I have an Australian Client for whom I refurbished their house on Lake Como, now they are living in Italy for over 12 months, and in their Pension years.
Hello all, I am writing asking the forum for help on behalf of an Australian client for whom we are refurbishing her house in Italy. The Australian lady bought the house to refurbish wanting to take up Italian citizenship.
Hi all I have a very basic question on using this forum: How do I send a Personal Message to someone?It would seem if I hit "reply" and send what would appear to be a message which only to recipient would see, is instead visible by the whole foru
Hello Meakin,I have read some of the blog above – but not all, as it was giving me nightmares! I am sure that now you have been frightened off from buying anything in Italy.However I would like to point out that I have many clients (I am an architect) who want to carry out some building works themselves, and Italy is no different from the UK or the rest of Europe in that the there are very strict Health and Safety regulations in force, which for the record, are a European initiative and not an Italian one. The idea is to reduce needless deaths and injury in Europe’s building sites, and the regulations are not perfect but I think their intention and logic is pretty clear. Anyway the Regulations apply only for when the building sites are active, it is possible to carry something like plastering or similar – if you are capable, in the context of doing DIY in your own home, when the Building Site is no longer active. Also good idea to get independent advice pre- purchase on the nature and cost of building works and resolution of bureaucratic issues such as the “Rustico” category etc.
Hi SuziI am an English speaking architect, happy to take on a domestic reno that is within 2hr drive from Milan. Aquedolce is out of my range. BUT please do not choose a Tecnico recommended by an estate agent – also if estate agent is nice, better get a tecnico who is independent from the sales process. I have been in touch with so many non-Italians doing reno works with tales of woe. The Tecnico can be an Architect, Engineer or Geometra. Ideally have a Tecnico look at your property prior to finalizing your offer, so as you can budget better for the estimated costs of renovation. Please contact me if you need further advice even though I cannot be your Tecnico I am happy to help you find the right one, and help you avoid mistakes and having you own tales of woe. If you have difficulty in finding a tecnico, I can contact my architect friends in Liguria and see if they can find a solution for you.
HelloI am an English speaking architect based in Milan and often work with English speaking lawyers to carryout Due Diligence on properties pre- purchase for English speaking clients. I can recommend two English speaking lawyers versed in real estate checks based in Milan and one in Liguria: PLEASE GREET THEM AND TELL THEM THAT CONOR PASSED THEIR CONTACT DETAILS TO YOU. MilanAlessandro Clemente info@clementelawfirm.com Michael Leviinfo@levidalpozzo.it LiguriaSilvano Briozzostudiobriozzo@outlook.com
Hello, I have just read your post now, I dislike having to bring you bad news, but I am afraid that renovating in Italy (especially old stone buildings) is not cheap - in fact it is very expensive.I am a UK trained architect working in North Italy. At a super preliminary stage of any project it is useful to apply a price per sqm meter for the refurbishment in order to have an idea of the Ball Park Figure, before advancing into a detailed project. A very straight forward refurbishment involving new roof, windows, new layout, new kitchen, new bathroom, new electric, heating and plumbing plants, upgrade of and new finishes will cost around €1000/sqm without doing anything particularly ambitious.However as soon as, you start doing things of higher quality – or as in your case where the access for vehicles is difficult, the price goes up. We work on Lake Como a lot, and some of the houses being renovated do not have access to the roads so it works out cheaper to bring materials by helicopter. All said and done I would apply a figure of €1400 per sqm – calculating the gross floor area of the areas that you will renovate (excluding the cellar) – This will give you a Ball Park for the type of budget you need for the renovations works carried out by decent builder (excluding VAT) - again I am sorry if this is bad news, but it is better to be informed and prepared than to go into any project deluded. All the best , Conor
Looks like you are set on Varese, it is important to have clear ideas when looking. I have never lived there (I live in Milan) but it is certainly well situated near a number of beautiful lakes and one of the biggest towns in that area.
Menaggio would be a much more scenic option compared to Varese. Menaggio would also cost alot more as there is always a steady demand. It is without doubt much busier in Summer than in the WInter Months. People do live the whole year around there, but the tourist population increases dramatically in the good season. If you were to move there you would not be the only ex-pat in Menaggio all the year round. I do not live there but am often in the area for work (I am an architect).
