Building Contractor in Dammam – Shell & Turnkey Villas, Buildings and Rest Houses

A building contractor in Dammam takes the approved drawings and the building permit and turns them into a building on the ground: excavation, footings, columns, slabs and blockwork, then the services and finishes if the contract is turnkey. Our firm, Aemar Al-Maryam General Contracting, puts up villas, family houses, small apartment blocks and rest houses, and adds floors to existing homes, in Dammam and the wider Eastern Province. A labour-only shell (the owner buys the materials) begins at SAR 74 per m² of floor area built, a shell including materials from SAR 325, turnkey with a standard or mid-range finish from SAR 1,110, turnkey with an excellent finish from SAR 1,480, and a small rest house from SAR 185,000. None of these numbers is binding until we have walked the plot and settled the scope together; call or WhatsApp 0547879578.

First-time builders in Dammam hear prices that seem unrelated: three hundred riyals a metre from one builder, a thousand from another, a single unexplained lump sum from a third. Each figure describes something different: a bare shell, a shell with materials, a move-in-ready house, or sometimes the plot area instead of the built area. This guide sorts that out: what each contract covers, how built-up area is measured, what a 300 m² floor or a villa on a 600 m² plot costs, how the Balady permit works and who files it, why the soil report matters so much in Dammam, how to tie payments to inspectable stages, and which clauses to sign before the first trench is dug.

Building contractor in Dammam: what we build and for whom

We build residential and light commercial buildings from an empty plot through to handover, or up to whatever stage the contract sets. Most of our clients are landowners building the family home, small investors putting up a block of flats, rest-house owners, and families who have outgrown their house and need a second floor on top of it.

We do not build roads, bridges or factories. Our scope is the residential building of up to three or four storeys, on footings or a raft as the soil report requires, with a reinforced concrete frame, block walls and the finish the owner chooses. For a general contracting firm handling a mix of works in one project, see our home page.home page.

Building contractor, engineering office or mason: who does what?

The building contractor executes the work and answers for it to the owner and to the supervising office. Drawings and the permit application are the design office’s job. The supervising office monitors construction and signs off each stage. A mason or a day labourer carries out one defined piece of work under someone else’s direction.

The Balady permit system requires a design office, a supervising office and an executing contractor to be named in the same file, and the contractor must accept the assignment before the permit is issued. So your contractor is a party named in your building’s official record, not a worker who might vanish halfway through.

Shell contractor in Dammam: what shell construction includes and what it leaves out

Shell construction (known locally as «عظم», literally “the bones”) is the building’s structural frame plus its walls: everything from excavation and footings up to the last roof slab and the blockwork, without the finishes. A shell contractor in Dammam carries out that whole stage, either with materials or for labour only, and then hands the building over to a finishing contractor, or carries on if the contract is turnkey.

The trouble with the word “shell” is that it does not mean the same thing to every contractor. Some include excavation, backfill, bitumen coating on the footings and temporary water and power; others leave all of that to the owner and later present it as “extras”. That is why you should never compare two prices per square metre before you have compared the two lists of items, line by line.

What a shell contract usually covers

• ✓Site works: setting out to the permit, excavation, cleaning the bottom of the excavation and the blinding layer.
• ✓Foundations: footings, neck columns and tie beams (ground beams), or a raft where the designer calls for one.
• ✓Above ground: the ground slab, columns, beams, the roof slab of each floor, the stairs and any architectural projections shown on the drawings.
• ✓Walls: external and internal blockwork with lintels over doors and windows, with insulated block on external walls to the specification.
• ✓Items cast into the concrete: sleeves, conduits and electrical boxes that must be embedded before a pour, coordinated with the services drawings.

What is often left out of a shell price

The exclusions are where the price differences hide. When someone offers you a very low rate per metre, ask about each of these items in turn and have the contract state what is in and what is out:

• ✓Underground and roof water tanks, the septic tank and inspection chambers.
• ✓The boundary wall, gates and yard paving.
• ✓Roof waterproofing, and any foundation waterproofing beyond what the specification states.
• ✓Electrical and plumbing work after the sleeve stage, and the utility connections.
• ✓Permit fees, latent defects insurance, design and supervision fees, and VAT.
• ✓Surprises uncovered by excavation, such as groundwater that needs pumping or weak soil that needs replacing, if the soil report did not anticipate them.

Building contractor with materials or labour only in Dammam: which suits you?

