Questions people actually ask
Costs, approvals, how long it takes and what happens when something goes wrong. If your question is not here, ask us directly — we will add the answer.
General
How much does an interior fit-out cost in Dubai?
For a residential fit-out, most projects land between AED 180 and AED 550 per square foot depending on the level of joinery, stone and lighting. A two-bedroom apartment refresh usually starts around AED 180,000; a full villa fit-out starts around AED 900,000. The estimator on this site gives you a real range in about a minute.
How long does a project take?
Design and drawings take four to eight weeks. On site, an apartment renovation runs eight to twelve weeks, a villa fit-out sixteen to twenty-six, and a commercial floor ten to eighteen. Approvals sit inside those numbers, not on top of them.
Do you handle the approvals?
Yes. Dubai Municipality, DDA, Trakhees, the free zone authority or the building management, depending on where your property sits. We prepare and submit the drawings and carry the follow-up. It is the part clients most often underestimate and the part that most often delays a project.
Do you work on occupied homes and offices?
Yes, and it changes how we plan. Work is phased, dust is contained, and noisy trades are booked into the hours the building allows. We will tell you honestly if a phase is going to be unliveable.
What is included in your price, and what is not?
Our quote lists every line: design, drawings, approvals, materials, labour, site management and the snagging period. Anything excluded is written as an exclusion rather than left out. Authority fees, DEWA deposits and anything you buy directly are the usual exclusions.
What happens if something is wrong after handover?
There is a snagging period straight after handover and a twelve-month workmanship warranty on everything we install. Manufacturer warranties on appliances and equipment pass to you. You get one number to call, not a list of subcontractors.
Can I use my own contractor for part of the work?
You can, and plenty of clients do. We will draw a clear line on site so responsibility is not blurred, because that is where disputes start. What we cannot do is warrant work we did not carry out.
Do you work outside Dubai?
Yes. Across the UAE, and we have delivered projects overseas including in Djibouti. Anything outside the UAE is quoted with travel, shipping and local labour priced openly.
How do payments work?
Staged against progress, never fully in advance. A design fee to start, then payments tied to milestones you can actually see on site. A full schedule is in the quote before you sign anything.
Will the finished room look like the 3D?
Close, and where it cannot be, we say so before you approve it. Renders are design intent. Materials, stone veining and fabric are confirmed against physical samples on site before anything is ordered.
By service
Residential Interiors
Open the residential interiors page- Can we live in the home during the work?
- For a single-room refresh, usually yes. For a full fit-out we do not recommend it: there is dust, noise and MEP isolation. Most clients move out, and we plan the programme around their handover date.
- Do you work with handover-condition villas from the developer?
- Often. Developer handover units come with base finishes, and we design around what is worth keeping, which usually saves a meaningful part of the budget.
- Do you supply the furniture too?
- Yes, if you want us to. We can deliver the shell finished and leave furniture to you, or hand over a fully styled home.
Commercial & Fit-Out
Open the commercial & fit-out page- How long do landlord and authority approvals take?
- Typically two to four weeks, depending on the building and the authority. We submit while the design is being finalised so the two run in parallel rather than one after the other.
- Can you work outside business hours?
- Yes. In occupied buildings and malls most works run at night or over weekends, and that is priced into the programme rather than added later.
- Do you do clinics and food outlets?
- Yes. Both carry extra authority requirements, DHA for clinics and Food Safety for F&B, and we build those approvals into the timeline from the start.
Pre-Construction & 3D
Open the pre-construction & 3d page- Can I use the renders with another contractor?
- Yes. The pack is yours once paid for. If you build with us, the visualisation fee is credited against the fit-out contract.
- How accurate are the renders?
- They are built from measured drawings and real product data, so what you approve is what gets built. Where a finish cannot be matched exactly, we say so before you sign off.
- What is the AR preview?
- A link you open on your phone that places the designed room in your actual space at true scale. It is the fastest way to judge whether a layout feels right.
Renovation
Open the renovation page- Do I need approval to renovate my apartment?
- Usually yes. Most buildings require a fit-out NOC from the developer or owners association, and anything structural or affecting MEP needs Dubai Municipality approval. We handle both.
- Can you renovate one room only?
- Yes. Single kitchens and bathrooms are common projects for us, and they follow the same process, only shorter.
- What if you find a problem once work starts?
- We stop, photograph it, price it and get your written approval before continuing. Nothing is added to your bill without that.
Unparalleled Service
Open the unparalleled service page- How fast can you actually deliver?
- It depends on scope and on long-lead items like stone, glass and imported joinery. We will tell you at the feasibility stage whether a date is realistic rather than agreeing and missing it.
- Does fast-track cost more?
- Usually yes, because of overtime, parallel trades and expedited shipping. The premium is shown as its own line in the quotation, so you can decide whether the date is worth it.
- What counts as heritage work here?
- Older Dubai properties, listed or culturally significant buildings, and homes where original joinery, plasterwork or materials should be conserved rather than replaced.
Post-Handover Care
Open the post-handover care page- Is this only for spaces you built?
- No. We take on interiors built by others, though the first visit is a fuller inspection so we know what we are maintaining.
- What is not covered?
- Accidental damage, tenant misuse and items outside the agreed scope. Those are quoted separately, and the plan makes the boundary explicit.
- How is this different from the warranty?
- The 12-month warranty covers our workmanship failing. The care plan is scheduled upkeep and priority support, which is a different thing and runs for as long as you want it.
Still not sure?
Ask the question in your own words. A designer answers, not a chatbot, usually within one working day.