Apartment Renovation in Dubai

The most useful answer to "how much does apartment renovation in Dubai cost" is to break it by apartment type and scope rather than throw a single "from AED X" number. Here are real ranges from First Unicorn BOQs over the last 12 months across the towers we work in regularly.

Studio (350–550 sqft) — common in Marina, JBR, Business Bay, JLT, DAMAC Hills towers, Dubai Creek Harbour. Full renovation (kitchen + bathroom + paint + flooring + light joinery) typically AED 45,000–75,000. The cost is dominated by the kitchen (AED 35,000–45,000 even for a small kitchen) and the bathroom (AED 18,000–25,000) because cabinetry, worktop and sanitaryware are roughly fixed regardless of how small the room is.

1-bedroom (700–950 sqft) — very common across all clusters. Full renovation typically AED 75,000–120,000 for a standard owner-occupier scope, AED 120,000–170,000 for premium finish with custom joinery and smart-home, AED 170,000–240,000 for luxury with marble and Italian brands.

2-bedroom (1,100–1,500 sqft) — the most common Dubai apartment renovation size in our pipeline. Full renovation typically AED 110,000–170,000 standard, AED 170,000–240,000 premium, AED 240,000–360,000 luxury.

3-bedroom (1,500–2,200 sqft) — less common but typical in Marina premium towers (Le Reve, 23 Marina, Marina Pinnacle premium floors), Downtown (The Address, Burj Vista, Burj Crown), Palm Jumeirah (Shoreline Apartments, Marina Residences, Tiara), JBR upper floors. Full renovation typically AED 160,000–230,000 standard, AED 230,000–340,000 premium, AED 340,000–520,000 luxury.

Penthouse and duplex (2,500–5,500 sqft) — specialised projects in premium towers. Full renovation typically AED 350,000–700,000 at premium tier, AED 700,000–1,200,000+ at luxury tier with structural reconfiguration.

What pushes the price up: book-matched marble or Italian Calacatta (adds AED 25,000–75,000 per apartment), full smart-home with lighting/AC/blinds/security/multi-room audio (adds AED 25,000–60,000), Italian kitchen brands like Pedini, Boffi, Aster (doubles or triples the kitchen cost), bespoke fully-rebated joinery (adds AED 1,800–3,500 per linear metre), full-height glazing replacement with low-E coating (AED 8,000–15,000 per linear metre).

What pulls the price down: keeping existing flooring where sound (saves AED 20,000–40,000), refacing kitchen cabinets instead of full replacement (saves AED 20,000–35,000), regrouting existing wet-area tile instead of replacing (saves AED 8,000–15,000 per bathroom), staying within existing electrical and plumbing layout (no DM permit, faster timeline), Korean over Italian appliance brands.

Across 800+ Dubai projects we've worked in 60+ named towers. Here are the things that vary tower-by-tower and that an experienced apartment renovation contractor in Dubai should know without having to look up.

Working hours rules. Most Marina towers (Cayan, Damac Heights, Princess, Marina Crown) permit 9 am–6 pm Saturday–Thursday. JBR clusters generally permit 9 am–5 pm with no work after 4 pm on Thursdays. Downtown premium towers (The Address Downtown, Burj Vista, Burj Royale) restrict heavy-noise work to 10 am–4 pm only. DIFC towers (DIFC Index Tower residential floors, Park Tower) operate on commercial timing 9 am–5 pm with even tighter noise rules. We schedule realistically based on these from Day 0.

Lift use rules. Most Dubai buildings allow materials lift use for renovation, but only off-peak (typically 10 am–4 pm) and only one lift at a time. Some buildings (Cayan, Princess Tower, 23 Marina) require lift booking in advance through the OA. Some (The Address Downtown) require a dedicated freight elevator at an additional access fee. Our project managers know the protocols by building.

Security deposit ranges. AED 2,000–5,000 is standard for most buildings. Premium Downtown and Palm Jumeirah towers can demand AED 10,000–20,000 deposits. DIFC residential buildings often require additional commercial-grade insurance certificates. The deposit is included as a pass-through line in our BOQ — not a hidden cost.

Common defects we see at site visits. JBR apartments: salt-air corrosion of window frames, balcony waterproofing failures, dated kitchen cabinetry. Marina apartments: gypsum-ceiling water damage from poor balcony detailing on older towers, original developer kitchen carcass swelling at the toe-kick area. Downtown apartments: rarely structural issues, mostly aesthetic upgrading to current style. Business Bay apartments: original-developer plumbing failures around 8–10 years post-handover.

Compliance items that catch contractors out. Some buildings require a Dubai Municipality contractor classification card check by name at security; if your contractor's site supervisor isn't on the cleared list, they don't enter. Some buildings require photocopies of every workman's Emirates ID. Some require a daily worker log. Some run random fire-safety audits during active renovations. We handle all of this in the background — the owner doesn't see it.

What we recommend on every Dubai apartment renovation. Always rebuild wet-area waterproofing as triple-membrane with flood test. Always replace original developer plumbing isolation valves — they're a known failure point. Always upgrade the AC controller to a smart thermostat (Honeywell T6 or Daikin DCS) — the developer-issued wall controllers are basic and AC bills drop noticeably after the upgrade. Always reseal balcony doors and replace seals if 5+ years old — the dust-and-noise ingress reduction is significant.

One thing we never recommend. Cheaper "value engineering" on waterproofing or electrical. These are the two trades where Dubai apartment problems compound — a leaking shower at year 4 means damage to the apartment below and a serious AED 25,000+ remediation. We don't cut on either of these, ever, regardless of pricing pressure.