If you are short of time and do not know the market, a shell including materials suits you better, because the contractor buys the concrete, steel and block to the specification and carries the price swings, the waste and the transport. If you live near the site, know the suppliers and want to control the type of every material, a labour-only contract suits you, but it hands you responsibilities that few people mention.

Under labour only, the contractor still answers for the quality of formwork, steel fixing, pouring and blockwork, but getting materials to site on time is your job. Late steel leaves the crew idle; concrete arriving late on a summer afternoon harms the pour; surplus block sits in the yard. So we agree a written delivery schedule with anyone who chooses labour only.

The labour rate covers the crew’s formwork, steel fixing, pouring and blockwork across the whole building, so do not confuse it with the price of pouring one slab or building one wall. The detail of the pour itself, from the blinding layer to curing concrete in the heat, is in our concrete pouring guide for Dammam.

Shell construction price per m² in Dammam, and turnkey rates

The shell construction price in Dammam starts from SAR 74 per square metre for labour only and from SAR 325 including materials, while turnkey starts from SAR 1,110 for a standard or mid-range finish and from SAR 1,480 for an excellent finish. The figures are per square metre of total floor area, and none is binding before the site visit.

They are floor prices for an ordinary residential building with clear drawings and easy access, rising with more floors or projections, deeper foundations or higher-grade finishes. So we give a detailed estimate after reviewing the drawings, never a final figure before.

These rates are provisional pending inspection and agreement. They apply to the total built floor area (not the plot area) and vary with the drawings, the soil report, the materials, the finish level and the number of floors.

What pushes the rate per metre up or down?

• ✓The soil report: sabkha soil or shallow groundwater means deeper excavation, a raft, dewatering or resistant cement, all of which raise the cost of the foundations.
• ✓The shape of the plan: many projections, cantilevers and slabs at different levels need more formwork than a simple box.
• ✓Number of floors and height: upper floors need materials lifted higher and taller scaffolding, and high ceilings add formwork and block.
• ✓Finish level: the gap between standard and excellent tiles, doors, windows and sanitaryware is large, and it shows in the turnkey rate, not the shell.
• ✓Site access: a narrow street or a plot hemmed in by existing buildings makes it harder for the concrete pump and trucks to reach.
• ✓Material prices: steel and concrete are a large part of a with-materials shell, so either the price is fixed in the contract or a clear review clause is written in.

How is built-up area measured?

Built-up area is the sum of all the built floors: ground, first and roof annex, plus whatever the two parties agree about stairs, projections and rooftop rooms. The plot area does not enter the calculation at all. A 600 m² plot might carry 500 m² of building or 800 m², depending on the design and the planning rules.

The usual handover dispute is exactly this: are balconies counted in full or half, the stairwell on every floor, the boundary wall and tank inside the rate? There is no universal answer, so we write the method into the contract and measure from the approved drawings.

Turnkey construction in Dammam: what you receive at the end

Under a turnkey contract in Dammam you receive a house ready to live in: the frame and walls, then the electrical and plumbing installations, insulation, plaster, tiles, paint, doors and windows, sanitaryware, kitchen fittings and lighting, as the contract defines them. It starts from SAR 1,110 per square metre for a standard or mid-range finish and from SAR 1,480 for an excellent finish.

Its strength is that one party coordinates every stage, so trades do not wait on each other or damage each other’s work. Its weakness is the number of details: unless each item is specified, the contractor’s “standard finish” may not match the owner’s. So we attach a specification schedule naming the material and grade of every item, and the owner can change anything before it is ordered.

Finish levels: standard, mid-range, excellent and luxury

Already have a shell and want it finished?

If the shell was built earlier and you only need the finishing, the frame has to be checked first: are the slabs level, are the sleeves where they should be, and has any exposed steel rusted while the project stood idle? After that check we price the finishing separately; the details are in our finishing guide for Dammam and on the finishing service page.

Building one 300 m² floor in Dammam: what does it cost? A worked example

Building one 300 m² floor in Dammam starts from SAR 22,200 for a labour-only shell, from SAR 97,500 for a shell including materials, and from SAR 333,000 turnkey with a standard finish, before the items that fall outside the per-metre rate. This is an illustrative example using starting prices; the real figure is set by the drawings and the soil report.

Following the arithmetic also shows you how to read any contractor’s quotation.

An illustrative example at starting prices, not a quotation. A contingency of 10 to 15% of the budget is commonly suggested to cover what construction may uncover.

