Casa Nicolina during renovation
Over the past decade, we have bought two houses and two ruins (houses that have never had water or electricity installed) in the centro storico and a house in an olive grove just outside the centro storico. Of these, two have been renovated to top condition. The house in the olive grove is our own home nowadays and is still in the process of being renovated. For one of the ruins we have made plans and received building permits and will begin the work in 2025. We have also managed the renovation of a house bought by somebody else from scratch to the same high standard as our houses. And at the beginning of June 2024, we begun our largest project so far - what is to be a Residency for National Geographic Explorers.
Since we now have some experience of buying and renovating houses in Cuglieri, we thought we would share some information. Because it's not quite that simple.
First, what does it cost to buy a house in the centro storico in Cuglieri? Compared to the rest of the Mediterranean, buying houses in western Sardinia and Cuglieri is still relatively cheap. The famous one-euro houses exist, but in villages in central Sardinia (or Sicily) far from the beach and in villages with very small populations and few services. But villages, like Cuglieri, with a life of their own and closer to the beach are not free. The price depends on many factors.
Size is one factor, but more importantly:
· If, how, and when it was renovated
· If it has a terrace with a view and/or garden
· If it is in regola (more about this later)
· How many owners the house has
Finally, of decisive importance is if the owners really want to sell. It is not unusual that people put a house on the market and attach a fantasy price. It is like buying a lottery ticket. The initial effort of putting it on the market is low (there is no home-staging in Cuglieri) and who knows, perhaps someday, decades later, a foreign sucker will come along and pay the price. If not, the owners are content to keep it in the hope that perhaps one day one of their children or grandchildren will move into it. We wouldn't bother with those houses.
You can buy a ruin for anything from 15,000 for a 30 m2 town house to 80,000 Euros for a 300 m2 one in a central place with great views.
A house that is anything from 80 to 150 m2, and was renovated in the 60s or 70s, can cost between 40,000 and 80,000 Euros. It would just be barely habitable, with bathrooms, surfaces and kitchens that need to be updated. Sometimes it has stood empty for decades. The equivalent house pleasantly and fairly recently renovated, without any high tech or luxury, would be in the range from 90,000 to 150,000.
The actual purchase of a house costs about 2,000 to 8,000 Euro in fees and taxes depending on which agency sells, who the seller is, the purchase price and whether the house is a first home or a holiday home, and if it is in an agricultural zone. In addition, there is the cost of the notary of 2,500 to 3,000. A good review of transaction costs can be found here: https://www.insardinia.ch/acheter-maison-sardaigne.
If the house is sold privately without an agency, it is usually because the house is not in regola. That means that changes have been made without a building permit. You might end up having to pay for some demolition and a fine to the authorities. This can be expensive and requires lots of bureaucracy and waiting. Above all, it takes time. Up to two years from the start of the sanitazion process until one can start to renovate to make things the way one wants rather than just for the sake of obliging the authorities.
So the next question is: What does it cost to renovate a house in Cuglieri?
Our calculation is that the renovation costs at least 60,000 for a simple 70 m2 ruin, exclusive of the building permit. A smaller house would not be much less as the cost of a kitchen, bathroom, electricity, water, and roof would be about the same.
For a larger house that is already habitable, but according to the standards of the 1960s, it can be as expensive as you like depending on the choice of material, etc. Our experience says that a basic renovation, including redoing the interior surfaces, the electrical wiring, the facades, perhaps an Ikea kitchen and replacing the bathroom can hardly be done under 40,000 Euros to get an acceptable standard for a summer house. To get a higher standard with air conditioning, heating, windows with double glazing, a second bathroom, a better kitchen and heating, more is needed, from 100,000 and up.
It's not easy to renovate a house in Cuglieri. You have to hire a geometra or ingegnere to get a building permit. This costs 2000 Euro and up. Everything must be done according to the local rules, which are very detailed. Window type, facade covering, floor plan, house paint, etc. are all regulated by the municipality and the region. A house with land in the country has its own challenges as there are a completely different set of detailed rules for agricultural properties.
Then you have to monitor the construction. You, or the geometra, have to hire a muratore (bricklayers who also paint and do other odd jobs) who works in a small group of 2-3 people. An electrician/plumber and carpenter will also be needed, plus possibly a marmorista, who does the stone work. The pace of work is slow because they normally are working on several projects at the same time. Because of the age of the houses there are often some boring surprises in the form of moisture and water damage, etc. In addition, there are often quite long waiting times to get the best craftsmen, as many have retired and the influx of younger ones is not large.
So the conclusion is that if you want to get away the cheapest, you buy a relatively newly renovated house in the village. But if you want something special or want a higher standard, we recommend that you buy a house and renovate it. We chose to renovate our houses, because we did not find a finished house that wowed us and we are interested and amused by the renovation process.
Through hard experience we learned that even if you have patience, interest, and a will to influence the renovation, you must carefully choose who you work with. In particular we want to mention Cuglieri's own engineer Angelo Perria, who we can only say positive things about. Some builders are employers themselves and will have a conflict of interest when it comes to quality. Perria is independent. He can recommend craftsmen, but never employs them himself. However, if he draws up the plans for you and applies for planning permission, he will be actively committed to checking that the work is implemented well and a real asset when you want to get the best result for your money. Without Perria we would not want to renovate a house in Cuglieri again. So much can go wrong, and carelessness and shortcuts can be expensive in the long run. We've tried with others, so we know.
For those who, after all, want to embark on a complicated project and may not have the time or desire to be present (or speak Italian, which is almost mandatory), we can offer to help. We can also help find a good renovation project, which is not the easiest thing either. Many of the best houses are not on the market, because many here feel that agencies just rob them of their money. Some houses that are for sale do not even have a Vendesi, for sale, sign on them. On a regular basis, Cuglieritani will approach Jonathan and ask him to have a look at their house as it has become know that we have so far helped three different foreigners to find houses here. (We do not charge anybody for this help.) Feel free to contact us with your wishes and we can make suggestions, as we now have a good idea of what is for sale in the village.
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