Furniture storage during renovation in Jeddah
Renovating a home while still living in it is the worse of two options. Dust gets into everything, the trades need space, and furniture is shunted from room to room every other day — which damages it more than a full move ever would. The practical alternative is to send all or part of the contents to a warehouse for the duration of the works, then bring them back and reinstall them. This page explains when that is worth doing, what it costs in SAR, and how we protect furniture from the real enemy in any renovation: fine cement and plaster dust.
When it is worth clearing the house and when it is not
Not every renovation justifies emptying a home.
The rule we work to is simple. If the work creates dust, or involves opening floors or walls, the furniture leaves. If it is superficial and confined to one room, good covering is enough.
| Type of work | Furniture out or in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Painting one room | Stays, covered | Limited dust and the job finishes in a day or two |
| Replacing a whole floor level | Goes out entirely | The trades need an empty space and dust reaches every corner |
| Kitchen or bathroom refit | Only that area goes out | Confined work, but heavy cement dust |
| Full house renovation | Goes out entirely | Weeks of work and the house cannot be lived in |
| Doors or windows replaced | Stays, moved clear | Fast work, but sawdust and overspray |
If you are unsure of the scope, send photos and a description of the planned work on WhatsApp and we will give you our view with no obligation.
Renovation dust: why ordinary wrapping is not enough
Plaster and cement dust behaves nothing like moving dust.
On an ordinary move the risks are scratches and impacts. In a renovation the risk is extremely fine dust that finds any opening and settles into fabric weave, between timber slats and inside appliances. It does not brush off easily, because it absorbs moisture and bonds.
So wrapping for renovation storage is done differently: fully sealed rather than partly covered, plastic wound around the whole piece rather than draped over the top, and every opening on appliances and drawer units closed.
Sofas and mattresses
Fully wound in film, then sealed covers with the open ends taped closed.
Timber and drawer units
Drawers emptied and secured, and the piece wrapped all round rather than covered on top.
Appliances and screens
Back into their original cartons where available, otherwise fully closed double-wall card.
Materials and prices are on the packing materials page, and the method on the packing service page.
Phased clearance for households that stay put
A workable option when leaving the house is not possible.
Many families cannot vacate during the works, so the renovation runs in phases: one floor then the next, or one wing then another. In that case only the contents of the active area go to the warehouse, come back when it is finished, and the next area begins.
Divide the house into zones
Agreed with the contractor before anything is moved.
Clear the first zone
Its contents go to the warehouse fully wrapped.
Isolate the zone
Plastic curtains across the openings to stop dust reaching the occupied part.
Return and reinstall
Once the work is finished, the area cleaned and the paint fully dry.
Move to the next zone
And the cycle repeats until the house is done.
Phased clearance costs a little more than a single clearance because it involves several trips, but it keeps the family in their home.
Monthly storage rates in SAR
Priced by the month, with nothing hidden.
Storage is charged monthly by the space your contents occupy, and transport to and from the warehouse is added as a clearly stated line in the quote.
| Stored volume | Monthly rent (SAR) |
|---|---|
| One to two rooms | 150 – 300 |
| A full flat of furniture | 250 – 450 |
| A villa of furniture | 400 – 800 |
Storage is billed monthly under a written agreement, and warehouse access is by appointment.
Transport each way is priced from the standard moving list on the moving cost page, and shown as two separate lines rather than one vague figure.
How long it will really take
The most common miscalculation homeowners make.
First estimates of renovation duration are always optimistic. A project described as three weeks usually runs to five, because of material delays or extra work discovered once the walls are opened.
So we advise booking storage for two weeks longer than the contractor estimate. Not to inflate the bill, but because taking furniture out of storage before the paint has dried or the floors are finished is what actually damages it.
- Add two weeks to the contractor estimate when booking the storage period.
- Do not bring furniture back before the paint is fully dry; moisture transfers into timber and fabric.
- Confirm all dust-producing work is finished, not simply that the main work is done.
- Storage is monthly and extends by a further month on short notice.
If the expected period runs past three months, see long-term storage; if it is under a month, short-term storage fits better.