Note that even the last figure still excludes the items that sit outside the per-metre rate, which are the ones that catch many owners out at the end of a project:

• ✓The boundary wall and gates, the underground and roof tanks, and the septic tank.
• ✓Connecting electricity, water and drainage to the public networks.
• ✓Building permit fees, latent defects insurance, and design and supervision fees.
• ✓VAT, if it is not already included in the written price.

How to calculate your building cost yourself

1. 1
   Add up the floor areas
   From the approved drawings: ground + first + roof annex, plus whatever is agreed for stairs and projections.
2. 2
   Multiply by the right rate
   Labour-only shell, shell with materials, or turnkey at the finish level you want.
3. 3
   Add the items outside the rate
   Boundary wall, tanks, septic tank, connections, fees and supervision.
4. 4
   Add a contingency
   Around 10 to 15% for what excavation may reveal or for changes to the finishes.
5. 5
   Check the figure with the contractor
   Send the drawings on WhatsApp and get an estimated cost built on the real items.

As a rough guide only: a 20 cm block wall takes about 12 to 13 blocks per square metre of wall, so if you know the wall area from the drawings you know roughly how many blocks you need. Steel and concrete we do not estimate without the structural drawings, because the difference between one design and another is large.

Cost of building a villa on a 600 m² plot in Dammam

The cost of building a villa on a 600 m² plot in Dammam is not calculated from the plot area but from the built-up area on the approved drawings. If the design has a 300 m² ground floor, a 300 m² first floor and a 50 m² roof annex, the built-up area is 650 m², so a shell with materials starts from SAR 211,250 and a standard turnkey villa from SAR 721,500.

Many people mean the area on the title deed when they say “a 600-metre villa”, and are then surprised that the quoted price refers to a different area. The permitted built-up area is set by the planning rules for the plot, the setbacks and the coverage ratios, and it is the design office, not the contractor, that works it out. The example below is an illustrative assumption, not a rule:

Assumption: ground 300 m² + first 300 m² + roof annex 50 m². Your villa’s actual built-up area comes from its approved drawings.

Villa shell first, or a complete villa?

Building the villa as a shell and finishing it later suits owners who want to spread the spending over two phases, or who want to choose their own finishing contractor once they have seen the frame. A complete turnkey villa suits owners who want one responsible party and one programme. Either way nothing changes in the structure: the footings, columns and slabs are built to the same specification.

If you go shell-first, ask for a clean handover with sleeves as drawn, and covered starter bars on the roof if the next floor will wait.

Modern villas in Dammam: what changes in the cost?

Straight lines, large windows and long cantilevers look simple but can cost more: cantilevers need extra steel and formwork, large openings need stronger lintels and better glazing, and stone cladding is a separate item. Know early where the money goes so you and the designer can decide what is worth it.

Cost of building a second floor in Dammam on an existing house

The cost of building a second floor in Dammam is set after a structural engineer has inspected the existing house and confirmed that its columns and footings were designed to carry an extra floor; the permit is then amended on Balady through the “add and modify building components” service. That is why we price it at inspection rather than from the table.

Many Dammam homes were built single-storey with starter bars left on the roof for a later floor. Those bars do not prove the house can take the load: the steel may have rusted, or the footings may have been designed for one floor. If the house shows cracks, salt bloom or spalling, it needs assessment and repair first; see our renovation guide for Dammam.renovation guide for Dammam.

1. 1
   Inspect the existing house
   A structural engineer reviews the original drawings if they exist, and checks the columns, slabs and, where needed, the footings.
2. 2
   Engineering decision
   A full floor, a lighter roof annex, or strengthening before construction.
3. 3
   Amend the permit
   On Balady through “add and modify building components”, or “regularise an existing building” if the current permit does not match what was built.
4. 4
   Construction
   Preparing, cleaning and lapping the starter bars, then pouring, blockwork and finishes, while protecting the occupied ground floor.

If the house cannot take a full floor, or you only need a room or two, a roof annex is lighter and cheaper; see our annex construction guide for Dammam. If the new floor needs a stair opening or a light well cut into an existing slab, it is cut with a diamond saw after the engineer approves it, as described in our concrete cutting guide.

Apartment building construction in Dammam: three or four storeys

An apartment building in Dammam is priced from its approved drawings, using the same per-metre rates as a starting point (shell with materials from SAR 325, turnkey from SAR 1,110), plus what a block of flats needs and a villa does not: a lift, parking, fire systems and larger tanks. The final price is therefore given at inspection.