Hi David,We have a house in Calamandrana (AT) too. We can recommend a local electrician who has been very reliable . Contact me on info@rinovaprojects.com and I will send you his details
I am based in Milan , I am surprised that you found work using only in English - and I suppose it is becasue Milan is very international, with many design and Architectural offices having work abroad, especially in the Oil rich arab states. I doubt if Bolzano will have the same amount of international clients, but maybe...anyway I imagine that the average citizen of Bolzano can speak better English than the average Milanese
Hi I am also an Architect, I have friends who live in Bolzano, and I can confirm that it is a good place to live with kids, and now there is much more work for architects, however preference is usually given to german speaking professionals, I am afraid the German language is considered more important than Italian in Bolzano. if you can speak german then it is a good option, but please visit yourselves before deciding as it is the most important town in the area but still quite small
Comments posted
Hello Meakin,I have read some of the blog above – but not all, as it was giving me nightmares! I am sure that now you have been frightened off from buying anything in Italy.However I would like to point out that I have many clients (I am an architect) who want to carry out some building works themselves, and Italy is no different from the UK or the rest of Europe in that the there are very strict Health and Safety regulations in force, which for the record, are a European initiative and not an Italian one. The idea is to reduce needless deaths and injury in Europe’s building sites, and the regulations are not perfect but I think their intention and logic is pretty clear. Anyway the Regulations apply only for when the building sites are active, it is possible to carry something like plastering or similar – if you are capable, in the context of doing DIY in your own home, when the Building Site is no longer active. Also good idea to get independent advice pre- purchase on the nature and cost of building works and resolution of bureaucratic issues such as the “Rustico” category etc.
If you mean Estate agent fees, it is also possible to negotiate, 3% would be common, but some acceted discount and settle for 2%
Hi SuziI am an English speaking architect, happy to take on a domestic reno that is within 2hr drive from Milan. Aquedolce is out of my range. BUT please do not choose a Tecnico recommended by an estate agent – also if estate agent is nice, better get a tecnico who is independent from the sales process. I have been in touch with so many non-Italians doing reno works with tales of woe. The Tecnico can be an Architect, Engineer or Geometra. Ideally have a Tecnico look at your property prior to finalizing your offer, so as you can budget better for the estimated costs of renovation. Please contact me if you need further advice even though I cannot be your Tecnico I am happy to help you find the right one, and help you avoid mistakes and having you own tales of woe. If you have difficulty in finding a tecnico, I can contact my architect friends in Liguria and see if they can find a solution for you.
HelloI am an English speaking architect based in Milan and often work with English speaking lawyers to carryout Due Diligence on properties pre- purchase for English speaking clients. I can recommend two English speaking lawyers versed in real estate checks based in Milan and one in Liguria: PLEASE GREET THEM AND TELL THEM THAT CONOR PASSED THEIR CONTACT DETAILS TO YOU. MilanAlessandro Clemente info@clementelawfirm.com Michael Leviinfo@levidalpozzo.it LiguriaSilvano Briozzostudiobriozzo@outlook.com
Hello, I have just read your post now, I dislike having to bring you bad news, but I am afraid that renovating in Italy (especially old stone buildings) is not cheap - in fact it is very expensive.I am a UK trained architect working in North Italy. At a super preliminary stage of any project it is useful to apply a price per sqm meter for the refurbishment in order to have an idea of the Ball Park Figure, before advancing into a detailed project. A very straight forward refurbishment involving new roof, windows, new layout, new kitchen, new bathroom, new electric, heating and plumbing plants, upgrade of and new finishes will cost around €1000/sqm without doing anything particularly ambitious.However as soon as, you start doing things of higher quality – or as in your case where the access for vehicles is difficult, the price goes up. We work on Lake Como a lot, and some of the houses being renovated do not have access to the roads so it works out cheaper to bring materials by helicopter. All said and done I would apply a figure of €1400 per sqm – calculating the gross floor area of the areas that you will renovate (excluding the cellar) – This will give you a Ball Park for the type of budget you need for the renovations works carried out by decent builder (excluding VAT) - again I am sorry if this is bad news, but it is better to be informed and prepared than to go into any project deluded. All the best , Conor
Looks like you are set on Varese, it is important to have clear ideas when looking. I have never lived there (I live in Milan) but it is certainly well situated near a number of beautiful lakes and one of the biggest towns in that area.
Menaggio would be a much more scenic option compared to Varese. Menaggio would also cost alot more as there is always a steady demand. It is without doubt much busier in Summer than in the WInter Months. People do live the whole year around there, but the tourist population increases dramatically in the good season. If you were to move there you would not be the only ex-pat in Menaggio all the year round. I do not live there but am often in the area for work (I am an architect).
Hi David,We have a house in Calamandrana (AT) too. We can recommend a local electrician who has been very reliable . Contact me on info@rinovaprojects.com and I will send you his details
I am based in Milan , I am surprised that you found work using only in English - and I suppose it is becasue Milan is very international, with many design and Architectural offices having work abroad, especially in the Oil rich arab states. I doubt if Bolzano will have the same amount of international clients, but maybe...anyway I imagine that the average citizen of Bolzano can speak better English than the average Milanese
Hi I am also an Architect, I have friends who live in Bolzano, and I can confirm that it is a good place to live with kids, and now there is much more work for architects, however preference is usually given to german speaking professionals, I am afraid the German language is considered more important than Italian in Bolzano. if you can speak german then it is a good option, but please visit yourselves before deciding as it is the most important town in the area but still quite small