Renovating property in Saudi Arabia brings specific challenges. The country has many regulations and rules when it comes to renovation types and materials relations. Properties are often at the whims of extreme weather, which complicates planning and timelines. Many homeowners and businesses suffer from delay concerns, overruns on costs, and unreliable contractors and vendors. Receiving materials timely can sometimes be difficult.
Cultural and design preferences are also equally important to consider in renovations, and sometimes, renovation projects have construction lag times. We need to understand how to navigate the challenges we may confront to keep a renovation process running smoothly. With proper approaches, these hurdles can be managed. We will review the common renovation challenges faced in Saudi Arabia and provide recommendations to help. When completing the renovation of a residential project or commercial project, understanding the possible opportunities in the renovation will save money, time, and stress.
Renovation work is defined as the work that involves restoring, repairing, updating, or improving an existing building. This can mean a wide variety of renovations, from fixing/improving spaces, structures, layouts, and designs to all plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. Renovation can be undertaken to:
- Restore old or deteriorating elements
- Modernize the look of elements
- Improve the functionality of systems
- Add value to the property
Renovation work can include minor renovations, such as painting walls or installing new tiles, to larger projects, such as kitchen remodels, wet area remodels, or adding additional rooms. Renovation work is different from new construction, as new construction is building new facilities instead of improving current systems and/or designing from the foundation up.
Renovation projects in Saudi Arabia face some unique challenges with respect to the environment, regulations, and market conditions. The extremely hot weather that the Kingdom experiences is a large concern because many outdoor tasks will be delayed in summer, or materials will get damaged. Extreme hot weather will often cause unwanted delays and increase costs. Other issues include working within complex building code requirements and navigating complicated approvals that hold up the project. Finding skilled labor is always a risk and using unreliable contractors always leads to delays and quality concerns.
Sourcing materials (especially imports and high-quality materials) can be a long, difficult, and expensive challenge, sometimes even with localized sourcing. Renovating while having to design or construct in a traditional way, even when cultural preference may dictate otherwise, will only add to unique complications. It takes the proper amount of thoughtful planning, project management and a good understanding of the local environment and culture to be successful in renovating in Saudi Arabia.
Extreme Weather Conditions
The intense weather conditions of Saudi Arabia (i.e. extreme heat in summer, sandstorms) will often delay a lot of renovation work, as outdoor tasks become very difficult in the summer heat. Often materials will be damaged from temperature changes.
Solution:
The best solution is to plan renovation work for the cooler months (October to March). Materials should also be sourced and specified that are heat-resistant and weatherproof. Provide shaded areas for laborers and hydration stations during the works. Some materials may also require a dedicated area for storage or be heat-damaged if left unattended or stored incorrectly. You can set timelines based on local weather constraints; even better! More planning, and let’s not forget worker safety!
Tip:
Keep an eye on local weather forecasts and try to accommodate work schedules around heatwaves and sandstorms.
Regulatory & Permit Challenges
It takes many permits to renovate a property here in Saudi Arabia. There are municipal permits, local permits and safety inspections. These permits may take longer or longer due to existing municipal or bureaucratic problems or inadequate documentation.
Solution:
Work with a local consultant or contractor who understands the local rules and regulations. Have them prepare the documentation ahead of time and have a process to monitor any regulation changes. Apply for your permits as quickly as possible in order to avoid holding up the project. Many municipalities now have online applications that are expediting the addition of permits.
Tip:
Once you have a building work inquiry, continue to make regular contact with the appropriate authorities.
Shortage of Skilled Labor
It is a challenge to find any skilled labor specifically for many of the renovation details, even if they state that they have skilled labor. Most renovations start to fail because they will simply become skilled laborers who are workmen with inadequate training or education. This is a massive safety issue and quality issue in Canada with respect to the sites.
Solution:
Contract licensed contractors, who source skilled labor and professional people themselves. Check references and the quality of their work from previous work. Where possible, you need to train their labor force, too. Suppose you cannot find skilled labor locally. In that case, it is permissible to look outside the local labor pool to fulfill the work requirement.
Tip:
You really need to establish the quality of the standard you expect in your contract in order to hold firms accountable.
Timeliness of Sourcing Materials
Importing materials will often take time on-site since the importer makes all the money. It may also be challenging to find anyone locally who deals in the same materials you need on-site. This will often slow you down when your materials take longer to arrive, or you even expect the shop you’ve visited to be reputable.
Solution:
Order as much as possible, especially anything imported. Work with supply houses that have shown they can get the materials out of the door on time, and work with supply houses that have been on the site or can deliver the materials you need on-site. Bolster local builders to keep an inventory of the expensive or essential items you need so that work isn’t delayed. Suppose you cannot get everything from the supplier and get it on site, wherever possible. In that case, you need to mitigate the quality issues the supplier is responsible for. Quality doesn’t add value or incremental value to your negotiated contract price.
Tip:
If you establish a good relationship with your suppliers, your order will get priority, in addition to getting good and timely information.
Budget Overruns
A number of renovation works within Saudi Arabia exceed their set budget limits due to material costs, labor pricing, and required additional repairs, amongst other reasons.
Solution:
Get more than two quotes for budget setting to allow ease of transparency and accountability. Set realistic budgets with 10-15% cushioning. Work with experienced contractors to manage or eliminate wastages, hidden costs, and surplus costs.
Tip:
Management tools and software can be utilized to track expenses, predict costs, and eliminate surprises.
Communication Gaps
Multilingual members of the team might contribute to communication barriers. At the same time, contractors, consultants and clients might fail to communicate effectively, which leads to gaps filled with error.
Solution:
Create floor plans, guidelines, instructions and documents that are easily interpretable. Use two language supervisors when necessary. Foster feedback and update sharing for instantaneous interactions using project apps or WhatsApp groups.
Tip:
Create recurring meetings set on a weekly basis to detail any worries or possible problems beforehand.
Design and Cultural Constraints
Traditionally and culturally influenced design constraints stem from those overseeing the renovation, in addition to modern expectations and unofficial restrictions imposed on the building.
Solution:
Work within Saudi Arabian culture and collaborate with designers and architects to create materials suitable for modern demand while traditional needs are met. Request for approval from the local authorities.
Tip:
Hire a professional architect to plan and design your project renovation work. Make sure of quality control.
Transform Your Space with Wafaiyah – Expert Renovation Services in Saudi Arabia
Do you want to change or upgrade your building or commercial space? Wafaiyah offers the best renovation services in Saudi Arabia. Be it quality, efficiency, style, or all of them combined together, we have it all. Our skilled team ensures that the execution is flawless from start to finish, be it a complete makeover or a simple upgrade. We manage all the planning right down to the construction with utmost care. Our renovation solutions are bespoke while considering your requirements, budget, and deadlines. We know what modern trends and local regulations to consider, hence can create elegant as well as functional spaces. Wafaiyah can be trusted to give new life to your property and to turn your visions into a reality beyond expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of renovation services do we offer?
Wafaiyah offers residential, commercial and both interior and exterior renovations.
Which design and planning services do we offer?
We design, plan, and execute everything so yes, we do complete the whole scope of work.
If I have a specific budget, can I still be able to make use of your services?
Yes, we have tailored packages for different needs.
In general, how long will renovations take?
It depends on the size of the project. We focus on timely completion.