Prices for restoring a house in Abruzzo Italy are less than the costs of building a new home, because a builder has to knock down and remove the old, before they can rebuild the new.  Building costs of new houses are between € 1.000 and € 1.200 per square metre. The price of restoring a home is between € 800 and 1.000, but it depends on the finishes and styles of products and materials. When renovating an old property you should consider solid oak beams are hard to source here, the latest building regulations is to use laminated trusses as they have a certificate of conformity. Kiln dried timber is possible to buy in Italy but it will have been imported from Eastern Europe.
If you do not have the time to control the restoration of your home then you really need a good builder with solid references to project manage your project.  They can give you progress reports on a weekly basis updated by e-mail and photographs and can save you a lot of money.

Everybody has heard terrible stories about the bad experiences of some house owners; a lot of this is due to bad information from estate agents on the purchasing.  Restoring  property in Italy needs the correct research finding an honest construction company with a good team of professionals such as architect/geometra/geologist/civilian engineer.
Yes it seems an attractive idea to buy a beautiful, characteristic country home part of a characteristic palazzo. The purchase price is low and you think that the restoration will be cheap. Cheap can soon turn to an expensive lesson. If you have a full understanding of Italian building regulations and understand that building costs are more expensive than in England, Holland and America…we can help you step by step, so your homes becomes a reality not a nightmare. We are a team of professional building contractors with a proven track record. We have worked oversees for the past 18 years. We have a full understanding of Italian building regulations whether it’d be a leaking roof, remodeling a bathroom or a full restoration. To start your project in a good fashion, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals that know at Craftsmen of Abruzzo.