Sound advice on construction in Abruzzo.

The proprietor of Craftsmen of Abruzzo, Andrew, has been in the building industry for 28 years. He is a qualified stone mason by trade. His apprenticeship was served on heritage and historical buildings in the UK. Over the past 28 years he has been taught many different techniques in construction. Craftsmen of Abruzzo have licenses that allow us up to 2.000 square meters of new builds. Genuinely we specialize in renovating farm houses, extensions, historical properties, landscape gardening and swimming pools. Being based in the heart of Abruzzo Penne, our office is in the historical centre. We are recommended builders by Barclays bank of Montesilvano. We have many satisfied clients and references of previous projects.

When buying a property in Abruzzo

Each region in Italy has a different rate per square meter of renovations and new build costs. In the region of Penne new builds, dependant on materials and finishes on a basic rate per square meter is 1.200 euros. On renovations this can vary quite dramatically i.e; dependant on what extent the renovation requires a standard renovation excluding structural works is around 700 euros per square meter. Because the property is relatively cheaper in the region of Abruzzo, don’t let that fool you into believing that the renovation or refurbishment is going to be cheap. We think you should get a well recommended builder to evaluate the costs of the re-building/renovating prior to purchasing.

Quotations/ preventivo

The Italian preventivo is an estimate and it can be miles away from the actual final figure. At Craftsmen of Abruzzo we endeavor to stay within budget. When you receive our quotation everything is listed, there are no hidden charges, but working on historical properties there can be unforeseeable extras. But our company documents and photographs the projects from start to finish, regular progress reports via email and Skype. So if there are any unforeseeable problems, it is fully explained and photographed so that the client can see the problem. We will discuss it fully with you before we commence work and so the client can feel content with our company.

Architects and planning permissions

The architects we use are locals and extremely professional. They follow everything by the regulations so that you can feel assured of a quality service. Our principle architect is based in Penne. We have used him time and time again; he does a lot of work for the historical area of Penne. His designs can be modern and contemporary yet he still has a great flare for historical properties using some antique methods mixed with modern techniques. The architect, engineers and geologists we use are reliable, professional, tried and tested. They present all documentation on behalf of Craftsmen of Abruzzo.

The fashion of restoring historical properties

It has become very fashionable to buy properties in the historical areas in the region of Abruzzo. What people need to understand is that these properties with vaulted ceilings, were constructed in medieval times and there are two different styles predominantly. If the bricks are laid on edge, this style of vault is structurally sound to be exposed. If the bricks are laid flat, they were designed to be rendered and finished with plaster. Recently there has been a lot of problems with local builders removing the render and plaster which intern takes out the strength of the vault and a couple of cases of the whole ceilings collapsing. So prior to undertaking exposed vaults make sure that they are the correct type.

External coatings and rendering in historical centre

When buying a property in an historical area you should consider the legislation in Italy. The historical centre has changed over the years for the better we might add. If the building hasn’t got external coating/rendering then you have to finish the external walls with faced brick work which can add a huge cost to the renovations.