A block of flats falls under the general building code rather than the residential code for family dwellings of up to three storeys, with its requirements for escape routes, fire safety and access. Loads are larger, so columns, footings and the soil report all matter more. The calculation covers every floor, rooftop rooms and any basement.

What drives the cost of a four-storey building?

• ✓Number and size of flats: every flat means its own kitchen, washrooms, services and meters.
• ✓Basement or parking: a basement adds excavation, waterproofing and dewatering costs, especially where groundwater is shallow.
• ✓The lift and its shaft: the shaft is built as part of the shell; the lift itself is a separate item.
• ✓Civil Defence requirements: stairs, exits, and alarm and firefighting systems as the code requires.
• ✓Finish level: a building for rent is usually specified differently from one the owner will live in.

Because an apartment building is an investment, we suggest tying the payment schedule to the completion of each floor and writing a programme for every stage into the contract, so that the owner can plan financing or letting around it.

Rest house construction in Dammam: components and cost

A small rest house in Dammam, 150 to 250 m² with a good finish and no pool, starts from SAR 185,000, an estimate until inspection and agreement. The larger the majlis, or once a pool, outdoor seating and landscaping are added, the higher the cost, so medium and large rest houses are priced at inspection.

A rest house («استراحة») is a different kind of building. The yard matters more than the rooms, the majlis is its heart, and the boundary wall defines its privacy. It is usually built on the edge of town, where the soil, the groundwater and the access differ from residential districts, so a soil report and a building permit are required just as for any new building.

Building a rest house for less: where to save and where not to

Real savings come from the design, not the structure: a majlis sized for real use, fewer projections, a sensible pool and landscaping deferred to a later phase. Do not save on concrete, steel or waterproofing; near the coast, humidity and salts make any saving on the foundations cost twice as much in repairs later.

For a guard room or small separate majlis, lightweight construction can be an economical option, depending on use.

Building permit on Balady in Dammam: steps and documents

The building permit is issued electronically through the Balady platform, and it is filed by the design engineering office on the owner’s authorisation, not by the contractor. We are named in the application as the executing contractor and accept the assignment, and we start work on site only after the permit is issued and the latent defects insurance is in force.

Some advertisements say “we obtain the permits”, which is not how it works. The design office uploads the drawings, a technical audit company checks them against the code, the municipality approves, the supervising office and contractor each accept, the insurance is issued, fees are paid and the permit is released. The ministry lists the service at one to ten days once the file is complete.

Documents required for a building permit

• ✓An updated electronic title deed, or the housing or investment contract where applicable.
• ✓A valid cadastral survey report for the plot.
• ✓A contract with an engineering office for the designs.
• ✓Contracts with a supervising engineering office and with the executing contractor.
• ✓The latent defects insurance policy.
• ✓A soil study report.
• ✓A traffic study, if the type of activity requires one.
• ✓The declarations and undertakings in the application, including the thermal insulation undertaking.
• ✓Payment of the fees calculated by the fee calculator.

Permit steps in order

1. 1
   Authorise the design office
   The owner authorises an engineering office on Balady to prepare the designs and file the application.
2. 2
   Prepare the designs
   Architectural and structural drawings are uploaded to the platform.
3. 3
   Technical audit
   An audit company checks the designs against the Saudi Building Code and returns comments to the office for correction.
4. 4
   Municipal approval
   The application is reviewed and a design approval certificate is issued.
5. 5
   Supervisor and contractor
   The office selects the supervising office (which must approve) and assigns the contractor (who must accept).
6. 6
   Latent defects insurance
   The contractor sends the project details to the insurer, and the policy is issued on payment.
7. 7
   Fees and issue
   Municipal fees are paid and the permit is issued; it is not valid until the insurance is paid, and its data is shared with the utility providers.

Latent defects insurance: what it is and who pays

Latent defects insurance is a mandatory insurance policy among the documents for a residential building permit. It covers, for ten years, defects that affect the building’s strength and structural stability, and the insurer’s inspector checks the soil and the structure during construction. The premium is set by the policy in relation to the construction cost and forms part of the owner’s budget.

The policy is an insurance requirement placed on the project by the regulations, not a personal undertaking by the contractor or the engineering office. Its existence means a third party is watching the work, which serves both owner and contractor, because a contractor who builds to specification has nothing to fear from inspection.

