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PROPERTY

Property: Why we decided to build our new house in Italy out of wood

Italy's landscape is dotted with stone and brick buildings, so the usual response when you tell Italians you're building a house out of wood is, 'Ma perché?'. But it's a surprisingly advantageous and efficient choice, as our project plans revealed.

Published: 8 September 2021 15:46 CEST

If you’re hoping to renovate or build a property in Italy, you may not have considered wood as a material to realise the house of your dreams.

The novelty of the idea seems to breed scepticism, but since our geometra (surveyor) recommended it, we investigated the options and we agreed with his advice.

READ ALSO: ‘How we claimed Italy’s building bonus twice for the same property’

A geometra is invaluable in helping with the local authorities and guiding you on how best to navigate a renovation.

In his experience, using wood as the structure for a house is a wise decision as, firstly, the frame pops up in just a couple of weeks.

That’s in comparison to the roughly four months for a stone or brick structure that he says it takes – at least in northern Italy.

It’s important to point out that we are using wood only for the framework of the property and not for the walls too – it won’t look like a ski chalet in the middle of Emilia Romagna, where our property will be.

For the walls, we’ll be using a mixture of other materials including plaster board, insulation, panels and external fascias.

The speed of construction is a huge plus point, which is now essential after waiting months and months to get through the paperwork of buying the wreck and jumping through hoops to get to the project design.

Photo: Eric Cabanis / AFP

We’re also working against a deadline, as we are relying on the government’s Superbonus to build our property – financial aid introduced to help people renovate properties following the pandemic-induced economic slump.

With this scheme, homeowners could benefit from a 110 percent tax deduction on expenses related to property renovation.

READ ALSO:

Luckily, the authorities extended the initiative until 2023, but based on our experiences of how long each stage of the process is taking, we can’t fully breathe out just yet.

Aside from how quickly it will be constructed, when plans finally get underway at least, wooden beams are also something we wanted from an aesthetic point of view. We’ll be in the middle of the countryside, so a rustic appearance lends itself well to the surroundings.

Plus, using wood saves energy due to its low thermal conduction and insulation properties, meaning that it will meet the highest energy efficiency rating.

Cost also plays a big factor. Although our geometra said the cost is actually comparable between building a structure out of wood or brick, the biggest saving is when the house is built – a wooden house has lower running costs than a traditional house.

Photo: Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash

Due to the mentioned insulating qualities of wood, houses made of this material boast low energy consumption and, therefore, low costs.

So for a house of the same size, layout of the rooms and use of the house, a wooden house will have lower energy bills than its masonry counterpart, because it needs less energy to be heated in winter and cooled in summer.

These qualities also create an ideal climate to live in all year round.

This should assuage fears of Italians who are dubious about wooden constructions, because of doubts about how they would cope in hotter and more humid weather.

We were initially concerned about wood from a cost perspective, as prices have risen sharply in Italy this year, according to reports.

Between September 2020 and April this year alone, timber prices rose by 60-70 percent. As an example, glued laminated timber, one of the most widely used, has risen from €400 to €700 per m³. And that’s the closest estimate we have to how much this project is going to cost.

Any time we ask for an overall quote, we are told it’s unknown until work actually gets underway – as prices climb in the meanwhile.

However, in our surveyor’s experience, costs of all materials have increased this year so there doesn’t seem to be a cheaper method.

All in all, considering the reasons of long-term costs, speed of installation and its appearance, building a house out of wood is the right choice for us – and it might be a prudent and well-informed choice for others building a home in Italy.

If you’re keen to buy a property in Italy, you may want to take a look at our guide to the additional costs you might not be expecting, and read up on some of the common mistakes to avoid when buying a house in Italy. See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

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PROPERTY

Five expensive mistakes to avoid when buying a house in Italy

Italy may be known for property bargains, but the purchase process itself isn't cheap - and certain mistakes can make it far more costly for buyers.

Published: 27 June 2024 11:05 CEST
Five expensive mistakes to avoid when buying a house in Italy

There’s always a lot to keep in mind when buying property, but the Italian purchase process may be quite different to what you’re used to in your home country.

As well as involving high taxes and fees, it’s likely to be more complex and formal in some ways – and this can lead to potentially costly pitfalls.

