Bitumen membrane for rest houses & farms in Alula

Prepared by the technical team · editorial review · last updated 13 November 2026 · Sources

Bitumen membrane in Alula: the local context

The centre of Alula sits about 697 m above sea level (SRTM open elevation data). Main roads in or near Alula: King Abdullah Road.

Before any quote is given for a bitumen membrane on a rest house or farm in Alula, the first thing checked is the roof and the walls that meet it, because the town sits at roughly 697 m above sea level, and that elevation shapes how a membrane is laid and how it ages. Higher ground in this part of the country means a clear, dry air and wide daily temperature swings, so the technician looks closely at where the membrane will expand and contract, at the upstands, and at any joints in the slab. Bitumen membrane for roofs is typically priced at SAR 15–35 per m², and that range reflects the prep work and the overlaps that sit around the outline of each roof, not just the area of the sheet itself.

What is left to the site visit is the detail that no map can show. The technician needs to see the actual condition of the roof surface, whether there are old layers still bonded in place, how water currently drains off the slope, and where ponding or cracks have started. The same visit decides whether cracks need crack injection, priced at SAR 40–120 per metre, before the membrane goes on, and whether the parapet and drainage outlets need reworking. Where a rest house or farm building also has a water tank on the roof, the tank's internal coating, at SAR 25–60 per m², is a separate job and is assessed on site rather than assumed. Access, the height of the building and the condition of the parapets all change the working method, so they are noted during the visit and not guessed from a distance.

For the technician, the useful information is a clear record of the roof area in square metres, the number of upstands, penetrations and drain outlets, the ages of any existing layers, and photographs of the worst areas taken before work begins. Note too whether the roof is used for storage or foot traffic, since that affects the protection layer chosen. If insulation is planned beneath the finish, XPS boards at SAR 12–30 per m² are quoted as a separate line so the two costs stay visible. Bring the elevation figure of about 697 m into the notes, since it is the reference point for the local climate conditions the membrane must cope with. A complete set of these measurements lets the technician price the roof accurately on the first visit.

Rest houses and farms often have long buried lines, tanks and irrigation that need separate tests.

When do you need bitumen membrane?

These are the signs most often linked to bitumen membrane:

• A flat concrete roof that needs waterproofing
• Old rolls that are cracking

Causes we see in the field

• No protection layer — we check this before anything else.
• Seams that were not welded properly.

Tools we use in Alula

From the first visit to the report

1. Preparation: Cleaning, priming and repairs.
2. Torch welding: Overlaps are welded and checked.
3. Details: Upstands, drains and bases.
4. Protection and flood test: Protection is laid after a successful flood test.

Alula in facts and sources

Questions from Alula

What we advise against

• Leaving the membrane exposed without protection

The written outputs

The written output: photos of the welds and the flood-test result. The report is numbered and can be checked with its verification code.