Villa
Indipendenza, Verde e Zero Spese Condominiali a Piana Crixia (Loc. San Massimo) Se cerchi la tranquillità della natura senza rinunciare alla comodità dei servizi, questa casa disposta su due livelli è l'opportunità ideale. Situato nella verde e rilassante Località San Massimo a Piana Crixia, l'immobile dista soli 3 km dai servizi principali e circa 9 km da Cairo Montenotte,...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €35,000 for 135 sqm, the asking price is just €259/sqm versus a Liguria villa baseline of €327/sqm; assuming habitable-but-not-renovated condition from the description, about €200/sqm renovation brings the effective cost to roughly €459/sqm. The house is very large, independent, and well-photographed with parking, so despite being inland (28 km from the sea) it still looks like a strong value buy.
More on the house and the area
This is a real, usable house rather than a shell: it has kitchen, bathrooms, stairs and finished rooms, so you could live in it with work. The setting is green and rural, and the €35k price for 135 sqm is eye-catching, but the house itself is visually plain and very dated rather than dreamy. It feels more like a solid low-cost base to refresh than a wow Italian 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€9,000 – €15,000
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.
- Exterior is quite plain and visibly tired
- Interiors look dated and need significant cosmetic updating
- Roadside setting with no proven special views
- Likely requires checks/upgrades for systems and energy performance
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 58/100The area is in the Langhe-Appennino transition of southern Piedmont, with wooded ridges and cultivated hills rather than high mountains. The Bormida valley is the main local river landscape in this part of the province. Acqui Terme is the nearest town of size, with services, a rail station, and a historic thermal centre. This part of the Alto Monferrato is known for vineyards, hazelnuts, mixed farming, and small hill villages.