central location with garage, garden and 13 photos, but the listing does not state the building condition, age or energy class.
More on the house and the area
Pleasant, characterful small country house with warm wood ceilings, exposed beams and a usable 150 m² garden — a real lived-in home rather than a ruin. Layout and finishes are serviceable now but bathrooms and some cosmetic upgrades are needed; great value for the size and location.
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€10,000 – €16,000
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.
- Bathrooms are small and partly outdated (one photo shows a squat toilet).
- Property is lived-in/cluttered and needs cosmetic updating and garden clearing.
- Check heating/electrics and other systems as they look older and may require work.
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 42/100The area is the lower Adda plain between the Adda and Serio river systems, with flat agricultural land, irrigation canals and scattered farmsteads. The Adda River runs a few kilometres west of Formigara, with riparian woodland and embanked riverside stretches around places such as Pizzighettone and Crotta d’Adda. Pizzighettone is the nearest small town of note and has preserved walled stretches and a historic centre on the Adda. Cremona is the nearest city of size, with full services and a substantial historic centre.