Completion certificate and utility connections

After construction, a completion certificate is requested on Balady. Requirements include a supervising-office report confirming compliance with the code and drawings, the thermal insulation certificate issued after inspections of walls, roof and windows, and photos of the four facades and the pavement. It is needed to connect electricity and water. Roof insulation is covered in our roof waterproofing and insulation guide.roof waterproofing and insulation guide for Dammam.

Soil report and groundwater in Dammam

The soil report is a mandatory permit document, and in Dammam it matters more than in many cities, because parts of the Eastern Province sit on sabkha (salt-flat) soil with saline groundwater close to the surface. The report decides the foundation type and depth, the type of cement, and whether the site needs dewatering.

A peer-reviewed study from the university in Dhahran (KFUPM) linked structural damage in residential buildings in parts of King Fahd Suburb in Dammam mainly to sabkha soil. That does not mean the whole district, or the whole city, is the same, because soil changes from one plot to the next. It means that land cannot be judged by eye, and that excavation does not start before the report.

Groundwater at many Eastern Province sites is shallow and carries chlorides and sulfates that attack concrete and steel, and it rises by capillary action through the soil and into the base of walls. The damage does not show in the first year; it shows years later when the steel rusts and the concrete spalls. That is why protection decisions are taken before the pour, not after.

Saudi Building Code and engineering supervision in Dammam

The Saudi Building Code is mandatory for all public and private construction, including renovation, extension and change of use. We build to drawings approved against the current edition of the code, and the supervising office follows us at every stage before each pour.

The residential code covers family dwellings up to three storeys, detached or joined on one or two sides, and requires code compliance, supervision by an engineering office and latent defects insurance. Practical examples: a driver’s or maid’s room of at least 10 m² excluding the washroom, a kitchen smoke detector, a minimum ceiling height, and structural calculations above a set height. Amendments also cut the minimum column width from 25 cm to 20 cm.

A newer edition of the code is now mandatory, adding codes such as one for repairing existing concrete structures. The approved drawings are the reference, and any change on site goes through the supervising office first.

What does the supervising office check before every pour?

• ✓Steel: bar diameters, numbers, spacing and laps as shown on the structural drawings.
• ✓Concrete cover: chairs and spacers that keep the specified distance between the steel and the concrete surface.
• ✓Formwork: alignment, levels and enough propping for the weight of the concrete.
• ✓Sleeves and services: every pipe and box in place before the concrete closes over it.
• ✓The concrete itself: the required grade, cubes taken for testing, pouring at a suitable temperature and then water curing.

We do not pour a slab before the supervisor has signed off the inspection, even if the crew and the pump are ready. A day’s delay costs less than a slab that has to be broken out later.

Construction stages in Dammam, in order, from excavation to handover

The construction stages in order are: setting out, excavation, blinding, footings with neck columns and tie beams, protection of buried concrete with backfilling and termite treatment, the ground slab, columns and slabs for each floor, blockwork, services, roof waterproofing with plaster and finishes, and finally the completion certificate and handover. Each stage is inspected before the next one starts.

Excavation, footings and tie beams

The building is set out with pegs and strings from the survey points, then excavated to the depth in the soil report. After cleaning, the blinding is poured, then the footings, neck columns and tie beams. Buried concrete is coated before backfilling in watered, compacted layers. Termite treatment is applied after excavation, after the under-floor drainage, and after backfilling before the ground slab.

Columns and slabs

Columns go up, then slab formwork and steel, all checked by the supervisor before the pour. In summer we pour early morning or at night, cure with water for several days, and leave props for the period the specification sets. Execution details are in our concrete pouring guide.concrete pouring guide, so we do not repeat them here.

Blockwork and services

External walls are built in insulated block as the drawings specify, since new buildings must meet the thermal insulation rules, checked through inspection visits before the insulation certificate is issued. Electrical conduits and water and drainage pipes are then run in the walls and floors before plaster, and the water pipes are pressure-tested before they are covered. The details are in our electrical guide and plumbing guide.

Finishing and handover

After the services come roof waterproofing and the flood test, then internal and external plaster, then gypsum board, tiles, paint, doors, windows and sanitaryware. At the end comes a handover walk-through in which we go round with the owner room by room, record every snag and put it right before final handover and the supervising office’s report. Each stage has its own guide: plastering, tiling and painting.

