Due diligence before buying in Sicily: a technical checklist – for coastal villas
Early decisions define schedule, quality and peace of mind during works. Clarify them before committing. In Sicily, coastal exposure and mixed building stock make early checks even more important.
Technical details that matter
Verify material compatibility with substrates, especially near the coast where salt air accelerates decay.
Focus on critical junctions (waterproofing, thermal bridges, services) because most post-handover issues start there.
- Questions to ask contractors
- How to document decisions
- Documents you should have
Schedule and cost control
Track decisions on site: inspections, progress records and structured change management.
Build a realistic programme and the right sequence of trades.
- Documents you should have
- Constraints to check early
- How to keep changes under control
Where to start
Define priorities and constraints: what is mandatory, what is desirable and what can wait.
Collect the key documents (permits, drawings, cadastre) and check consistency between existing condition and authorised state.
- Documents you should have
- How to keep changes under control
- Constraints to check early
- You are planning a renovation and want decisions backed by drawings and documents.
- You have doubts about compliance and cadastre alignment.
- You want one technical point of contact to coordinate the process.
- You need site supervision with clear records.
- Mixing up cadastre updates and building permits (they are different).
- Ignoring waterproofing, slopes, ventilation and other “small” details.
- Applying standard solutions without reading the building context.
- No clear responsibilities between client, contractor and designers.
If you want a clear starting point for a project in Sicily,Studio 4ecan review your context and outline the right technical steps.
Start hereWhatsApp +39 3299736697