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I am not from your area, but there are some 'chainstore' DIY/furniture  chains which might have a presence in your area. The names to 'google' could be: OBI, Leroy Merlin, Grancasa, MondoConvenienza, Self - or Brico. Hope this helps, but the advice to deal locally is good - it is not necessarily more expensive!

I'm a charitably minded person, so I do hope you did not intend to be deliberately offensive. The OP (which intends the Original Poster) asked about two things - the removal of external render, and insulating the roof. Various people who post on this 'board' are more than capable of boring for England on the subject of 'sandblasting' (personally I would reccommend a pneumatic hammer if you have a serious amount of cement render to eliminate) - but very few could offer an expert opinion on the options for insulating a roof. And options there are - but you probably haven't got a clue 'Beeryspice', which is also a peculiar choice of username for an ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ? N'est ce pas?

I would not dispute the advice of your geometra. He is the best person to advise you. However you did pose an extra question: whch is whether the plans held by the comune and the catasto PROVE  that the wall removed in your apartment was done with permission. Clearly the removal of the wall WAS NOT done with a formal permission (a concessione d'edilizia IN SANATORIA means that the acceptance of the wall having been removed was made after the fact.) Despite that, if your geometra is happy then you should rest easy. 

Discussing sandblasting is fiddling while Rome burns! Complying with (relatively recently introduced) thermal requirements is another thing altogether. If your house is rendered (plastered) externally at the moment, nobody can REQUIRE you to strip it back to stone. The comune might say we would PREFER you to strip it back to stone (and might allow you to do other things if you comply with their REQUEST), but this is an aesthetic issue which has nothing to do with thermal performane. The trouble is, that for (even building professional Brits), the mindset that 'planning' and 'building regulations' are separate entities is entrenched, and it is understandably difficult to comprehend that they are 'all in one' here in Italy. Much the most difficult (financially, and in a restoration also practically without destroying some part of the aesthetic) to comply with here in Italy are the thermal performance requirements of a restoration. But because most geometras have the mindset that it is 'all of a whole' they do (in my experience) find it very difficult to explain to a (British) client exactly on what legislation they are basing their opinion. It's a bind, because with even the cleverest translator (unless they happen to be also qualified as an architect or geometra, better still a quantity surveyor!) explanations get lost in translation and lead to complete confusion.

Rarely do I agree with beeryspice, but on this occasion his cautionary words are worth considering. You do not know (I assume) what court action the geometra has already taken over your non payment of the account for his fee, and I am assuming you have only a dispute over HIS fee (possibly he has settled the accounts with the "bad workmen" and you are trying to punish him for having done this). Now, it isn't unreasonable to feel this way, and there should be a negotiable route to getting the substandard works rectified at no cost to you, at which point you pay the geometra his dues. Everybody happy(ish), without involving litigation (which  however much in the right you feel you are) will undoubtedly fail and cost you a lot of money and heartache.

Possibly, depending on where you are based in the UK, it would be worth finding an English speaking ½ûÂþÌìÌà Notary via an ½ûÂþÌìÌà consulate or embassy who could give you guidelines on the documentation required before you leave for Italy. Otherwise it could end up being a wasted trip.

As far as I have understood it, since July 1, any consumer of electricity who pays their bill to ENEL (there are other options where you pay different money collection companies, and I'm not sure this applies to these contracts), whether on a resident tariff or not, YOU PAY MORE for electricity consumed in 'working hours'. It's not rocket science to avoid paying peak rate leccy. Saturdays and Sundays (and public holidays) are lower rate (maybe you can do all your washing and dishwashering at the weekend?), and peak rate doesn't cut in until 8am, so if you are an early riser that's an opportunity - or if you are a night owl (like me!) you sling the stuff in the washing machine at 2am. For your electricity bill NOT to get more expensive, you must consume at least 66% in off peak times. It really makes perfect sense, and requires only small changes in your routine.

This is just a thought about the amount of space thermal stores (of water) take up. It's not relevant if you have loads of cantina space, but if you are in appartamento mode, consider how much you are paying (per square metre) for potential residential accommodation - and if it is financally sensible to devote about the same space as a small bathroom would require to a water store?

SIM's are available for about €10 or less (via ebay or in Rome), so I wouldn't say €15 was by any means a rip off price in a small town in le Marche. If it works, live with it would be my opinion: you can recharge it in any bar, and it's not traceable to you! Win win!

Oh it's so good to have something to get one's teeth into! Bravo Capo - but like Obama et al you are (arguably, I'm a complete fence sitter!) confusing sustainability with affordability (aka 'peak oil' and that stuff). For poor (as in not a lot of money) mortals there is a great deal to be said for burning wood: of course it creates carbon dioxide (something never much mentioned), but trees grow, and in Italy wood is produced from sustainable sources (which  means it is unlikely to run out, due to legislation about how much woodland you can hack down in a decade). Solar (pre heating of water) is not a bad idea, but we are nibbling at the edges. As of now, photovoltaic doesn't make sense without subsidies (and the subsidies are really quite enticing in Italy). Then, you have to do the 'carbon equation': some of the materials used in photovoltaics are quite 'carbon expensive' to produce. This is why I have not considered wind power (nor electric cars). Because if you have a notion to 'save the planet' you really should research the whole picture. However, (and no, I have no connection with any geothermic companies), efficiency is a very important concept, and enhancing the bounty which a thermal differential offers  (think about it is as a reverse fridge, you know when there is a frost the earth four feet below is warmer, and you can exploit this) so that way is efficient. I cannot believe we are still in thrall to the arabs and their oil: probably they just have bought the media.