Villa build time in Dammam

There is no fixed duration: area, floor count, contract type, approval speed, deliveries and finishing choices all move it. We write a programme for each stage into the contract and tie payments to it, so you always know where the project stands. Late decisions on finishes delay projects more than the construction itself.

Building materials and rough quantities on Dammam projects

A shell has three main materials: ready-mixed concrete of a grade set by the structural engineer, reinforcing steel of the diameters and specification on the drawings, and concrete block, insulated for external walls and standard for internal ones. Exact quantities come from the structural office’s bill of quantities; the rules of thumb below are for estimating only.

Estimates from published general rules; actual quantities come from the structural office’s bill of quantities.

Why does a with-materials shell price move? Because steel and concrete make up a large part of its cost and their prices follow the market. So the contract has to settle one of two things: a fixed price under which the contractor carries the change, or a written review clause with a clear mechanism. What we do not accept is leaving it open and having the argument halfway through the project.

For external walls we prefer insulated block, which meets the insulation rules and cools west-facing rooms, and for buried concrete we use the cement the designer specifies for sulfate and chloride exposure.

Paying the contractor by construction stage

Fair payments are tied to stages that can be checked by eye and signed off by the supervisor, not to the passing of time and not to a large advance. You pay when a stage is complete and approved, so money and work move in step throughout the project, and the share of each payment is set in the contract.

1. 1
   Mobilisation
   A small opening payment when the site is handed over and set up.
2. 2
   Footings and tie beams
   After they are cast and approved by the supervisor.
3. 3
   Ground slab
   After protection, backfilling and the pour.
4. 4
   Each roof slab
   A separate payment for every slab poured and approved.
5. 5
   Blockwork
   After the walls and lintels are complete.
6. 6
   Services
   After the electrical and plumbing installations and the pressure test.
7. 7
   Finishes
   Over the agreed finishing stages on turnkey contracts.
8. 8
   Handover
   A retained amount released after the walk-through and the snag repairs.

The contractor’s contract in Dammam: clauses that protect you

A good building contract puts in writing everything the two parties might later disagree about: the scope, the specification, the measurement method, the price, the payments, the duration and the variations. The clearer it is, the less likely a dispute becomes, and the easier it is for both sides to resolve one if it arises.

The Saudi Contractors Authority provides a unified construction contract on its «Muqawil» platform; once concluded there and accepted by both parties, it becomes an enforceable instrument, which speeds up the recovery of dues and reduces disputes. We are happy to contract on it.

• ✓Parties and ownership: the owner’s name, title deed number and permit number, and the design and supervising offices.
• ✓Drawings: the list of approved drawings the work will follow.
• ✓Scope and exclusions: what the price includes, item by item, and what it does not.
• ✓Specification: concrete grade, cement type, steel, block type and thickness, waterproofing, and on turnkey contracts the finishing specification schedule.
• ✓Measurement method: how stairs, projections, annexes, rooftop rooms, the boundary wall and tanks are counted.
• ✓Price and tax: per metre or lump sum, whether VAT is included, and any material price review mechanism.
• ✓Payments: tied to the stages listed above.
• ✓Programme and delay: the duration of each stage and what happens if either party causes delay.
• ✓Variations: any change after work starts is written, priced and approved before it is carried out.
• ✓Who pays for what: fees, insurance, connections, tests and the concrete pump.
• ✓Safety and waste: site safety, and removal of waste to the disposal sites approved by the municipality.
• ✓Handover: a walk-through, a snag list and repairs before the final payment.

How to choose a building contractor in Dammam

Choose a building contractor in Dammam who agrees to be named in the permit file, explains what his price includes and excludes, prices from the drawings rather than the plot area, and accepts payments tied to stages approved by the supervisor. Those four things reveal more than any advertisement.

Then ask to see finished projects in person or genuine photos from his sites, ask how he works in summer, how many projects he runs at once, and who will be on your site every day. Photos of our real projects are on the projects page.

Contractor or day labourers?

Day labourers may be cheaper for a small job like a wall. On a whole house, though, you become the contractor: buying materials, coordinating trades and carrying everyone’s mistakes. And the permit file requires a named executing contractor, so a new house cannot lawfully be built with day labour alone.

Blockwork mason in Dammam: when do you need one on their own?

If the frame exists and you need only blockwork, a partition or a boundary wall, we price blockwork labour at inspection. We watch the string line, the level, lintels and the ties into columns, because blockwork faults return as plaster cracks. For cracks in an existing building, see our crack repair guide.crack repair guide.

