In my post Initial Riad Construction Cost Analysis I shared a draft 5m x 5m atrium design and current cost estimates for various features of the house. After reviewing the 5-meter design, I decided to switch my main planning effort to the 7-meter design.

A 4,500 Square Foot riad is currently estimated to cost $1,000,000, including land.

The key difference is how I merged the office space into the library, and the bar space into the dining room. This allows me to use the 7-meter atrium while keeping to a 20m x 20m footprint.

The covered lounge space is now a transitional lounge that allows for access to the back yard. My wife and I really liked the one used at Riad Salem Fez. This space will not be connected to the main HVAC system, and use will have fans and maybe a gas heater/wood oven. I really want this space to be open, airy, and colorfully lit.

As noted in Riad Lessons Learned, the average room in a riad is 3.4 meters deep, so I stuck with that, resulting in long rooms along the atrium axis. The dining room and bar area is 28.8 m ², or 309 ft ².

To remove excess space, I left the corners and covered patios instead of extending the bar and office. I may undo that change after I do a furniture analysis for the office. I want to maintain symmetry, and extending those spaces may require more doors.

Once I finished this version of the 7-meter floorplan above, I built a rough cost calculator that allows me to manipulate area and cost. My goal is to spend no more than $800,000 on the house and land, and I am currently sitting at just under $1,000,000.

If you look closely at the spreadsheet, you will notice I removed the retractable roof system. After much research, I decided to go with large venting skylights that I can configure into a pyramid with rolladens, which is about $10K cheaper and not as vulnerable to weather. My excel sheet with the corresponding measurements and info referenced above is linked here if you want to review my assumptions and inputs.

The most important take-away from this estimate is that we either need to reduce the cost of tile, stained glass, and plaster; or reduce the amount used. My wife will be researching methods to produce our own zellige tile in 2017-2019 and I look forward to the results. Tulsa artist, Herb Robb, may come on this summer as a consultant for our tile, plaster, and ceramic projects. We have meeting scheduled with Mr. Robb this summer, along with some real estate specialists to get the ball moving on property.

-Mike