Turnkey Renovation Dubai: One Fixed Price, One Contractor, Design to Handover
Renovel's turnkey renovation service takes your apartment, villa or office from the first site survey to the day you get the keys back. One contract, one fixed price, one project manager, and one team handling design, approvals, demolition, MEP, finishes, joinery and snagging. You approve the design and the number, then we build it.
What Turnkey Renovation Actually Means
Turnkey is a delivery model, not a finish level. It means the contractor is responsible for the whole chain: design, approvals, procurement, every trade, and the finished result. You turn the key and move in. The alternative, which most Dubai homeowners try first, is appointing a designer, then a main contractor, then a joinery workshop, then a marble supplier, then an AC company, and holding all of it together yourself.
The difference shows up in who absorbs the gaps. Trade-by-trade, the tiler waits on the plumber, the joiner measures before the screed is level, and nobody owns the week that was lost. Under a turnkey contract that risk sits with us, inside the price you signed.
| Turnkey with Renovel | Traditional trade-by-trade | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts you sign | One, covering design, materials and all trades | Five to ten separate agreements |
| Who manages the trades | Your project manager | You, in person or by phone from abroad |
| Who carries cost risk inside the agreed scope | The contractor | You, on every gap between trades |
| Point of contact | One name, one number | One per trade, plus suppliers |
| Materials procurement | Sourced at contractor rates and scheduled | You buy retail and store it yourself |
| Programme and sequencing | Our responsibility, with milestone dates | Yours, and delays cascade |
| NOC and permit paperwork | We prepare and submit it | You submit and chase it |
| When a defect appears | One party is accountable | Trades blame each other |
Turnkey works for a whole property or for a single room. If your project is one space rather than the full unit, see kitchen renovation or bathroom renovation, both of which we also deliver on a fixed-price turnkey basis.
The Turnkey Process, Stage by Stage
Ten stages from the first phone call to the handover walkthrough. You approve the design and the fixed price at stage three, before any money goes into construction.
Brief and Site Survey
We visit the property, measure every room, photograph existing conditions, and check the ceiling voids, MEP routes and wet-area layouts that decide what is realistic. We take your budget honestly at this stage.
Design and 3D Visuals
Layouts, material palette and photoreal renders of the key rooms, so you approve the finished look before a single wall comes down. Technical drawings follow: electrical points, lighting, joinery and elevations.
Fixed-Price Scope and Contract
A line-by-line scope with named products, quantities and allowances, priced as one lump sum. Exclusions are written down. You sign once and the number holds unless you change the scope.
Approvals and NOC
We prepare drawings, contractor trade licence and insurance, and lodge the building or community NOC. Where structural, wet-area or MEP work is involved we run the Dubai Municipality or Trakhees permit in parallel.
Demolition and Strip-Out
Protection of lifts, corridors and retained finishes first, then controlled strip-out with debris removed within the hours your building allows. Hidden conditions are photographed and reported the same week.
MEP First Fix
Plumbing, drainage, electrical containment, lighting circuits and AC modifications are installed and tested before anything is closed up. Waterproofing to wet areas is flood-tested and signed off.
Finishes
Screeds, tiling, gypsum ceilings, cornices, wall finishes and paint. This is the longest phase on most projects and the one where sequencing between trades saves or loses weeks.
Joinery and Second Fix
Kitchen cabinetry, wardrobes, vanities, TV units and doors installed, then sanitaryware, switches, light fittings and ironmongery. Made-to-measure joinery is templated on site, not ordered blind.
Snagging
We snag the property ourselves, fix our own list, then walk it with you and fix yours. Nothing is called complete while an item is open.
Handover
Keys, warranties, as-built drawings, paint codes and product data sheets handed over, site cleaned, and the community deposit reclaimed on your behalf.
Turnkey Renovation Cost in Dubai (2026)
These are current Dubai market ranges for a turnkey project delivered under one contract. The spread inside each row is scope, not sales tactics: the bottom of the range is a refresh, the top is a gut and rebuild with new MEP, new wet areas and fitted joinery throughout. We convert this into a single fixed number after the site survey.
| Property type | Typical area | Turnkey range |
|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bedroom apartmentLower end is a refresh with paint, flooring and fixtures. Upper end is a full gut with new kitchen, bathroom and fitted joinery. | 500 to 900 sqft | AED 45,000 to 180,000 |
| 2-bedroom apartmentThe most common Dubai project. Mid-range full turnkey typically lands between AED 120,000 and 200,000. | 1,000 to 1,400 sqft | AED 80,000 to 350,000 |
| 3-bedroom apartmentTwo or three bathrooms plus a kitchen usually account for 40 to 50 percent of the budget. | 1,500 to 2,000 sqft | AED 120,000 to 500,000 |
| 3-bedroom townhouse or small villaExternal works, landscaping and garage conversions sit outside these figures unless quoted. | 2,500 to 3,500 sqft | AED 250,000 to 900,000 |
| 4 to 5-bedroom villaStructural changes, DEWA load upgrades and imported stone push projects to the top of the range. | 3,500 to 5,000 sqft | AED 400,000 to 1.5M |
| Office fit-outCategory A refurbishment runs AED 200 to 450 per sqft, Category B fit-out AED 400 to 800, premium turnkey AED 700 to 1,200 and above. | priced per sqft | AED 200 to 800 per sqft |
On per-sqft figures. Published Dubai rates look contradictory because they measure different scopes. A contractor quoting AED 80 to 150 per sqft for a budget apartment is pricing paint, flooring and fixtures. A contractor quoting AED 300 to 600 per sqft is pricing a full gut with new plumbing and electrics, new kitchen and bathrooms, and custom joinery. Villa rates run roughly AED 250 to 400 per sqft basic, AED 400 to 650 mid-range and AED 650 to 1,200 and above at luxury specification. A per-sqft number without a written scope attached to it tells you nothing. Ask any contractor what is inside theirs.