What should not go into storage
A short list that prevents large problems.
A warehouse is a closed space and whatever goes in stays for weeks. Some things do not belong there however well they are wrapped.
- Food and anything perishable, even sealed.
- Liquids, perfumes and cleaning products, because a leak damages everything around it.
- Batteries and the devices that contain them, since leakage inside a device ruins it.
- Documents, paperwork and jewellery — these stay with you, not in any warehouse.
- Live plants, which do not survive a closed space.
Everything else stores safely, and large appliances are prepared by draining and drying first, as set out on the preparing for storage page.
Bringing the furniture back
The stage people underestimate, then spend a chaotic day on.
The return is not simply the reverse of the clearance. After a renovation the house is clean, new and far more easily marked than it was before, and the layout may have changed.
So we start the return day by preparing the house itself: covering new floors along the route, protecting freshly painted door frames, then bringing pieces in by order — large and heavy first into their final positions, then medium items, then cartons.
Protect the new work
New floors and freshly painted frames covered before anything comes in.
An agreed layout
Where each piece goes is settled before unloading, so nothing is moved twice.
Full reinstallation
Everything dismantled before storage is rebuilt in position the same day.
Coordinating with the contractor
The usual reason a day gets wasted on renovation projects.
We do not set the clearance date or the return date — in practice the contractor does. The problem is that contractors give approximate dates, so a move is booked, the work slips by two days, and an entire trip is wasted.
What we do with our clients is fix the clearance date firmly, because it depends on you rather than on the contractor, and keep the return date flexible at three days notice. That way you do not pay for a delay that is not yours.
- Fix the clearance date as soon as the contractor confirms a start date.
- Do not book the return until you have seen the work finished yourself.
- Give us three days notice of your preferred return date and we will schedule it.
- If the project runs a further month, storage extends at the normal monthly rate with no penalty.
What to ask about the warehouse itself
Not every store is suitable for household furniture for weeks.
Most people ask about the price and not about the place, even though the place is what determines the condition of the furniture two months later. Three questions are worth putting to any storage company in Jeddah before you hand anything over.
First: is furniture raised off the floor or set directly on it. Direct contact with a concrete slab transfers moisture into timber bases and mattresses, and that is the leading cause of odour and mould. Second: is your furniture in a space allocated to you or mixed with other clients goods, because mixing means rubbing and lost small parts. Third: can you visit your furniture, or ask for a photograph of it, during the storage period.
Raised off the floor
Contents set on timber bases rather than on the slab, to stop moisture transfer.
An allocated space
Each clients goods kept together in one location with an item list, not mixed in.
Photographic record
An item list and photographs at intake, so you know what you handed over and what comes back.
Those three questions separate an organised warehouse from a rented room, and we answer them plainly before any booking.
Frequently asked questions
No, it depends on the work. Painting one room only needs covering, while replacing a whole floor level or a full renovation needs complete clearance, because the dust reaches every corner.
SAR 250 to 450 a month for a full apartment, with transport to and from the warehouse added as a separate, clearly stated line in the quote.
Yes. Wrapping for renovation storage is fully sealed rather than partly covered, because plaster and cement dust is extremely fine, finds any opening and bonds to fabric.
Yes, we call it phased clearance: only the active area goes out, comes back when that area is finished, and then the next area begins.
Storage is monthly and extends by a further month at the normal rate with no penalty. We recommend adding two weeks to the contractor estimate at booking in any case.
Once the paint is fully dry and all dust-producing work has finished — not simply when the main work is done, because moisture and dust reach timber and fabric.
Food, liquids, perfumes, cleaning products, batteries and live plants. We also recommend keeping documents and jewellery with you rather than in any warehouse.
Yes. Anything dismantled before storage is rebuilt in position on the return day as part of the service, not as an extra line.
Yes, and we recommend it. Fix the clearance date and keep the return flexible at three days notice, so a contractor delay does not cost you a trip.
Yes. The survey is free and the quote that follows separates the transport cost from the monthly storage cost clearly.
Book a free survey today
Send photos on WhatsApp and get a written, itemised quote before you commit — the survey costs nothing.