Q&A With Italian Home Renovation Expert

Many buyers love the charm of classic Italian homes with their exposed beams, arched doorways, stone facades and unique tile floors. After finding a great piece of property, you may still wish to renovate it in order to add modern-day comforts and your own personal touch. Structural characteristics of older properties along with Italian bureaucracy, however, can make home renovation a tricky process. If you are considering making updates to your home, it is important to work with professionals who can navigate these obstacles successfully to bring your vision to life.

To explore the topic of property renovation, we have consulted with one of our expert collaborators with boots on the ground in Southern Italy, Karina Prasad. Karina is the Director of Gelso Bianco, a Puglia-based company specializing in property restoration and redevelopment. Karina leads a team of expert craftsmen—including surveyors, architects, engineers, and contractors—who oversee all aspects of property renovation from ideation to completion.

Karina Prasad

Many of the properties Karina and her team work with include the famous Trulli (shown in the picture below). Trulli are historical residential structures typical of the Valle d’Itria region of Puglia, where most of the architectural heritage is protected by law.

Trulli roof structures typical of Valle d’Itria

We asked Karina a number of questions on what home renovation in Italy is all about:

1. What is the main structural difference between homes in Italy and the U.S.?
2. What kind of renovation do Italian homes usually require within the first year of purchasing?
3. When planning a renovation, what should the owner’s first step be?
4. Any considerations with regards to water and electricity in rural homes?
5. How easy is it to build a swimming pool?
6. How can you find contractors you trust?
7. How long do different types of renovations usually take?
8. In your area, are there any changes that are simply not possible to make to your property?
9. If you have a limited budget for your renovation, what is the best way to spend it?
10. Any final tips?

1. What is the main structural difference between homes in Italy and the U.S.?

Here in the South of Italy we build homes in stone. It is a labor-intensive and delicate process, but stone stands the test of time and keeps you cool in the extreme summer heat. Our climate here can be more humid (especially in winter) than most places in the US, and working with wood is problematic. Most homes will also have doors and windows made of metal to avoid warping, although aged wood doors can be used for some internal access points, but mostly as a decorative asset.

2. What kind of renovation do Italian homes usually require within the first year of purchasing?

While it depends on the condition of the house, the first phase will almost always include some sort of demolition. Insulating a stone house is critical, and we always recommend that you start by digging up the floors (which are mostly built on sand) and insulate at least 40cm (15in) down, both inside and outside on the patios. This one modification will provide a warm house in winter and a cool space in the summer heat.

If the house already has good foundations and a solid roof, then you can look early on at more fun stages like picking floors, designing your doors and windows, rearranging the spaces, or designing new bathrooms and kitchens.

3. When planning a renovation, what should the owner’s first step be?

Before you buy a house in Italy, you must ensure that all the property elements are legal, and you do this by having a surveyor (geometra) do a site visit and look at all the papers. If there are any irregularities, it should be a condition of the purchase that the owners make the whole property legal. Once you have decided on a preliminary plan and budget, you should engage a geometra to develop your plans and advise on what you can and cannot do, how much you can expand, where things can be placed, etc.

Geometras are known for their relationships with local council offices who will decide on your planning application–these relationships can make the whole process much easier as you will know before you submit if the council is happy with your plans. Owners should be aware that the entire process including drawings can take up to 10 months. Depending on where and how much you are building, some councils are faster than others.

My advice is not to use an architect for your main plans but to find a local architect who is happy to provide tasks along the job like lighting plans and exterior drawings. Most geometras will be connected with a local architect who can help with these tasks.

4. Any considerations with regards to water and electricity in rural homes?

Most of the older rural properties come with large water tanks (here called cisterne), and you must periodically order water to have them filled. If you want access to water without the need to call for a delivery, then a well may be a good solution. Costs for wells depend on how deep you need to dig.

If you are building a pool, you will find you are filling it 3-4 times a week in the heat of summer which can mean 2 deliveries of water per week (making a compelling argument for the well). You will need a water filtration system as well, which can vary in price from €500 to €5,000.

With regards to electricity, access to the main grid is rarely a problem. Solar panels and photovoltaics (or heat pumps) are however excellent additions as Italy has an abundance of sun. Installation will seem a large outlay to start, but ultimately you will save considerably on electricity bills and even provide power to the main grid over time.

5. How easy is it to build a swimming pool?

Many of my clients ask me this question. National and regional laws regulate the size and features of swimming pools. In order to conserve water, the maximum permissible pool size in Puglia is 10m x 4m (30’ x 12’). There will also be restrictions on the shape of the pool, but your geometra will be able to advise what is possible and where it can be placed. Some local councils are not supportive of pools; if you have your heart set on a pool, you must make sure that your council will allow them. A local geometra (not your agent) will usually be able to tell you in advance.

