Restoration homes in Italy

30% reduction		15% reduction		1.25 acres, Asciano		2 farmhouses
3 floors, Camporgiano		3 floors, Strapolino		4 floors		5 acres, Volterra
8 acres, near Siena		8 acres, Volterra		12.5 acre Castelnuovo		12.5 acres, Volterra
19thC farmhouse		Apartment, Montisi		Bargain, Zeri		Farmhouse Pomarance
Mountain view		Palazzo, Chianti		Santa Luce		Country house

One reason for buying a renovation property is the sheer delight in taking over a ramshackle countryside ruin and watching as it is turned into your perfect Italian holiday home – with every last brick and tile matching your precise specifications. Investing in Italian renovation projects has long been a route favoured by some canny purchasers. However, the trend has accelerated in the past two decades or so, helped in large part by the success of American Frances Mayes’ novel Under The Tuscan Sun, in which she renovates an old farmhouse near Cortona.

The cheaper costs involved in taking on a home to restore is also a huge factor. In Tuscany, an 80sq m ruin can cost as little as €30,000. In other regions of the country, such as Abruzzo, costs are cheaper still and can begin at just €8,000. Even adding in a typical rebuilding bill of €500-1,500 per sq m, this works out to be far more affordable than purchasing a newly built or already restored property.

In addition, taking on a fixer-upper lets you spread out costs as you wish. Some investors fix only a part of the property to ensure it is habitable, then they complete the rest at their convenience some months or even years later.

Most buyers hire an architect to design the property and a surveyor (geometra) to find and liaise with builders and obtain the required planning permits. Some also choose a third expert, a project manager, to oversee building work if the buyers cannot be in Italy to take charge of things themselves. However, a helpful architect or surveyor will often step into this role. Finally, you can ask your surveyor to draw up a strict timetable and budget for your builders, with penalty clauses if these are not rigidly stuck to.