724 Renovating in fall/winter season?

[I][FONT=Times New Roman]We are in the process of purchasing a property in Marche that will need extensive renovation (the house is not at all habitable). The process of purchasing has taken longer than we'd hoped, and it now appears that the final deed may not be signed before September/October. We are trying to set out a timetable for the project and would be grateful for any input from people who have undertaken projects in the Sibillini area. Do builders work in the late fall/winter (when there can be cold temperatures and even snow in the area)? Have people found that work can be done when it is cold, or does everything stop until spring? [/FONT] [/I]

Category
Building/Renovation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/03/2005 - 03:57

Hi, a lot of the work at our house was carried out during the fall and winter.
obviously not when it was snowing or raining but just the same in cold temperatures,in which in fact, the cement sets better than in the heat of summer and does not require constant watering as it does during high remperatures.
having said that the problem will not particularly be the time of year but the availability of builders for whom often there can be several months to wait and it may not even be possible to start until the spring due to the builders on going committments.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/03/2005 - 06:45

[QUOTE=NewToMarche][I][FONT=Times New Roman]We are in the process of purchasing a property in Marche that will need extensive renovation (the house is not at all habitable). The process of purchasing has taken longer than we'd hoped, and it now appears that the final deed may not be signed before September/October. We are trying to set out a timetable for the project and would be grateful for any input from people who have undertaken projects in the Sibillini area. Do builders work in the late fall/winter (when there can be cold temperatures and even snow in the area)? Have people found that work can be done when it is cold, or does everything stop until spring? [/FONT] [/I][/QUOTE]

The weather, commitments and availability unquestionably have an impact. However, there is another consideration and that is authorisation to start work.

If you are buying a traditional farmhouse where part of the building is comprised of animal sheds, you will need to apply, if you are intending to convert this into living areas, for the cambio d’uso di destinazione. This has a cost and the fees, which are called oneri di urbanizzazione, are paid to the local comune. The council likes to collect these fees before work can begin and even though you may have applied for and been granted building permission, it is best to pay these oneri before any work starts.

There is a process that enables you to start work whilst waiting for the relevant permessi di costruzione to arrive and this is known as the DIA (Denunzia di inizio di attività). Your architect or Geometra submits the request to the comune and it takes about 20 working days to approve and issue. Work cannot start until the DIA has been issued.

My advice to you is to draw up your own project plan to include all the relevant things you need to before any building work can begin.