What renovating a riad really costs
The works budget is decided by what nobody will ever see. How to read a quote, and why traditional finishes are rarely the item that overruns.
Renovating a riad is not decoration. It is the rehabilitation of an old building, with earth walls, timber floors and services that sometimes predate electricity. The budget is decided almost entirely by what will be invisible once the site is finished.
The items, heaviest first
- Structure: load-bearing walls, floors, lintels
- Roof and waterproofing: the item that protects all the others
- Services: full rewiring, plumbing, drainage, sanitation
- Joinery and openings: doors, windows, balustrades
- Traditional finishes: tadelakt, zellige, carved plaster, painted wood
- Comfort additions: hammam, patio pool, roof terrace
A quote that starts with zellige and ends with the structure is a quote to send back. The order of a quote tells you what the contractor actually intends to do.
Why a medina site costs more
Everything comes in and goes out on a man's back or by cart. A derb 1.8 m wide rules out both the mixer and the skip. Haulage has to be in the quote: it is a real item, sometimes several weeks of labour. The width of the derb is an economic figure as much as a matter of convenience — which is why it appears on our listings.
The usual surprises
- A party wall in a state that requires dealing with the neighbour
- An old well or cesspit found under the patio
- Timber floors eaten away beneath recent tiling
- A mains connection further off than expected
Finishes: the item you can control
Contrary to a widespread intuition, tadelakt and zellige are rarely the items that overrun: they are priced by the square metre and carried out by craftsmen whose rates are agreed in advance. What overruns is what you find when you open up.
An honest quote spends most of the budget on what nobody will ever photograph.
How we carry that risk
The turnkey price we publish includes the works as costed after survey. The risk of overrun stays with us, not with the buyer: that is the counterpart of a single price announced before the viewing.