Renovating or restoring a riad: where to start, and in what order
9 October 2026
Riad · Older house · All trades
Renovating riads, villas and houses.
Strengthening the structure, renewing the services and restoring the finishes of an existing building, riad or house, without damaging what gives it its value. All trades, one point of contact.
Service 06 / 10 · site photo
The service
A riad in the medina, an old house, an apartment to refurbish: renovating means understanding the building before touching it. We strip back to read the actual structure, have the structural engineering consultancy assess each defect, then rebuild.
That is what “multi-service” means: masonry, floors and slabs, new services, carved plaster, timber joinery, metalwork, floor and wall finishes and tile layout. We coordinate all the trades under your architect’s direction. Original features (zellige, bejmat, cedar ceilings, joinery) are protected, removed and reused wherever possible.
What is included in this service.
- 01Photographic condition survey and identification of features to protect
- 02Protection, removal and storage of original features
- 03Stripping of renders and structural diagnosis with the structural engineering consultancy
- 04Strengthening, repairs to walls, floors and slabs
- 05New concealed services (electrics, plumbing, drainage)
- 06Traditional and contemporary finishes: plaster, tadelakt, zellige, wood, metal
- 07Tile layout and floor finishes, reuse of bejmat and zellige tiles
This service is for you if…
01
A riad or an older house
Structure to check, services to install, decoration to preserve: we phase the work so that nothing is damaged.
02
A major renovation
Reconfiguring rooms, new slabs, a lift, bathrooms: we coordinate all the trades.
03
A project already under way
We take over after a diagnosis, with a documented condition survey of what is already there.
This service, on our builds.
- 01Brief and budgetYour priorities, your budget, the plot.
- 02Plans and costingFirm quote, line by line.
- 03Monitored constructionShared schedule, online photo reports.
- 04HandoverJoint inspection, signed handover report.
FAQ
Renovation & restoration: your questions.
01Do you work in the medinas?
Yes. Our first project is the full restoration of a riad in the Rabat medina, under the direction of an architect, with a structural engineering consultancy for the structure.
02What do you do with the original features?
They are recorded at the first visit, protected or removed and stored, then reused or put back: bejmat, zellige, doors, mashrabiya screens, painted ceilings.
03Do I need an architect to renovate?
As soon as the structure or the façades are affected, a permit is required and the application is signed by an architect. We work with yours or introduce you to our partners.
To find out more.
You might also need…
Structural work
Earthworks, foundations, reinforced concrete frame, masonry and roofing: each stage checked before the next.
Finishing works
Floor finishes, renders, paint, sanitary ware, interior joinery and façades, through to a handover with no snags.
Taking over a stalled build
Your build has stopped, is poorly supervised or is hard to get going again: diagnosis, technical priorities, correction of non-compliant work and restart.