Electrical and Plumbing Systems for Renovations in Sicily
Complete building systems for renovations and new builds across Sicily: rewiring with a declaration of conformity, plumbing and drainage, heat pumps, underfloor heating, ventilation, solar PV and home automation.
About This Service
Terra Nostra Costruzioni installs complete building systems as part of renovations and new builds across Sicily: full rewiring to current standards with a declaration of conformity under DM 37/2008, plumbing and drainage, heating and cooling with heat pumps and underfloor heating, mechanical ventilation, solar PV and home automation. We are based in Palermo and work across the whole island, for Italian and international homeowners, from apartments to villas and listed palazzi.
In many older Sicilian homes the systems are the part of the house that has aged worst. The wiring may have no earth connection and too few circuits for a modern kitchen and air conditioning, pipes are often corroded or undersized, and drains can follow routes nobody has traced in decades. Many houses also carry an ageing water tank on the roof and a boiler well past its best. Patching these systems room by room rarely works. A renovation is the right moment to replace them completely, while floors and plaster are open.
Because we are a construction company rather than a stand-alone installer, the systems are planned together with the rest of the works. Cable routes, pipe runs, manifolds and outdoor units are drawn up before demolition begins, then coordinated with the masons, the floor screeds and the interior design. Sockets and lights land where the furniture plan needs them, radiators or underfloor loops suit the floor finish, and nothing has to be chased into a wall that has just been plastered. The heat pump, the PV inverter and the water tank get a proper technical space, not whatever corner is left over, and every system is tested before it is closed into walls and floors.
We take particular care in historic buildings, where a cable in the wrong place can damage a frescoed ceiling or a stone wall that has stood for centuries. There we use existing voids, floor build-ups and discreet routes, choose equipment that can be hidden or removed later, and agree every intervention with the Soprintendenza when the building is listed. Where a house is not protected but still has features worth keeping, such as vaulted ceilings, painted beams or old cement tile floors, we work with the same care.
With more than 200 projects completed, we know how much a home depends on systems that nobody sees once it is finished. At handover you receive the declarations of conformity and the documentation for each system, which you will need for utility contracts, maintenance and any future sale.
Complete rewiring to current standards with the dichiarazione di conformità
A full rewiring replaces everything from the meter onwards: the main distribution board, protective devices, cabling, sockets, switches and the earthing system. We design the installation around how the house will be used, with dedicated circuits for the kitchen, air conditioning, heat pump and any electric vehicle charger, residual current protection on every line, and enough sockets and data points that extension leads are never needed. The work follows the CEI 64-8 standard for low-voltage installations. For second homes, a well organised board also makes it easy to leave only the essential circuits live, such as the fridge and the alarm, while the house is closed.
Under DM 37/2008, the company that installs, transforms or extends an electrical, plumbing, heating or gas system must issue a dichiarazione di conformità, with its attachments, confirming that the work has been carried out to the rules of good practice (regola d'arte). Larger systems also need a project signed by a qualified professional. We hand over the declaration and all its attachments at the end of the works. Keep them safe: they are the proof that the systems in the house are compliant, and they are often requested when supplies are activated and when the property is sold.
Plumbing, drainage and water supply in Sicilian homes
New plumbing means new supply pipes from the meter, a fresh layout for kitchens and bathrooms, and drainage that falls correctly to the main sewer or, in the countryside, to an authorised treatment system. In older houses we often find galvanised steel pipes clogged with limescale, mixed materials joined over the years and drains laid under floors with too little fall. We replace them with modern multilayer or plastic pipework, arranged so that each bathroom and the kitchen have their own isolating valves.
Water supply needs planning in Sicily. In some towns mains supply can be intermittent, so many homes rely on a storage tank with a pressure pump, and where it is needed we size and install one. Where the water is hard, a softener or filter is worth considering to protect boilers, heat pumps and taps. On the coast, salt air shortens the life of exposed metal, so outdoor pipework, valves and fixings are chosen to resist it. Waterproofing under showers and in wet rooms is completed before tiling, so a hidden leak never reaches the ceiling below.
