Skeleton-only or turnkey: choosing the right contract for your villa in Riyadh

Once your drawings are approved and the permit is issued, one question comes up before you sign anything: do you contract the structure only and handle finishing yourself later, or sign a turnkey contract and receive a villa ready to move into? Both work well for the right owner. This guide explains what each contract usually covers, compares them side by side, and lists what any contract should state whichever route you take.

What a skeleton contract means

In the Saudi market the "skeleton" (عظم, adhm) is the load-bearing structure: foundations, columns, beams, slabs and stairs. A skeleton contract means the contractor hands over that structure complete and matching the structural drawings. You then move to finishing yourself, with another contractor, or with the same contractor under a separate agreement.

Typically included

• Excavation to the founding level shown on the drawings.
• Termite treatment, a polyethylene sheet against rising moisture, and blinding concrete, a thin layer of plain concrete that gives a clean, level base for the steel.
• Footings, column necks and ground beams, with waterproofing of buried elements and backfill compacted in layers.
• Columns, beams and slabs, whether hollow-block (concrete ribs with block or polystyrene infill, very common in Riyadh) or solid, plus concrete stairs.
• In many contracts, external and internal blockwork.

Typically excluded

Plaster, electrical and plumbing installations, roof waterproofing and insulation, and all interior and exterior finishing. Some contractors include electrical conduits in the slabs before the pour; others do not. Small differences like this cause most disputes later, so put them in writing.

Materials included, or labour only?

You will meet two models. In one, the contractor supplies materials and labour. In the other, a labour-only contract, the contractor brings the crew and formwork while you buy the steel, concrete and block yourself. Labour-only feels like more control, but you carry responsibility for material quality and delivery timing, and a late concrete or steel delivery stops the whole site. Quality responsibility also gets split between supplier and builder, which makes problems harder to trace.

What a turnkey contract means

A turnkey contract means the contractor runs the project from the first dig until the villa is ready to live in: the structure, blockwork and plaster, electrical, plumbing and AC, insulation, interior finishing (gypsum ceilings, paint, tiles, doors, bathrooms, kitchens), exterior finishing such as profile paint or cladding, and often boundary walls and water tanks.

The value is not that it "includes everything". It is that one party is responsible for coordination between stages. When the same contractor pours the slab and later installs the gypsum ceilings, they care about slab levels and AC openings from day one, because any mistake comes back to them.

"Turnkey" is a flexible word, though. A contract that says "full finishing" without naming the tile type and grade, the sanitary ware, or the number of power points leaves a big gap between what you expect and what you receive. The specification schedule attached to the contract matters more than the contract wording itself.

Side-by-side comparison

That last row is the trap. A skeleton contract looks cheaper because it is only part of the project. A fair comparison is skeleton plus finishing plus your own time and supervision against a complete turnkey contract. For what actually drives the total, see what decides construction cost in Riyadh.

When skeleton-only makes sense

• You will not move in for a while and want to finish later. Protect exposed starter bars from rust and make sure rainwater drains off the roof.
• You, or an engineer you trust, can manage finishing trades. Electricians, plumbers, gypsum, tiling and painting crews need sequencing.
• You have specific finishing suppliers in mind, for marble or kitchens for example.
• You want to test a contractor on one stage before trusting them with the whole villa.

When turnkey makes sense

• Your time is limited and you cannot visit the site every week.
• It is your first build. Sequencing is where first-time owners struggle most.
• You want clear accountability. Nobody can blame a crack or an uneven floor on someone else's work.
• You have already decided your finishing level and it is written into the contract.

What any contract should state

1. Itemised scope with quantities or clear descriptions, not "complete skeleton" or "premium finishing".
2. Explicit exclusions, such as rock excavation, extra fill or boundary walls.
3. Specifications: concrete and steel per the structural drawings, block and insulation types, and for turnkey, tiles, sanitary ware, paint and doors.
4. A schedule per stage and for the whole project.
5. Payments tied to completed, inspectable stages rather than dates.
6. How variations are priced and approved in writing before work starts.
7. How each stage is inspected and signed off.

Before any of that, check the contractor's credentials: see how to choose a licensed contractor in Riyadh.

How Marafi handles both

We take on structural skeleton works on their own and complete villa construction through to finishing. Either way, we start with the same details: approved termite treatment, a carefully laid polyethylene sheet against moisture, blinding concrete, precise footings, and column formwork fixed and checked for plumb before and after the pour, following the engineering drawings strictly.

Every owner gets an itemised proposal by stage showing what is and is not included, and photo updates at each key stage. If you start with the skeleton and later choose us for interior finishing, we plan levels and services for it from the start. See the stages in photos on How we build and the full sequence in villa construction stages in Riyadh.

Quick summary

• Skeleton-only gives you control over finishing but asks for your time and coordination.
• Turnkey puts responsibility on one party and works as well as its specification is written.
• Compare proposals with the same scope and specification, not headline totals.
• Write down inclusions and exclusions, and tie payments to completed stages.
• On a skeleton contract, settle services and levels before the slabs are poured.

Still deciding which contract suits your plot? Contact us to arrange a site visit and drawing review, and we will prepare an itemised proposal for both options so you can compare them clearly.

Frequently asked questions