Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Custom homes are increasingly in demand in the Kingdom with many residents turning to builders who give prospective home owners greater freedom to design their houses at affordable prices.



During the recently-concluded Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition, American custom home builder and a partner of ESCAN International Co., Louis Pecci spoke to Saudi Gazette about custom homes.



“Times have changed drastically in the past year when it comes to the nationwide housing market and many Saudis are leaning to custom home construction.



Building a new home can be stressful and confusing and Saudis have traditionally preferred to live in homes with solid concrete walls. However, with custom homes it is time for Saudis to build their dream homes on a low budget and within a short period of time,” he said.



“We believe it is possible to own a home without having to spend big bucks and with our system, we can give them a complete house in 90 days only, including foundation, building and air-conditioning,” he added.



Pecci said while most young Saudis dream about building their dream home, the moment they start thinking about price, their dreams are shattered.



“Our prices of an ideal home costs not more than SR500,000 and during the exhibition we had a special offer for SR350,000,” said Pecci, who has been building custom homes in Florida for the past 15 years.



Commenting on the large turnout at their stall, Pecci said several agreements and contracts had been signed during the three-day exhibition. “We are really overwhelmed with the results and we noticed that there is a big demand for custom homes among Saudis,” he added.



Commenting on the new homes, 35-year-old Ahmed Al-Qahtani told Saudi Gazette the homes had the potential to solve the one obstacle that prevents young Saudis from building their own homes — high prices. “I am seriously thinking about this type of home because I can afford it.”



According to Pecci, affordable housing in the Kingdom could receive a boost if new materials, such as cold-formed steel and lightweight precast systems that bring about faster building times and lower construction costs for projects are used.



To showcase their product to visitors and clients at the exhibition, Pecci and his team were able to build a custom house at the front gate of Jeddah Center for Exhibitions and Forums in just five days. “We did not want to build a prefabricated house but we went ahead and built a house, including stone work, frame work, entire roof system and full garage, in five days.”