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PROPERTY

Property: Why we decided to build our new house in Italy out of wood

Italy's landscape is dotted with stone and brick buildings, so the usual response when you tell Italians you're building a house out of wood is, 'Ma perché?'. But it's a surprisingly advantageous and efficient choice, as our project plans revealed.

Published: 8 September 2021 15:46 CEST

If you’re hoping to renovate or build a property in Italy, you may not have considered wood as a material to realise the house of your dreams.

The novelty of the idea seems to breed scepticism, but since our geometra (surveyor) recommended it, we investigated the options and we agreed with his advice.

READ ALSO: ‘How we claimed Italy’s building bonus twice for the same property’

A geometra is invaluable in helping with the local authorities and guiding you on how best to navigate a renovation.

In his experience, using wood as the structure for a house is a wise decision as, firstly, the frame pops up in just a couple of weeks.

That’s in comparison to the roughly four months for a stone or brick structure that he says it takes – at least in northern Italy.

It’s important to point out that we are using wood only for the framework of the property and not for the walls too – it won’t look like a ski chalet in the middle of Emilia Romagna, where our property will be.

For the walls, we’ll be using a mixture of other materials including plaster board, insulation, panels and external fascias.

The speed of construction is a huge plus point, which is now essential after waiting months and months to get through the paperwork of buying the wreck and jumping through hoops to get to the project design.

Photo: Eric Cabanis / AFP

We’re also working against a deadline, as we are relying on the government’s Superbonus to build our property – financial aid introduced to help people renovate properties following the pandemic-induced economic slump.

With this scheme, homeowners could benefit from a 110 percent tax deduction on expenses related to property renovation.

READ ALSO:

Luckily, the authorities extended the initiative until 2023, but based on our experiences of how long each stage of the process is taking, we can’t fully breathe out just yet.

Aside from how quickly it will be constructed, when plans finally get underway at least, wooden beams are also something we wanted from an aesthetic point of view. We’ll be in the middle of the countryside, so a rustic appearance lends itself well to the surroundings.

Plus, using wood saves energy due to its low thermal conduction and insulation properties, meaning that it will meet the highest energy efficiency rating.

Cost also plays a big factor. Although our geometra said the cost is actually comparable between building a structure out of wood or brick, the biggest saving is when the house is built – a wooden house has lower running costs than a traditional house.

Photo: Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash

Due to the mentioned insulating qualities of wood, houses made of this material boast low energy consumption and, therefore, low costs.

So for a house of the same size, layout of the rooms and use of the house, a wooden house will have lower energy bills than its masonry counterpart, because it needs less energy to be heated in winter and cooled in summer.

These qualities also create an ideal climate to live in all year round.

This should assuage fears of Italians who are dubious about wooden constructions, because of doubts about how they would cope in hotter and more humid weather.

We were initially concerned about wood from a cost perspective, as prices have risen sharply in Italy this year, according to reports.

Between September 2020 and April this year alone, timber prices rose by 60-70 percent. As an example, glued laminated timber, one of the most widely used, has risen from €400 to €700 per m³. And that’s the closest estimate we have to how much this project is going to cost.

Any time we ask for an overall quote, we are told it’s unknown until work actually gets underway – as prices climb in the meanwhile.

However, in our surveyor’s experience, costs of all materials have increased this year so there doesn’t seem to be a cheaper method.

All in all, considering the reasons of long-term costs, speed of installation and its appearance, building a house out of wood is the right choice for us – and it might be a prudent and well-informed choice for others building a home in Italy.

If you’re keen to buy a property in Italy, you may want to take a look at our guide to the additional costs you might not be expecting, and read up on some of the common mistakes to avoid when buying a house in Italy. See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

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PROPERTY

Five pitfalls to watch out for when buying an old house in Italy

Tempted to snap up a little slice of Italy at a bargain price? The older the house, the more potential issues you'll need to be aware of.

Published: 29 March 2024 10:17 CET
Updated: 29 March 2024 12:03 CET
Five pitfalls to watch out for when buying an old house in Italy

Italians themselves may have very little interest in buying or fixing up Italy’s many unwanted old houses, but international visitors are often swept away by the charm of these rustic buildings in romantic settings.

It’s easy to see why. The quirky structures, period details, and picturesque surroundings – not to mention low asking prices – inspire countless people worldwide every year to investigate buying an Italian home of their own, often as an investment or retirement property.

MAP: Where in Italy can you buy homes for one euro?

International interest in cheap Italian property has only intensified in recent years, with dozens of idyllic villages advertising ‘one euro’ homes and other low-cost property offers aimed specifically at foreigners.

Savvy buyers are aware that non è tutto oro quel che luccica (all that glitters is not gold), and quickly realise that these long-neglected buildings really cost somewhat more than one euro to buy and renovate. Still, some of The Local’s readers tell us these offers are worth taking advantage of.

But whether you’re looking at spending a couple of thousand euros or much more on your dream Italian property, there’s always a lot to consider – including some issues that you’re unlikely to experience when buying a home in your home country.

