Apartment Renovation in Dubai.

Most apartments in Dubai were handed over with builder-grade finishes: beige tiles, basic kitchen cabinets, standard sanitary ware and plain white walls. After a few years of use, or when you buy a resale unit, those finishes start to show their age. An apartment renovation brings the home up to date, makes it more comfortable to live in and, for investors, more attractive to tenants and buyers. Our team renovates studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses across Dubai.

Renovating inside a tower: what is different

Renovating an apartment is not the same as renovating a villa. You share walls, floors, lifts and corridors with neighbours, and the building has rules to protect them. Before any work starts, we help you understand what your building usually requires:

• Work permit or NOC. Most buildings managed by Emaar, Nakheel, Meraas, Dubai Properties and private owners associations require a permit or a no-objection letter before renovation. Some also require a refundable security deposit.
• Working hours. Noisy work such as tile breaking and drilling is usually limited to weekday daytime hours, and often not allowed on Fridays or weekends in residential towers.
• Lift and corridor protection. Service lifts must be booked for materials and debris, and lift interiors and corridors protected.
• Debris removal. Renovation waste cannot go in the building’s garbage chute. We bag it and remove it from the site.
• Restrictions on wet areas and structure. Moving bathrooms, cutting into slabs or removing walls is normally not allowed without engineering approval, and some buildings do not allow it at all.

The permit application is usually made by the owner or the tenant with the landlord’s approval. We provide our company documents, insurance details if required, a scope of work and the names of our team, which is what most building managements ask for.

What we renovate in apartments

Kitchens

Many Dubai apartment kitchens are small or open-plan. We replace or reface cabinets, install new worktops and backsplashes, improve lighting under the wall units, add storage solutions and fit new sinks and taps. For open kitchens in JVC, Business Bay and Dubai Marina, we often add a breakfast bar or island where space allows. Our kitchen cabinets page has more detail.

Bathrooms

Bathroom renovation usually means new floor and wall tiles, renewed waterproofing in the shower area, a new vanity, toilet, shower and fittings. Swapping a bath for a walk-in shower is one of the most popular changes. See bathroom renovation.

Flooring

Replacing old tiles with large-format porcelain or engineered parquet changes the whole feel of an apartment. In occupied apartments, SPC flooring laid over existing tiles is a quieter, faster option with less dust and no breaking. See flooring services.

Ceilings, walls and lighting

Gypsum ceilings with cove lighting, feature walls, wallpaper, and a complete repaint in a modern palette. We replace old downlights with warm LED fittings and add lighting where the original apartment had none.

Wardrobes and storage

Fitted floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom, entrance storage and TV units. In smaller apartments, built-in storage makes a big difference.

Popular apartment renovation projects

• Resale refresh. You bought an older unit in The Greens, JLT or Dubai Marina and want to modernise it before moving in.
• Rental upgrade. Landlords updating kitchens, bathrooms and floors to raise the rental value or reduce vacancy.
• Holiday home fit-out. Owners preparing units in Downtown Dubai, Business Bay or Palm Jumeirah for short-term rental, where durable finishes and a consistent look matter.
• Family changes. Turning a study into a nursery, adding storage, or creating a home office with a gypsum partition.

How long does an apartment renovation take?

Timing depends on scope, permits and materials. As a rough guide, a bathroom renovation takes one to two weeks, a kitchen two to three weeks, and a full renovation of a two-bedroom apartment four to eight weeks. Permit approval can add a week or more before work starts, so it is worth applying early. Custom cabinets and imported tiles can have longer lead times, which we factor into the schedule.

Living in the apartment during work

For small projects such as a single bathroom or new flooring in bedrooms, many families stay at home and we work room by room. For full renovations with kitchen and bathroom work at the same time, it is usually more comfortable to stay elsewhere for part of the project. We will tell you honestly which stages are disruptive so you can plan.

Our process

1. Free site visit, measurements and a conversation about what you want.
2. Written scope and itemised quote, with material options.
3. Permit documents prepared for your building management.
4. Protection of the apartment, lift and corridors, then work in a planned sequence.
5. Regular photo updates, a final walk-through and a snag list completed before handover.

Book a free site visit

Send photos of the apartment and a short description of what you want to change on WhatsApp, along with the building name. Knowing the building helps us tell you what permits are usually needed. We will arrange a site visit, usually within a few days.

Helpful guides from our team

• Kitchen renovation in Dubai: prices and permits