½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

I am no expert, so forgive me readers, if this is completely wrong, but I would have thought the only way to save on a self build would be if you had a team of tradesmen which you knew (builder, electrician plumber etc.) and could employ separately. Where about in Lazio are you thinking of? I have a friend who builds new houses in and around Formello which is north of Rome. If this would be of any interest to you please let me know.
Linda

e1000 per sq m.... minimum e800 per sq m plus 11- 15 % for plans and project management...plus whatever taxes you have to pay to the commune ...ie registering it as a haitation...etc etc... plus buying the land in the fiirst place...your quote seems reasonable...but there are lots of different things that can be within a quote or not....ie finished kitchens.... electrical fittings...baths etc....

there are companies based in the north that do prefabricated houses.... they are generally austrian german based... but have been building up there a long time ...and there house are all within seismic guidlines.... they might be a better option...... therexs amonthly magasine here in italy ...cannot remember the name ...which gives lots of articles only on these sort odf builds...and they run from e 700 finished....

Weeze, we are also in Northern Lazio, just a little further north than Ferginitaly. We also have contacts in trade, just pm us if we can be of any help.
Out of interest why did you think a new build would be cheaper? We have found that due to the glut of properties already on the market,prices can be very reasonable compared with a new build.

Thanks Linda. You are probably right. We were perhaps being a mite optimistic. We expected something like the 1000 per square meter suggested by adriatica plus geometra etc. for a further 10% ie. about 110,000 with perhaps an extra few thousand for the portico. Our quote of 170,000 EXcluded the plot at 85,000, making 255,000. We have viewed a similar property for 200,000 and had it withdrawn from sale and seen another, also for 200,000 which we rejected because of a steep drop in the site (we have small child).

Thanks for the offer re your friend in Formello but we are talking about the Via Salaria towards Rieti.

And thanksDavid and Linda. As I said in my reply to ( the other) Linda, we are talking about the Via Salaria just south of Rieti. It is probably quite a bit north of you?

John. Thankyou, that is extremely useful. I realise it is a case of how long is a piece of string, but we had expected something like 1000 euros per square meter plus 10% for plans, prog management etc. which is in the same ball park as you sugggest as our quote did NOT inlcude the land. So for 100 square meters, even with 15% for progect etc. we expect about 115,000 + portico. Do you by any chance have any idea how much a portico might be per sq m? Surely less than the actual house?
The quote came from an estage agent too, who works with a geometra. Makes me wonder if he wants the work...
Any advice gratefully received.

We have no experience of prices in Lazio. We build in Tuscany. It is difficult to estimate by the square metre. The cost estimate for every villa would include at least the following main items:1. The cost of the land 2. Planning permission fees (approx 10,000 e and more in many instances) 3. Fees for project management for the surveyor, including design cost and health & safety supervision 4. Fees for the structural engineer (if the surveyor is not acting as the engineer. If he/she is, then his/her fees would be higher 5. Builder's cost for the structure (foundations, external walls, internal walls and roof 6. The cost of finishing: plumbing and central heating, electrics, external windows and doors, internal and external plastering, internal and external painting, floor finishes, internal doors, bathroom tiling and fixtures etc. The cost of this stage would depend on the quality of the finishes: for example contract tiles for the bathroom could set you back 11 euros per square meter or you can pay as high as 100 euros per square meter: solid hardwood doors would cost more than softwood or wood veneered. The cost will vary throughout the house as you will not finish the garage in the same way as the rest of the house. 7. External works cost, including gardens, lanscaping, utilities. 8 VAT (if its your first house and you are resident you will pay 4% of all costs; if not you will pay the full amount 9. Legal costs etc.

Of course with a new build you could end up paying more but you are getting the house you want although many developers will give the purchaser the choice of finishings. The way it works is that you tell the client this is the cost allowance and the name of the supplier. If the client wants something different he/she pays for it.

As regards porticos, the structural cost is low: the cost of finishing could be high, especially if you decide, as many ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs do, to cover the arches with toughened glass.

I hope this helps you!

Good luck!

Serge

Thanks very much Serge. We didn't realise planning costs ( 10k) were quite that bad. Can you explain how they work please? Thanks.

Planning permission according to Channel 4 is 35 euros per metre if applied for pre-build (legally). It's 150 euros per metre if applied for retrospectively i.e. in an amnesty year.

We too are planning on building in Puglia and are currently researching prices, so this thread is particularly interesting.

Any advice appreciated.

another cost to take into account when buying land ...is if it is from a commercial source...eg building company there is a VAT(IVA) charge of 20 % on top.... also many quotes do not include this figure....make sure that it is clear if it is included or not.... because it makes a hefty difference

The permit to build is called "bucalossi" is based (I am told by my wife who is ½ûÂþÌìÌà and a property developer in Tuscany and London) on the cubic meterage of the building. The building we are constructing at present has a footprint of 120 square metres and a cubic allowance of 760 cu metres and the tax was roughly 10k. (Footrint square metres are not the same as floor areas) You can normally pay this up front or by instalments (there are conditions!). I am not sure whether the rate of tax varies locally.

As the public road was already made up and drains and other facilities were already there we did not have to make a contribution towards these facilities.

It has taken us approximately 18 months to get planning permission for the building. The plot came with an assigned square meterage and cubic capacity. There are rules in calculating these eg garages may only attract a %age of the full cubic meterage and to qualify as such will have to have a ceiling height of 2.4 metres. ( Other rules are also in existence about garages) Thera are also rules for the measurement of porticos. Discussions ensued with the commune and a planning application followed. The submission is far more extensive than in England. As Tuscany is seismic we also had to submit a geological survey of the site (cost 3000 euros). After extensive negotiations we finally settled on an acceptable plan which fitted with the local council's long term development plan. One blessing if you can call it that, unlike England, there was no consultation with the neighbours. The permit to build is then issued after the "bucalossi" is paid or arrangements are made for its payment. Then came the selection of a builder to build the structure. The geometra prepared a bills of quantities and the structural engineer prepared new sets of detailed plans for the foundation and load bearing columns. He also specified the quantities (steel and mix of the concrete and solaio (floor and ceilings)). Tenders were invited from 3 builders. At this stage you may ask them to include the cost of excavation which is normally very extensive as garages are normally put underground, or you may ask another company which specialises in that kind of work to tender. Bear in mind that the cost of excavation will need to include the disposal of the soil. We normally also specify the time frame for construction, taking into account that not much work can be done in winter because of the weather and in summer you cannot do noisy construction work between 2 and 4 pm. (This may vary locally). After all this when you have setlled on a builder and signed contract (get legal advice before signing) your geometra will notify the commune of the start of the work (just like in England to comply with building regs.). I have not dealt with the financing side, this is another saga.

I hope this has [B]outlined[/B] the process a bit more for you! My advice to you is allow large cash and time contigencies. Taxes go up every year. The price of steel is shooting up and the price of oil is impacting on oil based products. Weather patterns are changing. Also in letting the contract ask your geometra to make enquiries on the reputation (including financial) of the builders.

If you want to know more about stoneclad porticos send me a PM.

Good luck Serge