Heating and cooling: heat pumps, underfloor heating and ventilation
In a renovation it often makes sense to replace an old boiler and separate air conditioners with a single heat pump system that heats in winter, cools in summer and can also produce hot water. Air-to-water heat pumps pair well with underfloor heating, which spreads even warmth from the floor, frees the walls from radiators and suits stone, terracotta and tiled finishes. In summer the same system can feed fan coils or ducted units for cooling. Where floors cannot be raised, we use low-temperature radiators or wall units chosen for the space.
Thick stone walls keep a house cool, but they also hold moisture once a building is sealed with new windows. Controlled mechanical ventilation (VMC) with heat recovery renews the air continuously without opening windows and helps prevent condensation and mould, and we design it with discreet ducts and grilles. Every heating and cooling system is sized on the real heat loss of the house, which falls further when the renovation adds insulation or replaces the windows, and comes with its own libretto di impianto, the system logbook required by Italian rules.
Solar PV, home automation and systems hidden in historic buildings
Sicily's sunshine makes solar PV a natural addition to many projects, especially combined with a heat pump and battery storage, so that a good share of the home's energy comes from its own roof. We assess the roof structure and orientation, design the array, and install inverters and batteries in a plant room. On listed buildings, in historic centres and in protected landscape, panels may need the consent of the Soprintendenza or an autorizzazione paesaggistica, and we check this before proposing a layout. Home automation then ties everything together: lighting scenes, shutters, heating, alarms and cameras controlled from a phone, whether you are at home or abroad.
In historic buildings, the skill lies in making modern systems disappear. We run cables and pipes through existing voids, under raised floors, inside skirting and behind joinery rather than cutting into frescoes, decorated ceilings or old stone. Outdoor units are placed out of sight in courtyards or on roofs where the rules allow, and grilles, switch plates and thermostats are chosen to suit the rooms. Where the Soprintendenza is involved, every route is agreed in advance and kept reversible where possible, so the building can be adapted again in future without damage.
What's Included
Why Choose Terra Nostra
Our Process
A clear, structured approach ensures your project runs smoothly from start to finish.
Survey of existing systems
We inspect wiring, pipes, drainage and heating, and set out what can stay and what must be replaced.
Systems design
Circuits, pipe runs, heating and ventilation are designed together with the layout and the interior plan.
First fix
Cables, pipes, ducts and underfloor loops go in while walls and floors are still open.
Testing
Every circuit and pipe is tested before plaster, screeds and tiles close them in.
Second fix and commissioning
Sockets, switches, lights, sanitaryware, the heat pump and controls are installed and started up.
Certification and handover
You receive the declarations of conformity, manuals and full documentation for each system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our electrical and plumbing systems for renovations in sicily services
Do I need to rewire an old house in Sicily?
Often, yes. Many older homes have no earthing, too few circuits and worn cables. If the existing system cannot be certified as compliant, a complete rewiring during the renovation is the safest and most practical option.
What is the dichiarazione di conformità?
It is the declaration, issued with its attachments by the installing company, that a new or modified electrical, plumbing, heating or gas system has been built in line with DM 37/2008. We hand it over at the end of the works.
Can a heat pump work in a stone house?
Yes. Heat pumps work well in stone houses when they are sized on the real heat loss and paired with underfloor heating or suitable emitters. Adding mechanical ventilation helps manage the moisture that thick walls can hold.
Can systems be installed in a listed building without damaging it?
Yes, with careful planning. We use existing voids, floor build-ups and concealed routes, avoid frescoed and decorated surfaces, and agree each intervention with the Soprintendenza where the building is protected.
Do solar panels need permission in Sicily?
On most homes they are straightforward, but listed buildings, historic centres and protected landscape such as the coastal strip may need the consent of the Soprintendenza or an autorizzazione paesaggistica. We check before we design.
Do you only install systems, or handle the whole renovation?
Systems are usually part of a wider renovation or new build, which lets us coordinate them with the structure, finishes and interior design. We take on projects large and small, so get in touch to discuss yours.
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