SAUDI ARABIA: A retired science schoolteacher has spent the past seven years building a guest house using leftover materials from other building sites and eco-friendly building techniques

Record ID: 188920

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: A retired science schoolteacher has spent the past seven years building a guest house using leftover materials from other building sites and eco-friendly building techniques
  • Date: 29th February 2012
  • Summary: ABHA, SAUDI ARABIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) GUEST HOUSE VARIOUS OF GUEST HOUSE OWNER HADDAM BIN SHALAN FIXING TOGETHER RECYCLED STEEL BARS PLASTIC PIPES USED AS COLUMNS TO SUPPORT THE ROOF VARIOUS OF CHIMNEY THAT WAS MADE OUT OF STEEL CONTAINERS BIN SHALAN USING PIN GUN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RECYCLED GUEST HOUSE OWNER HADRAM BIN SHALAN SAYING: "I worked 25 years in education, now I am retired and I'm trying to spend my leisure time these days working on the guest house in a serious way." PARTLY CONSTRUCTED WALL VARIOUS OF BIN SHALAN COLLECTING DISCARDED PIECES OF MARBLE FLOOR STONE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RECYCLED GUEST HOUSE OWNER HADRAM BIN SHALAN SAYING: "As for the effort, it cost me a great effort during these seven years, but on the financial side, it has cost me half the cost of construction, because we relied on the use of certain tools that are thrown away." BUILDING MATERIALS PILED UP ON FLOOR FINISHED FLOOR SURFACES BUILT FROM RECYCLED FLOOR STONES WASH BASINS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RECYCLED GUEST HOUSE OWNER HADRAM BIN SHALAN SAYING: "I hope that all Saudi young men follow in my footsteps in all fields, not just in construction or electrical works but also in other fields, and they take advantage of their time and benefit from materials that may contaminate the environment in any work that benefits the citizen or humanity in general." BIN SHALAN SITTING IN GUESTHOUSE WITH FRIEND TEAPOTS ON TABLE VARIOUS OF ROOMS IN GUESTHOUSE VARIOUS OF BIN HADRAM LIGHTING FIRE
  • Embargoed: 15th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAI830JLJWJ3VUHSOZFMC1URCE
  • Story Text: When Hadram Bin Shalan retired from his job as a teacher in the southwest Saudi town of Abha, he was keen to find a project that would keep him busy and provide an income in retirement.
    Gifted a piece of land by the government, he decided to turn his hand to constructing a guest house from recycled building materials.
    Working alone, Bin Shalan collected iron, bricks, tiles, wood and any other leftover building materials he could get his hands on.
    He then spent the next seven years building the guesthouse and teaching himself everything from plumbing and carpentry to tiling as he went.
    "I worked 25 years in education, now I am retired and I'm trying to spend my leisure time these days working on the guest house in a serious way," Bin Shalan said.
    And by using discarded materials, Bin Shalan not only satisfied an urge to build the guest house in an environmentally friendly way, he also saved himself a considerable amount of money.
    "As for the effort, it cost me a great effort during these seven years, but on the financial side, it has cost me half the cost of construction, because we relied on the use of certain tools that are thrown away," said Bin Shalan.
    Many of the locals mocked him when he first started the project, according to one of his neighbours, but his guest house now regularly plays host to weddings and birthday parties and can earn up to 2,000 Riyals per day (530 U.S. dollars).
    Such has been the level of demand, Bin Shalan has now embarked on constructing a second guest house next door, using all the same techniques he developed on the first.
    And Bin Shalan now hopes that other Saudis will find inspiration from his success.
    "I hope that all Saudi young men follow in my footsteps in all fields, not just in construction or electrical works but also in other fields, and they take advantage of their time and benefit from materials that may contaminate the environment in any work that benefits the citizen or humanity in general," said Bin Shalan.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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