Budget separately for approvals on structural projects: a Dubai Municipality permit application is typically AED 1,000 to 5,000, licensed consultant drawings AED 3,000 to 10,000, and community NOC plus refundable security deposit AED 5,000 to 30,000. A DEWA load amendment, if your new scheme needs more capacity, can add AED 5,000 to 45,000. For room-level breakdowns see our cost guides for apartment renovation and villa renovation.
How the Fixed Price Works, and What Triggers a Variation
Renovel prices turnkey projects as a lump sum. Under UAE practice a lump sum contract fixes the total price at signing against a defined scope, and the contractor carries the risk if quantities were underestimated or a trade runs long. The opposite model, cost plus, bills you for actual costs plus a fee: flexible if the design is still moving, but you carry the overrun. We use lump sum because the design is settled and approved before we price it.
A fixed price is only as good as the scope behind it. Ours lists rooms, named products, quantities, allowances where a selection is still open, and a written exclusions list. Scope ambiguity is the single most common source of renovation disputes in Dubai, so anything vague at quoting stage gets pinned down before signature rather than argued about at week six.
The price then moves for three reasons only, and each one is quoted and signed before the work happens:
You change the specification
You upgrade the porcelain to marble, add a wall, or decide the wardrobe should run full height. Priced as an addition, approved by you in writing.
An authority requires it
Dubai Municipality, the master developer or the building engineer asks for something the approved drawings did not show, such as a revised AC route or fire-rated works.
The strip-out uncovers something
Failed waterproofing, corroded pipework, non-compliant wiring, or unapproved alterations by a previous owner. We photograph it, quote it, and you decide before we proceed.
If you are comparing several firms, our guide on how to choose a renovation company in Dubai sets out the questions that separate a real fixed price from a low headline number.
Payment Milestones
Payments are released against physical progress, not against dates in a diary. If a stage is not finished, the instalment is not due. This is the structure we use on most turnkey projects.
| Milestone | Released when | Typical share |
|---|---|---|
| Contract signing and mobilisation | Contract executed, site protection installed, materials ordered | 20 to 30% |
| Demolition and strip-out complete | Strip-out finished, debris removed, hidden conditions reported | 15 to 20% |
| MEP first fix signed off | Plumbing, electrical and AC roughed in and tested, waterproofing flood-tested | 15 to 20% |
| Finishes and joinery installed | Tiling, ceilings, paint and cabinetry in place | 20 to 25% |
| Practical completion | Snag list closed, property cleaned, handover documents issued | 10 to 15% |
| Retention release | Defects liability period expires | 5 to 10%, held 3 months |
A retention of 5 to 10 percent held for a 3-month defects liability period is standard UAE practice and protects you after handover. Be cautious of any contractor asking for more than about 30 percent before mobilisation.
Realistic Turnkey Timelines
Two numbers matter: how long we are on site, and how long the whole thing takes including design, approvals and procurement. Most delays in Dubai happen before the first hammer, not after.
| Scope | On site | Brief to handover |
|---|---|---|
| Single kitchen or bathroom, turnkey | 3 to 5 weeks | 6 to 9 weeks |
| 1 to 2-bedroom apartment, refresh to mid-range | 5 to 8 weeks | 9 to 14 weeks |
| 2 to 3-bedroom apartment, full gut and rebuild | 8 to 12 weeks | 14 to 20 weeks |
| Townhouse or small villa, full turnkey | 12 to 18 weeks | 18 to 26 weeks |
| Large villa with structural changes | 16 to 28 weeks | 24 to 40 weeks |
| Office fit-out, 2,000 to 5,000 sqft | 6 to 12 weeks | 10 to 18 weeks |
Add lead time for imported materials. Natural stone, specialist sanitaryware and European appliances routinely run 8 to 14 weeks, which is why we lock selections during the design stage rather than mid-build. Full-property projects are covered in more detail on our apartment renovation page, and commercial work on our office renovation page.
What Is Included, and What Is Not
A turnkey quote that lists only inclusions is half a quote. Here is both sides, written the way it appears in our contracts.
