The heart of the home
Kitchen renovation: plan for how you cook, then for looks
In a Saudi home the kitchen is no passing space: it’s where meals for a big family, feasts for occasions and coffee for guests are prepared. That’s why many kitchens that look beautiful in photos fail at the first big gathering — the planning didn’t start from how the family really cooks.
A kitchen renovation brings joinery, plumbing, electrics, ventilation, tiles and worktops into one small space. With SaudiRenovation you describe your kitchen and what you want once, and your request reaches kitchen and renovation companies in your city who contact you with offers.
What does a kitchen renovation include?
A renovation ranges from new doors and worktops only to a whole new kitchen with a new layout. A full renovation usually covers:
Planning and design
Zones for storage, preparation, cooking and washing, and positions for appliances and lighting.
Cabinets and worktops
Wall and base units and worktops in materials that resist heat and moisture.
Services
Power for appliances, water and drainage, and effective extraction.
Floors and walls
Tiles or porcelain suited to a kitchen, and splashbacks behind work areas.
Offers usually exclude appliances unless requested. Gas lines and moving them are separate work for a licensed specialist only.
When does your kitchen need renovating?
Swollen cabinets under the sink, doors that won’t close, a cracked worktop, too few sockets so you rely on extensions, and an extractor that doesn’t clear smells. These are signs of a kitchen past its time — and some, like damp under the sink, may hide a leak that needs fixing before any renovation.
Or the way you use it has changed: a bigger family, a wish for a kitchen open to the living room, or a second outdoor kitchen for heavy cooking — common in Saudi villas.
In older homes, kitchen circuits are often weaker than today’s needs: an oven, dishwasher, air fryer and kettle running at once on one circuit. A kitchen renovation is a good moment to review the circuits with a qualified electrician, not just to add sockets.
Layout and material options
Common layouts are the single-wall kitchen for narrow spaces, the L-shape, the U-shape for larger kitchens, and an island where space allows. The golden rule is a short, comfortable distance between fridge, sink and hob, not cut through by a walkway.
Cabinet materials range from treated timber and moisture-resistant boards to aluminium; worktops from natural stone to quartz and solid surfaces. Ask how each resists heat, moisture and scratches — that matters more than the colour.
In open kitchens, ventilation and a strong extractor become essential so smells and grease don’t drift into the living room and majlis.
Don’t forget lighting: general light in the ceiling and task lighting under the wall units over the worktop, because knives and boards need direct, shadow-free light. Enough sockets at a comfortable height behind the worktop saves you extension leads for years.
The usual sequence
- Measuring and design
Accurate measurements and drawings of the layout and elevations.
- Strip-out and services
Removing the old kitchen and adjusting power, water, drainage and extraction.
- Floors and walls
Tiles, splashbacks and paint before the cabinets go in.
- Installation
Cabinets first, then templating and fitting worktops, then appliances and lights.
- Sign-off
Checking doors, drawers, leaks and sockets before the final payment.
Living without a kitchen during the work
The house is without a kitchen while the work lasts, so set up a temporary corner with a small fridge and an electric hob away from the dust, and ask the company for a precise timeline. Villas with an outdoor kitchen have it easier.
Before work starts, empty the cabinets completely, protect the floors in the corridors, and agree where the new units will be stored before installation so they aren’t damaged.
If the kitchen opens onto the living room, ask for a temporary dust screen, because cutting worktops and tiles makes fine dust that spreads through the house. After installation, let adhesives and sealants cure for the time the company advises before full use.
Questions to ask the kitchen company
- Is the design included, and will I see drawings before manufacture?
- Exactly what are the cabinet and worktop materials, and are they moisture-resistant?
- Is adjusting the electrics and plumbing included, and who does it?
- How long do manufacture and installation take?
- What warranty covers cabinets, hinges and worktops?
- Are appliances part of the offer?
Warning signs
- An offer that doesn’t name the cabinet and worktop materials.
- Refusing to measure on site before manufacture.
- Ignoring ventilation or the extractor position.
- Moving gas without a licensed specialist.
What drives the cost of a kitchen?
- The size of the kitchen and the length of the units.
- The cabinet and worktop materials and their grade.
- Changing the layout and moving water and power points.
- Floors, splashbacks and lighting.
- Appliances, if they’re part of the offer.
We don’t list prices. Read the kitchen renovation guide and compare offers with the same materials and dimensions.
Questions about kitchen renovation
Should I change the floor before the kitchen?
The floor is best laid under the units or meeting them as the design requires. Agree it with the company before work starts.
Does an open kitchen suit Saudi cooking?
It can, with strong ventilation and a suitable extractor; many families add an outdoor kitchen for heavy cooking.
Can cabinets be refreshed without replacing them?
Sometimes new doors, worktops and handles are enough if the carcasses are sound.
Who moves the gas line?
Only a licensed gas specialist — never as part of the joinery work.
Do I need a designer for the kitchen?
Many kitchen companies design as part of manufacture; for open or large kitchens an interior designer can tie the kitchen into the rest of the home.
What’s the best worktop material?
There’s no single best one for everyone. Compare resistance to heat, scratches and stains and ease of care against how you cook.
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
It depends on manufacture and services. Ask for a written timeline that includes manufacture.
Request offers for your kitchen
Describe your kitchen and what you want, and let kitchen companies contact you.