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Italy: The realities of renovating property in Italy - Alison Harris, Magenta Italy

The realities of renovating property in Italy - Case study

With a drop in house prices of 15% across some parts of Italy, 2010 has seen a noticeable increase in the purchase of second homes by foreigners. Some of the best deals have been found in the less popular areas such as Puglia, Abruzzo and Le Marche.

Last month I touched on the issues surrounding the management of building contractors, and this article illustrates just how things can go wrong if you fail to carry out due diligence, and don’t keep on top of those Italian builders!

My client owned a small rustic farm house in the Tuscan hills which he had purchased both as a holiday home as well as an investment he hoped would generate income from rentals. Despite the language barrier and the fact that he was based 1000 miles away, he decided to embark on a renovation project involving (amongst other things) the addition of a new bathroom and a new roof. I was only brought onto the project when things started going horribly wrong…

Rather than taking time to research trusted building firms and surveyor (Geometra) by talking to previous clients, inspecting their work and obtaining a series of quotes from various building contractors, my client opted for what seemed the easier and quickest route at the time; he appointed a local builder recommended by a local estate agent.

Planning permission was obtained and works were soon underway under the rather loose supervision and guidance of the local Geometra (who my client picked out in the yellow pages), and who spoke limited English. He made an appearance on site twice; at the beginning of the work and on completion of the work, both times requesting a deposit and then payment for his services.

The foreman of the building company called Bruno, assured my client at the outset, that his team of 3 contractors were skilled at carrying out all the work which would include plumbing, insulating and replacing the roof, laying floor tiles and rewiring most of the house. As my client had selected rather expensive hand made cotto tiles to cover the whole house he was concerned about ensuring the tiles were professionally cleaned, waxed and sealed, so he appointed Piro, a trust employee of the floor suppliers to carry out the work. As my client was rarely on site and spoke little Italian he entrusted Bruno to liaise direct with Piro once the floor was ready, and to pay Piro for his services from the funds I had left him.

It was now end of spring and work was progressing slowly. My client was concerned the house would not be ready in time for the first summer tenants. The garden had been dug up to make way for a new septic tank, but the builders had spent so much time on fixing up the new bathroom, that there was no way the grass would grow back in time, as Bruno had originally promised. Turf was duly ordered and laid, at great expense, but Bruno failed to properly prepare the soil before laying the turf, as he was under pressure to finish other outstanding jobs including the roof which had been taken off some 3 weeks ago, leaving the entire house exposed to the elements! The wooden side boards and some of the furniture properly covered and had been damaged by the rain. Within a matter of days the grass had dried out and turned brown looking worse than ever.

The floor had been completed but my client noticed large areas of staining on the floor and patches of cement and grouting that hadn’t been removed. Further marks appeared on the cotto tiles especially upon contact with water, something which should not have happened following professional treatment. My client immediately contacted Piro, to express his annoyance and to complain about the condition of the floor, but to his surprise Piro told him that not only had he never carried out the work nor received payment for the job, but he had never even heard of Bruno, the builder. Once confronted Bruno casually explained that there had been no time to seek Piro’s intervention and that they had carried out the treatment themselves, using a tin of sealant they bought from one of their suppliers! That turned out to be a very expensive tin of sealant…

When several light switches stopped working and fuses began to blow my client called in an independent (accredited) electrician only to discover that numerous wires had not been connected properly leaving the sockets and switches in a rather dangerous condition. My client soon discovered that the electrician on Bruno’s team (Bruno’s brother in law), was not a qualified electrician at all but an out of work mechanic who occasionally helped out! The cotto floor had to be retreated which took another 3 weeks and meant emptying the house of all the furniture, so the first summer tenants had to be cancelled and reimbursed. Gardeners had to be called in to fix up the lawn and tidy up the garden. Mosaics tiles were laid crooked and had to be removed and new ones purchased. My client was both out of pocket and out of patience!

Many Italian builders will profess to be expert roofers, plumbers, electricians and landscape gardeners. You might be tempted and encouraged to think it quicker and cheaper to simply keep using the same builder(s) for all the work, and although it is easy to fall into this trap, the saying “Jack of all trades and master of none” quickly comes to mind! Whilst your builder may have done a fantastic job on rebuilding and insulating your entire roof, he may not be so skilled at following an intricate design involving the laying of small individual hand made mosaics in your bathroom!

Alison Harris

Alison Harris is a Bilingual Project Manager & Consultant specialising in the Italian real estate market offering clients guidance on searching, buying, renovating and/or managing their italian property. Email info@magentaitaly.com Website: http://www.magentaitaly.com/

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