These unexpected issues can turn the Italian dream into a bit of a nightmare, and sometimes lead to buyers having to abandon a purchase, losing money in the process.

But if you’re aware of potential pitfalls in advance, you’re far more likely to be able to complete the purchase process with no major problems at all.

Property taxes and fees

Of course you’ll be expecting tax as part of the property purchase process, but Italian property taxes are particularly steep.

Experts say the total cost of buying in Italy will add approximately ten percent to the purchase price, and advise prospective buyers to budget accordingly.

There’s stamp duty, which is between two and nine percent of the cadastral value (valore catastale) of the property, with a minimum threshold of €1,000 even on the cheapest homes. Plus VAT at four or ten percent, land registry tax, and, if applicable, mortgage tax.

You can also expect to pay between one and five percent of the purchase price as a fee to the estate agent. In Italy agents work for both the buyer and seller – and collect compensation from both parties once the deal is done.

Then you’ll likely need a couple of thousand euros for the notary, plus a similar fee for any other agents you use, such as a mortgage broker, plus legal fees if a lawyer is involved.

See more about the ‘hidden’ costs of buying property as a foreigner in Italy.

Bickering relatives

It may sound unbelievable to non-Italians, but it’s not unusual to find that even the smallest old properties, or parts of them, are legally divided up between dozens of family members due to Italy’s inheritance rules.

One buyer The Local spoke to found herself having to deal with 22 people, all relatives, who each turned out to own a share of a small property she was buying in Mussomeli, Sicily; one of the first places in the country to sell off old properties for a euro.

Toti Nigrelli, the mayor of Mussomeli, said “having to negotiate the sale with multiple owners” was normal.

While this buyer impressively managed to negotiate the deal with all 22 parties, in many cases similar sales fall through because relatives – distant cousins, great-aunts, long-lost nephews – are often not on good terms, disagree over the sale, or can’t be traced.

At the very least, you will need to check the property’s records carefully to make sure there are no surprises in store – such as long-lost relatives who might turn up to claim the property back after you’ve bought it.

A trullo house before renovation in Cisternino, Puglia. AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE

Illegal builds

Another thing that often astounds foreigners who buy property in Italy is the enormous number of illegal builds – homes that were built entirely without permits – on the market as well as the even greater number of houses featuring modifications which were never officially approved or recorded.

Illegal housebuilding in Italy is often thought of as a decades-old issue, but recent data shows that, in 2021, 15 houses were built illegally for ever 100 authorised. Illegal building is twice as common in the south of the country as in the north, and thousands of cases are detected every year – though few people are ever prosecuted.

If you buy a house with undeclared modifications, the buyer is usually held responsible for paying to regularise the paperwork with the town hall. If you catch this issue early enough – and not all sellers or estate agents will inform you about them – you may be able to negotiate for the seller to cover these costs before you make an agreement.

If however you end up unknowingly buying a house built without the correct permissions, or if you never regularise any unauthorised changes, the property will likely prove very difficult to sell on.

This is one of many reasons why buyers need to carefully check the catasto (land registry or cadastral records) of a property themselves, and have a notary check everything is in order.

Conservation rules

When you initially view and fall in love with that charming stone house in the historic centre of a gorgeous Italian hilltop town, rules and regulations are probably not the first thing on your mind.

But it pays to know that old homes featuring frescoes, loggias or ancient stone cellars, as appealing as they are, are often protected by Italy’s cultural heritage authority – meaning more red tape for their owners.

One reader was forced to give up her dream of buying a portion of a two-floor 1700s building in the village of Civita Castellana, Lazio, because it needed renovation work to make it livable – but the frescoed walls, decorated fireplaces and elegant stonework entrance were vincolati (under restrictions) due to Italy’s historic conservation rules.

READ ALSO: Tuscany or Basilicata? How Italy’s international property market is changing

In many cases, this means renovation work can’t be carried out at all, or will be subject to reams of paperwork and close monitoring from authorities known as the sovraintendenza belle arti. To make things trickier, rules can also vary by local authority.

If you think a property you’re interested in might be subject to these rules, it’s always wise to consult the local sovraintendenza at an early stage. And of course, you’ll want to get hold of the records of the property from the catasto (land registry).

Resale prices

The high taxes and costs involved in buying and selling a property in Italy are often said to be one reason why, for most Italians, the concept of climbing the property ladder doesn’t really exist in the way it does in some countries.

Italy’s property market is unusual in Europe in that house prices on average are relatively stagnant. With the exception of some types of property – such as new-build apartments and luxury homes – overall prices have risen little over the past decade.

This is partly because the Italian market is weighed down by a large volume of old, neglected properties in need of major work – hence schemes like the one-euro sales and the (formerly popular but now-unavailable) 110 percent ‘superbonus’ for renovations.

But overall, if your main motivation for buying an old Italian home and renovating it is profit, you’ll need to consider that the resale potential may not be what you’d hope. The exceptions to this are at the pricier end of the market, in most major city centres, and in tourist hotspots.

See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

Do you have any more tips on buying a property in Italy? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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