Refrancore Centro:Casa Tipica Piemontese con Cortile Privato, Box e Taverna
Nel cuore di Refrancore, in posizione comoda a tutti i servizi del paese, proponiamo in vendita caratteristica casa indipendente su 2 lati di ampia metratura (180 mq circa), disposta su tre livelli, che conserva tutto il fascino della tradizionale cascina piemontese. L'immobile si distingue per la classica scala…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
At €73,000 for 176 m² the asking price is low but adding a realistic habitable-refurbish budget (€200/m² → total ~€108,200) yields ~€615/m² versus the regional baseline of €355/m², so the effective price is well above typical levels. The house appears habitable and well-photographed with a garage, tavernetta and dry cellar, but the high effective €/m² makes this an overpriced pick.
More on the house and the area
A charming traditional Piemonte town-cascina with a photogenic peach façade, arched passage, private courtyard, cellar with a spring well, garage and a usable tavernetta — all intact and immediately habitable. The rooms and bathrooms are dated but functional, so this is more a renovation-for-style than a rebuild, offering strong value and conversion potential in the outbuildings.
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€12,000 – €20,000
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.
- Interiors are dated and will need cosmetic modernisation (kitchen, bathrooms, finishes).
- Conversion of the upper fienile to living space will require permits and extra work.
- Check heating/energy systems and any structural/roof reports before purchase.
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 61/100This is the Monferrato hill country, with cultivated ridges, small valleys and scattered hamlets. The Tanaro runs west of the area and the Po plain begins not far to the north. Asti is the nearest town of size, with a full set of services and a substantial historic centre; Alessandria is also within practical reach for rail and larger-scale shopping. Parts of the wider Monferrato wine landscape in this part of Piemonte have UNESCO status, and the area is known for vineyards, mixed farming and wine production.