Common mistakes that raise building costs in Dammam

Most cost overruns do not come from the contractor but from late decisions or items that were never written down. Here are the errors that come up again and again on site, all of them avoidable before signing:

• ✓Comparing prices with different specifications: the cheapest offer may be cheapest because it excludes half the items.
• ✓Starting before the drawings are complete: a change on paper costs nothing; a change in concrete is expensive.
• ✓Skipping the soil report or doing the bare minimum: in Dammam that can mean foundations that do not suit the ground.
• ✓Forgetting sleeves before a pour: breaking into a slab or wall later to pass a pipe costs many times more than the sleeve.
• ✓Changing finishes after they are ordered: specially ordered materials usually cannot be returned.
• ✓Large advance payments: you lose your ability to influence how the work proceeds.
• ✓Not writing down the measurement method: the most common handover dispute is about balconies and stairs.
• ✓Pouring at midday in summer: concrete that cracks early and loses part of its strength.

If the plot has an old house that will be demolished before building, include demolition and debris removal in the budget from the start; the details are in our demolition guide for Dammam.

Building contractor across the Eastern Province: Al Khobar first, then Qatif, Jubail and Al-Ahsa

We build in Dammam and in the Eastern Province cities near and far, using the same prices as a starting point, adjusted for what each site brings in soil, access and distance. In every city the soil report for your plot is the reference, and travel costs to distant cities are set at inspection.

Building contractor in Al Khobar

A building contractor in Al Khobar is the most requested service after Dammam, and the same team covers it. Our Khobar jobs take us to Al Olaya, Al Hada, Al Thuqbah, the Green Belt, Madinat Al Ummal, South Khobar and Al Aqrabiyah, among other districts. As a coastal city, its concrete exposure class for airborne salts is set by the designer, and we follow it in cover, mix and protection. See the Al Khobar page, or our Khobar renovation guide if your house needs renovation rather than a new build.Al Khobar page, and if your Khobar house needs renovation rather than a new build, see our Khobar renovation guide.

Dhahran, Saihat and Qatif

Dhahran is part of the Dammam and Khobar metropolitan area, and Saihat and Qatif are close by, so we serve them on our usual schedule. See the city pages for Dhahran, Saihat and Qatif.

Jubail and Ras Tanura

In Jubail city we work through the usual municipal procedures, while sites inside Jubail Industrial City and Ras Al-Khair are permitted by the Royal Commission rather than through Balady, so we review those requirements with the owner before pricing. See the Jubail and Ras Tanura pages.

Al-Ahsa, Khafji, Hafr Al-Batin and Abqaiq

The road trip to Al-Ahsa is roughly 160 km and to Khafji roughly 298 km, so the cost of moving the team and equipment there, and to Abqaiq and Hafr Al-Batin, is set at inspection, and its share falls as the project grows. See Al-Ahsa, Abqaiq, Khafji and Hafr Al-Batin.

Dammam districts we work in

Our base is in Al Rawdah district, Dammam, and we work across the whole city, including:

The city page is Dammam, the short service summary sits on the construction service page, and our starting rates across every trade are listed in the price guide.

Ordering a building contractor in Dammam: the details to share on WhatsApp

Send us on WhatsApp 0547879578 whatever describes your project, and you will receive an estimated cost based on the real items, after which we set a date for the site visit. Fuller information gives a sharper estimate:

• ✓Drawings: architectural and structural if they are ready, or the plot size and the number of floors you want if they are not.
• ✓Contract type: labour-only shell, shell with materials, or turnkey at the finish level you want.
• ✓Location: the district and city, with a photo of the plot and the street leading to it.
• ✓Permit status: has it been issued? Which design office? Is there a soil report?
• ✓For a second floor: photos of the roof and the column starter bars, and the original drawings if you have them.
• ✓Start date: roughly when you hope to begin, and whether a lender is involved.

1. 1
   Send the information
   On WhatsApp, or call us directly.
2. 2
   Estimated cost
   Worked out from the drawings and our starting-price table, with a note of the items that cannot be confirmed until we see the plot.
3. 3
   Site visit and drawing review
   We visit the plot and go through the report and drawings with you.
4. 4
   The contract
   Scope, specification, measurement method, payments and programme, all in writing.
5. 5
   Construction and handover
   After the permit and insurance, stage by stage under the supervising office, through to the handover walk-through.