Villa renovation cost Dubai: a 2026 price guide
A 4 bedroom villa renovation in Dubai usually costs AED 180,000 to AED 280,000 turnkey, which works out at roughly AED 350 to AED 600 per square foot of renovated area. Lacasa Line Decoration Design And Fitout LLC runs full villa renovation packages from AED 100,000 for owners who need a tighter, well defined scope.
Why work with Lacasa Line Decoration Design And Fitout LLC
- Fixed price villa renovation packages from AED 100,000
- In house design, joinery and fit out teams under one contract
- DET and DEWA approval handling managed inside the scope
- Turnkey handover with one project manager as your single contact
- Villa renovation work across Dubai and Sharjah
- Google rating 5.0 from 4 customer reviews
What a villa renovation costs in Dubai in 2026
Most owners spend between AED 180,000 and AED 280,000 on the core areas of a 4 bedroom villa, or AED 1.2 million to AED 2.2 million when every square foot of a 3,000 to 4,000 sq ft home is stripped and rebuilt. Scope, not quality, is what separates those two numbers.
Line item costs we quote most often:
| Scope | Typical Dubai cost |
|---|---|
| Kitchen replacement | AED 45,000 to AED 120,000 |
| Single bathroom renovation | AED 18,000 to AED 45,000 |
| MEP rework, electrical, plumbing and AC | AED 60,000 to AED 150,000 |
| Joinery, wardrobes, TV units and doors | AED 40,000 to AED 110,000 |
| Flooring replacement | AED 35,000 to AED 95,000 |
| Extension or new majlis | AED 450 to AED 900 per sq ft |
Age drives more of the bill than anything else. A villa built before 2010 usually needs new wiring, new water lines and upgraded AC, and that MEP package alone can be AED 60,000 to AED 150,000.
If you also own property in Sharjah, the same scope typically prices 10 to 15 percent lower. Labour rates and municipal fees are lower there, and older villas are usually easier to access, so the fitting and finishing hours drop.
Cost per square foot by villa size and type
Per square foot pricing in Dubai applies to the area you renovate, not the plot, and the rate rises with finish level while it falls as the volume of work grows.
| Villa type | Rate per sq ft of renovated area | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| 3 bed townhouse, standard finish | AED 350 to 450 | Fewer AC units, shorter service runs |
| 4 to 5 bed villa, mid range | AED 400 to 550 | Larger kitchen, more wardrobes, longer runs |
| 5 bed plus villa, premium finish | AED 500 to 700 | Imported stone, custom joinery, smart home |
| Extension or full rebuild | AED 700 to 1,200 | Structure, roof, glazing, all new MEP |
Here is a worked example from a Dubai villa we priced this year, a 4 bedroom home with original 2008 finishes. New kitchen AED 58,000. Three bathrooms AED 72,000. Wardrobes and TV joinery AED 52,000. Wood-look tile flooring AED 32,000. MEP upgrade and lighting AED 38,000. Painting and final finishing AED 12,000. Total AED 264,000 turnkey, including DET and DEWA submissions. You can see the finish level on similar completed villa renovation projects in Dubai.
Bedroom corner finishing inside a Dubai villa renovation, styled with black art panels and a cream lounge chair.
What pushes the price up
Structural work, layout changes, imported finishes and compressed programmes are the four levers that move a Dubai villa renovation budget most.
- Removing a load bearing wall. Structural calculation, DET submission and steel. Budget AED 15,000 to AED 40,000 per wall.
- Moving a bathroom or a kitchen. Breaking slab, new falls and waterproofing. Add AED 12,000 to AED 30,000 per wet area.
- Imported finishes. Italian porcelain or European sanitaryware can add 30 to 60 percent to those lines.
- A full DET permit instead of a fit out notice. Layout and structure changes trigger the heavier approval route.
- Crashing the programme. Turning a 16 week villa renovation timeline in Dubai into 8 weeks adds 10 to 20 percent in labour.
What pulls the price down
Keeping the layout, phasing the work, buying joinery from the fit out contractor and choosing materials already stocked locally are the fastest ways to cut the cost of villa renovation in Dubai.
