Glossary
What is semi-finished?
A semi-finished unit is delivered with its structure, walls, plumbing and electrical rough-ins complete, but without flooring, paint, kitchen, doors or bathroom fittings. The buyer completes it. Most off-plan units in Egypt are sold semi-finished unless a fully finished option is priced separately.
What is included
Semi-finished normally means: structure, external walls, internal partition walls, plastering, plumbing and electrical rough-ins to points, window frames and glazing, and an entrance door. What arrives is a weatherproof, serviced shell.
What is excluded is everything the buyer sees: flooring, paint, internal doors, kitchen, bathroom fittings, and often the air-conditioning. The exclusions are where disputes happen, so the specification annexed to the contract matters more than the word.
Why developers sell it this way
It lowers the headline price, shortens the delivery date, and moves finishing taste and cost to the buyer. It also removes a large category of warranty claims from the developer.
What it costs the buyer
Finishing cost varies with specification and with material prices at the time of handover — which, for a unit bought off-plan years earlier, is not the price level the buyer budgeted at. A buyer comparing a semi-finished unit with a fully finished one should compare total delivered cost at handover, not contract price.
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'core and shell' the same as semi-finished?
- No. Core and shell is less complete — typically structure and services risers only, without internal partitions or plastering. Check the specification annex rather than the label.
- Can a developer deliver fully finished instead?
- Many offer a finished option at a price premium, sometimes with a longer delivery date. It is a separate product with its own specification, not an upgrade applied at handover.
Related
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