6. How can you find contractors you trust?

This can be a tricky area for people who are new to Italy. While there are extraordinarily gifted tradespeople in Italy, you will need to be confident that the people you are dealing with are capable and reliable. I would advise all homeowners to get references, insist on seeing at least two or three properties they have finished, and ask about budget and timelines for each of these projects. Having a project manager who can oversee the work will be useful if you are not in Italy all the time during the build. Having a general contractor who speaks English or someone who can translate is also crucial.

Make sure they give you a timeline which includes closures (e.g. here in August, all construction work stops for two weeks). You should also know up front if they will not be working full time during specific times of the year. Some clients are surprised to find out that many construction workers here only work half days during the olive harvest. I would also insist on meeting the whole team, so you know your builders and their expertise.

Finally, get them to show you their suppliers. Maybe even visit the stone quarry they use or their bathroom supplier. This will give you a good indication if they have strong local relationships which will come in handy in times where speed is of the essence.

7. How long do different types of renovations usually take?

We have talked already about permission timelines, and it’s important to get this information before you buy. The actual construction timeline will depend on the project and the state of the house. I can provide two recent examples to give readers a better idea:

1. An internal renovation and upgrade.

This is a 4-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Trulli house with a small pool. We gutted two of the bedrooms and three of the bathrooms, built a completely new kitchen, and added small kitchenettes to two guest spaces. We also upgraded all plumbing and electrics and did some minor landscaping. This job took 30 days to approve via a SCIA (expedited approval), which was permitted since we were not changing the facade. The build took 6 months, and the total build cost was €150k.

2. A complete renovation.

This house had nothing—no plumbing, no electrics, no doors and windows—but did have cisterns. The planning for the house was simple because there were no plans for expansion and we could use the SCIA approval process; however, the client wanted a swimming pool. Planning approvals for the pool took 18 months, as the papers had to go through a council that is very slow and not supportive of new pools being built in the area.

The build is near completion and will have taken two years in total, including approvals for the pool. We timed it well, and the last few months were spent doing the pool, garden, and pergolas while the house was ready to live in. The total build cost was €300k.

8. In your area, are there any changes that are simply not possible to make to your property?

Home expansions in our area are restricted by a local law which limits you from increasing your property’s volume by more than 20%. Fortunately, this is partially mitigated by the fact that some parts (like workrooms or laundry rooms) don’t count towards the total property volume. Otherwise, property laws are pretty firm.

In some areas with cultural heritage designation, there are significant restrictions to what you can do to external facades, but the specific guidelines vary by region.

As previously mentioned, we are restricted from building pools bigger than 10m x 4m (30’ x 12’).

9. If you have a limited budget for your renovation, what is the best way to spend it?

First insulate your property and make it livable year-round. The temperatures and humidity level change throughout the year and you will want to enjoy your property at all times. A warm cozy house at Christmas will be just as important as a cool refuge when it is 100 degrees outside. Good insulation in floors, walls, and under your patios will make all the difference. If it is a holiday rental you are after, this added comfort will make your property easier to rent year-round.

Once this is done, spend money on a good plasterer who can ensure a long life to your plastered walls. At least four layers should be applied as well as membrane, which will ensure your home is dry and comfortable.

Make sure you get well-made doors and windows (I recommend metal) with double pane glass, and put in some solid entrance gates to provide added security. This final step will give you a solid, comfortable and safe home.

Then comes the fun part – picking tiles, stone flooring, kitchens, and designing your perfect bathroom.

Always focus your budget on the first four tasks, and the rest can be done over time as your budget allows. The bottom line is:

• 1. Insulate
• 2. Plaster and extra insulation
• 3. Good doors and windows
• 4. Security (gates and walls)
• 5. Decorate

10. To conclude, any last tips for our readers?

I would like to add three final tips:

• Buy things early on as much as possible. Delivery times for items such as bathroom fittings and stone flooring can be long, and it is better to have them ready and waiting for you rather than you waiting for them to arrive to complete your build. Your contractor can advise when the time is right to make purchases. A good contractor will advise early on.
• Ask your project manager or contractor if they have access to unusual things like antique tiles or artists who can paint a fresco on your ceiling. If you want an unusual service, you should make sure your team can provide it.
• If you are looking for the best stone builder in all of Puglia, look no further than Giovanni Amico with Non Solo Pietre.