- Keep every wall you can. Each one you keep saves design, permit and demolition money.
- Phase the work across two budget years. Kitchen and bathrooms first, joinery second, flooring last.
- Take joinery in house. Buying wardrobes from the same team doing the fit out removes a layer of margin. One client put it plainly:
The wardrobe cabinets fit well. Looks clean and straight. We are happy with the finish. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5/5
- Specify materials available off the shelf in Dubai. A tile in stock in Al Quoz beats a 10 week import on both price and programme.
- Leave the AC and the main distribution board where they are unless the villa genuinely needs the upgrade.
DET permit and DEWA fees as line items, not surprises
Approval costs on a Dubai villa renovation usually total AED 3,000 to AED 9,000, and they belong in your quote as named lines rather than one vague approvals allowance.
- DET building permit for villa fit out: AED 1,500 to AED 4,000 depending on scope and whether structure is touched.
- Consultant drawings and submission: AED 1,500 to AED 3,000.
- DEWA inspection and connection NOC: AED 500 to AED 1,500.
- Community or master developer NOC: AED 500 to AED 5,000.
We walk through the full sequence in our guide to villa renovation permits in Dubai.
Master bedroom with smoked mirror wall and layered lighting, completed as part of a full Dubai villa renovation.
Fixed price vs BOQ quotes, and how to get a fixed quote
A BOQ quote prices every item and the final bill moves with measured quantities, while a fixed price quote locks the total for a defined scope and only changes when you sign a variation order.
Variation orders are where villa renovation price Dubai budgets break. Moving a socket, upgrading a tile or adding a wall after mobilisation costs more than the same change priced before you sign, because the crew is already on site and the sequence has to be rebuilt.
How to get a fixed price in six steps:
- Send your floor plan and photos of the villa to +971588672244 on WhatsApp.
- Book a site visit so we can measure the rooms and check the services.
- Receive a scope document naming materials, brands and quantities.
- Get a fixed price with the exclusions written down.
- Approve the drawings and let us handle DET and DEWA submissions.
- Pay against milestones, not against dates.
Then get a fixed-price villa renovation quote in Dubai and compare it line by line with anything else you have been offered.
Frequently asked questions
How much does villa renovation cost per square foot in Dubai?
Expect AED 350 to AED 600 per square foot of renovated area for a mid range villa, and AED 700 to AED 1,200 per square foot where structure, extensions or a full rebuild are involved. The rate applies to the area being renovated, not the plot size, so a 4 bedroom villa where you renovate the kitchen, bathrooms, joinery and flooring usually lands between AED 180,000 and AED 280,000. Premium imported finishes push the top of that range higher.
How much does a kitchen only renovation cost in Dubai?
A full kitchen replacement in Dubai typically costs AED 45,000 to AED 120,000 including cabinets, stone worktops, plumbing and electrical. The range depends on whether you keep the existing layout, the door finish you choose, and whether appliances are included. Keeping the sink and hob positions usually saves AED 8,000 to AED 15,000.
What is the payment schedule for a villa renovation in Dubai?
Most Dubai fit out contracts run on milestone payments, commonly 30 percent on mobilisation, 40 percent across the joinery and MEP stages, 25 percent before handover and 5 percent after snagging is cleared. Never pay a large balance before DET completion and DEWA sign off, because that is when defects show up. Ask for the schedule to be written into the fixed price quote.
Are DET and DEWA approval fees included in a villa renovation quote?
They should be listed as named lines rather than bundled into a general allowance. On a typical Dubai villa renovation, DET permit and submission fees run AED 3,000 to AED 7,000, and DEWA plus community NOCs add AED 1,000 to AED 6,500 depending on your master developer. Ask for the fee breakdown before you sign anything.
Is AED 100,000 realistic for a villa renovation in Dubai?
Yes, but only for a defined scope. AED 100,000 covers a new kitchen, two bathrooms, wardrobes and full repainting in a typical 3 bedroom villa in Dubai, or a phased first stage of a larger villa. It does not cover a whole villa strip out with new MEP, flooring and joinery in every room. We scope room by room so you know exactly which side of that line your project sits on.
