Dubai renovation costs: how to build and compare a budget

What changes the total?

Two homes with the same area can require very different work. Keeping the layout and repairing selected finishes is different from replacing bathrooms, changing joinery and coordinating service alterations. Access, protection and the condition behind existing finishes also affect the package.

Separate the base works from optional upgrades. This helps you preserve the intended scope while deciding where a more expensive finish matters to you. Ask for supplier-backed selections and current quotations rather than treating a general internet price per square foot as an offer.

Compare these lines before comparing the total

Use this table beside each contractor’s proposal. Mark each item as included, excluded or allowance, then record the quantity, specification and responsibility. Resolve gaps before comparing the final figures.

Separate fixed prices from allowances

An allowance is money reserved for something not fully specified. Ask what quantity and quality it assumes, how the final amount will be calculated and who must approve an adjustment. An exclusion is different: it may require a separate appointment or budget.

Keep a contingency for uncertainty that has actually been identified on the project. Ask the team to explain the risks it covers rather than adopting an arbitrary percentage as a guarantee. Track commitments as selections become firm so the remaining budget is visible.

Build a comparison sheet that keeps missing answers visible

Put each quotation against the same dated room brief and drawing revision. Keep the contractor’s submitted wording and total intact, then record your questions in separate columns. Do not silently add an assumed price to make an incomplete proposal appear comparable.

For each work item, record the location, quantity basis, product or finish reference, supply responsibility and installation scope. Mark a blank answer as “not confirmed”, not as zero cost. Ask the contractor to confirm the position in writing and reference the response or revised quotation.

RICS recommends detailed quotations and an itemised, costed schedule of works in its homeowner guide. That guide is written for UK consumers; the useful principle here is a documented comparison. Its local contracts, permissions and payment recommendations should not be assumed to apply to a Dubai project.

Example: two bathroom proposals that describe different work

Hypothetical example: Proposal A includes tile supply and installation but says existing wall preparation is excluded. Proposal B includes an identified preparation scope but leaves tile supply as an allowance. Comparing the headline totals alone does not tell you which covers your intended bathroom.

Ask both contractors to respond to the same wall condition, tile specification and quantity basis. For A, request the preparation scope and its treatment in the price. For B, request the allowance basis and how the chosen tile changes the proposal. Ask both to identify accessories, edge details and related work included in the package.

Keep unresolved concealed conditions visible until the team can assess them. Record what can be checked before appointment, what depends on later opening-up and how the resulting scope will be reviewed. Do not substitute a guessed repair allowance for a technical assessment.

Once answers arrive, record the revised totals and the remaining differences side by side. This example illustrates a comparison method; it is not an ABA PRIME quotation, a price benchmark or a description of a completed project.

Close clarifications before treating a proposal as the agreed budget

Create a short clarification list with one question per unresolved item. A useful question names the room and proposal line: “Does the bedroom painting item include the wall preparation identified during the survey? Please confirm its scope and update the proposal if needed.” A general request to “include everything” leaves the boundaries unclear.

Before choosing, compare the latest written scope, programme assumptions, delivery responsibilities and payment milestones as well as the price. Ask what each milestone represents and which documents or completed work demonstrate it. Confirm quotation validity and the stated treatment of taxes and separate charges with the contractor; do not assume two totals use the same basis.

Keep a separate list of owner purchases and other appointments required for the same finished result. Distinguish optional upgrades from necessary excluded work, and avoid counting an allowance again when the final selected item is already included in a revised total.

Save the chosen proposal version, accepted clarifications and remaining assumptions together. If the brief changes during comparison, issue the revised brief to the contractors still under consideration. The aim is to decide with visible differences, rather than to make unlike proposals look identical.

• All proposals refer to the same current brief, or differences are recorded.
• Missing answers remain marked as unconfirmed until a response arrives.
• Allowance assumptions and adjustment methods are documented.
• Required owner purchases and separate appointments are visible.
• The selected version includes the accepted clarification responses.

Use area as context, not the quotation

ABA PRIME’s completed Beach Mansion townhouse is G+1 and 1,800 sq ft. That describes the property’s scale; it does not tell you the measured wall area, number of fittings, preparation needs or material selections.

For this renovation of our own home, the owner recalls spending approximately AED 200,000–300,000 on materials alone. This is a retrospective estimate, not an audited total or a price offered to a client. No profit margin was built into the project, and a total including labour and every other cost has not been established here. Do not use this material figure as a turnkey budget or a per-square-foot rate.

The confirmed work included complete interior finishing, removal of some walls, renovation of all bathrooms, bedrooms and living spaces, and repainting throughout. The work was completed in 1.5 months. That combination of scope and selections belongs to this particular home; another property needs its own assessment and quotation.

A useful first enquiry includes location, floor plans if available, room photographs, a keep/replace list and your target finish level. The team can then identify what needs a site review and what information will make the quotation more definite.

• Every proposal prices the same revision of the brief.
• Quantities and product assumptions are visible.
• Client-supplied items and exclusions are listed.
• Allowances have a clear adjustment method.
• Changes need written cost and time approval.
• Payment and handover milestones are defined.