Baita in Fontainemore
Baita in Fontainemore. Needs renovation, garage, mansarda, taverna, balcone, terrazzo, cantina, esposizione doppia.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
A project, not a home yet
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Structure
- Roof
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
The €49,000 asking price is attractive at €237/m², but renovation at roughly €700/m² brings the estimated effective cost to about €937/m², above the available local comparison point of €587/m². The mountain setting, panoramic features and 36 photos help, but this remains a substantial project in a remote location.
More on the house and the area
This is a striking traditional stone mountain baita with spectacular Alpine valley and mountain views, generous surrounding land and strong historic character. However, the photos show a serious ruin rather than a usable home: roofs and floors are failing, interiors are debris-filled, and substantial reconstruction would be needed before anyone could live here.
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, €700/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€41,000 – €73,000
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.
- The buildings appear largely uninhabitable, with collapsed or failing roofs, damaged floors and extensive interior debris.
- Major structural restoration and likely complete rebuilding of roofs, services, kitchen and bathroom would be required.
- Mountain access and the steep, rural setting may make construction logistics and renovation costs difficult.
- Utilities, permits and the legal status of the existing structures should be verified.
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 74/100The cluster is in the Lys Valley under the Monte Rosa side valleys, with steep Alpine slopes, larch and chestnut woods, and high pasture above the village level. The Lys river runs through the valley. Much of the upper valley is in the Mont Mars Nature Reserve and the wider Monte Rosa mountain area begins just up-valley, with the main ski lifts at Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Staffal roughly 20–35 minutes away by road depending on the base station. Pont-Saint-Martin is the nearest larger town down-valley, with everyday services and rail access; Aosta is the regional capital farther away. The area is known for Walser settlements in the upper Lys Valley and for the historic stone footbridge at Pont-Saint-Martin.