Casa bifamiliare in Piazza San Lorenzo 5
Nel cuore del borgo storico di Carro, in provincia della Spezia, proponiamo in vendita una casa dal fascino autentico, situata direttamente sulla piazza principale del paese e inserita nel caratteristico intreccio di carruggi e antiche abitazioni liguri. Una proprietà che conserva il sapore e l'atmosfera delle case di un tempo, dove la pietra, le volte e gli...
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
Condition not stated in the listingMust be done first
- Damp
- Heating
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Listed at €54,000 (€429/m²) but I estimate €200/m² for modernization, making an effective €629/m² vs the regional baseline €532/m²; sits on the village piazza with 30 photos, so it's charming but not a clear bargain once renovation is included.
More on the house and the area
Superb central piazza location facing an ornate church and open valley views — very photogenic and full of historic character. The building is intact and habitable in parts but the interiors are dated and need significant renovation (kitchen, floors, bathroom, possible damp repairs). A real bargain for someone willing to do works to create a charming Ligurian home.
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.
- Requires substantial interior renovation (kitchen, floors, finishes, wiring)
- Only one small bathroom
- Signs of damp/age and cracked/uneven floors in places
- No private garden; village-centre access/parking may be limited
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 62/100The cluster sits in the inland hills of the eastern Ligurian Apennines, in the upper Val di Vara. The Vara river valley is the main landscape feature within this area, with wooded slopes, small ridges and scattered hamlets. The nearest coast is the Levante Riviera around Levanto and Bonassola, but it is beyond the immediate 15 km landscape radius for scoring. The Cinque Terre National Park is farther south-west and not inside the local area. Varese Ligure is the nearest small town of note inland, with a preserved historic centre and services; Sestri Levante and La Spezia are the larger centres used for wider shopping and rail connections. This part of the Val di Vara is known for mixed woodland, pasture and small-scale agriculture in an Apennine setting.