The Local spoke to three Italian property law experts at legal firm Mazzeschi to find out what foreign buyers should be aware of before they sign anything. 

1) Check your estate agent’s contract

If you use a real estate agency in your Italian home search, normally you’ll need to sign a contract with them. That contract should stipulate their fees, their duties, and their tax information.

There is one other thing in the contract which potential buyers must look out for: an exclusivity clause, meaning the potential buyer may use only that estate agent in their property search for a set period of time.

“Usually in Italy estate agents like using this exclusivity clause. It is normally the same for sellers as it is for buyers. It means you cannot have another estate agent and usually contracts say this, “says Caterina De Carolis, Lawyer at Mazzeschi.

READ ALSO: How to avoid hidden traps when buying old property in Italy

“If the time frame is not yet up, and the potential buyer uses another agency, they may still be liable to pay the agency fee for the initial estate agent they entered their contract with,” she adds.

Some contracts might not have an exclusivity clause. It’s always worth double-checking.

“If you use another agency to find a house, you’ll be liable to pay the agency with the exclusivity clause in the contract around 2-5 percent of the house’s sale price,” says De Carolis.

“The exact percentage is always in the contract.”

2) Make sure to agree on a price beforehand

This rule is universal, and may sound obvious. But there are costly consequences in Italy if the price is not formally agreed and written down.

Lawyers at consultancy firm Mazzeschi urge their clients to make sure the full price of the property is declared in the transfer deed (l’atto di trasferimento).

This is because if you resell at a market price higher than your purchase price, you are subject to pay a capital gains tax called plusvalenza. Plusvalenza is the difference between purchase and sale price.

Checking the price of the property beforehand will save you in the long run. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP.

3) Don’t change your mind – it will cost you

If the potential buyer has signed a binding proposal (proposta vincolante) – the process before a preliminary contract is drawn up – it becomes less straightforward to withdraw from the purchase.

“This is because the binding proposal in Italy is a lot more formal,” says Mario Mazzeschi, Head of and Attorney at Law of Mazzeschi Consultancy. 

The binding proposal works similarly to an offer. When the potential buyer puts forth their offer, the potential seller decides whether or not to accept. The period of time for this part depends on the proposal drawn up.

READ MORE: Five things non-residents need to know about buying property in Italy

If, before the time is up, the potential buyer decides to withdraw their offer for any reason, they will likely lose their deposit.

“This deposit is usually around 5-10 percent in most cases, so the buyer will have to pay that,” says De Carolis.

“If the buyer decides to withdraw, they are usually liable to pay the seller twice the amount of the deposit.”

If the proposal is not accepted by the potential seller, the potential buyer pays nothing.

4) Don’t pay anything before the preliminary contract is signed

With the exception of the above, buyers are advised not to pay anything until the preliminary contract is signed. The preliminary contract allows both parties to set out clear guidelines.

“The buyer should check with a lawyer before signing the preliminary contract as it will save them in the long run,” says Mazzeschi.

A notary should be present at this signing, adds Giuditta De Ricco, Lawyer at Mazzeschi Consultancy.

“Notaries are public functionaries. They are never on the side of the buyer or the seller, but for sure a notary is needed.”

“They are completely neutral and often it is wiser and safer for the potential buyer to put their deposit into the notary’s escrow account so the notary can transfer the money to the potential buyer.” 

5) Have the property checked beforehand

While the notary will normally check the paperwork before the sale goes through, you’ll need a different professional to check the property itself.

It may then be in the buyer’s best interest to hire a contractor themselves (this will normally be a qualified geometra, or surveyor) to get the structure of the building checked out and detail any faults or repair work needed.

This should be done before the negotiation stage, as unless there is something specific in the preliminary contract you may lose anything you have paid by pulling out of the purchase at this stage.

“The only way out of this after signing a contract is if you can prove the seller acted maliciously,” says Mazzeschi.

Key vocabulary

Transfer deed – l’atto di trasferimento

Binding proposal – proposta vincolante

Notary – notaio

Preliminary contract – contratto preliminare di vendita

Final contract – atto di vendita or rogito notarile

Deposit – caparra

Surveyor – geometra

Estate agent – agente immobiliare 

Please note that The Local cannot advise on individual cases. For more information about how you can buy property in Italy, contact a qualified professional. 

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