Included in the fixed price
- + Full design service: layouts, 3D visuals, material palette and the technical drawing set
- + Building or community NOC application and the Dubai Municipality or Trakhees permit where required
- + All materials named in the scope, sourced at contractor rates with samples approved before ordering
- + Every trade: demolition, plumbing, electrical, AC modifications, waterproofing, tiling, gypsum, painting, joinery and glass
- + Site protection, waste removal and end-of-project deep clean
- + A dedicated project manager, weekly photo and video updates, and milestone video calls
- + Snagging, warranty documentation, as-built drawings and paint codes at handover
Not included, quoted separately
- − VAT at 5 percent, which is added to the contract sum
- − Refundable community security deposits, which are paid to the developer and reclaimed after final inspection
- − DEWA load upgrade or meter amendment fees where the new scheme needs extra capacity
- − Loose furniture, curtains, artwork and appliances unless listed as a line item in the scope
- − Structural engineering consultant fees on projects that alter load-bearing elements
- − Asbestos, unregistered structural alterations by a previous owner, and other concealed conditions, which are priced as a variation once opened up and photographed
Most contractors carry a 15 to 20 percent contingency mentally but never mention it. We would rather write the exclusions down, keep the fixed price honest, and price concealed conditions transparently if and when they appear.
Why a Single Point of Contact Matters in Dubai Specifically
Renovating in Dubai is not only a construction problem, it is an approvals and access problem. A turnkey contractor absorbs both.
Two layers of approval
A building management or master developer NOC is needed for almost any work, including paint. A Dubai Municipality or Trakhees permit is needed on top when you touch walls, wet areas, MEP points or ceilings. NOC review runs about 5 to 7 working days, the municipality permit 10 to 12.
Facilities management gatekeeping
Buildings set working hours, lift booking slots, debris routes, insurance requirements and refundable deposits. Miss one and your trades are turned away at the gate. Our project manager holds that relationship for you.
Ten or more trades in a small space
A full apartment gut involves demolition, plumbing, electrical, AC, waterproofing, tiling, gypsum, painting, joinery, glass and cleaning. Someone has to sequence them so nobody works over wet screed or drills a finished wall.
Real consequences for getting it wrong
Unapproved work in Dubai draws fines from AED 10,000, stop-work orders, forced reinstatement at your cost, and a flag on the property at DLD when you come to sell. One accountable contractor is cheaper than that.
Turnkey delivery sits at the centre of everything we do. Browse the full range on our Dubai renovation services page, or start with a site survey and a fixed proposal for your property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is turnkey renovation in Dubai?
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Turnkey renovation means one contractor takes the property from design through to a finished, ready-to-use space under a single contract. It covers design and 3D visuals, building NOC and municipality permits, materials procurement, every trade from demolition and MEP to tiling, joinery and painting, then snagging and handover. You sign one contract, receive one invoice schedule, and speak to one project manager instead of coordinating five to ten separate suppliers yourself.
How much does a turnkey renovation cost in Dubai in 2026?
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A turnkey apartment renovation in Dubai runs roughly AED 45,000 to 180,000 for a studio or 1-bedroom, AED 80,000 to 350,000 for a 2-bedroom and AED 120,000 to 500,000 for a 3-bedroom, depending on whether the scope is a refresh or a full gut and rebuild. Townhouses and villas run AED 250,000 to 1.5 million. Office fit-out is priced per area at AED 200 to 450 per sqft for Category A and AED 400 to 800 per sqft for Category B. VAT at 5 percent is added on top of the contract sum.
Is a turnkey renovation price actually fixed?
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Yes, within the scope you sign. We price the project as a lump sum against a line-by-line scope with named products and quantities, so we carry the risk of quantities being wrong or trades running long. The price changes only through a signed variation order, which happens for three reasons: you change your mind about a specification, an authority requires something the drawings did not show, or the strip-out uncovers a concealed condition such as failed waterproofing or non-compliant wiring. Every variation is quoted and approved in writing before the work is done.
How long does a turnkey renovation take in Dubai?
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A 1 to 2-bedroom apartment takes 5 to 8 weeks on site and 9 to 14 weeks from first meeting to handover. A full 2 to 3-bedroom gut takes 8 to 12 weeks on site. A townhouse or small villa runs 12 to 18 weeks on site, and a large villa with structural changes 16 to 28 weeks. Approvals are the variable most people underestimate: a building NOC takes about 5 to 7 working days, and a Dubai Municipality permit review typically takes 10 to 12 working days, so allow 4 to 14 weeks of approvals on a structural project before construction can start.
Do I need an NOC or a permit for a turnkey renovation?
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Almost always. A building management or master developer NOC is required for virtually any work in a Dubai apartment or community villa, including paint-only jobs. A Dubai Municipality or Trakhees building permit is required on top of that when you move or add electrical and plumbing points, remove or add walls, change anything inside a wet area, or alter ceilings that affect MEP routes. Working without approval risks fines from AED 10,000, a stop-work order and forced reinstatement. We prepare the drawings and lodge both applications as part of the turnkey scope.
How are payments structured, and do I need to be in Dubai?
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Payments are tied to construction stages, not to the calendar: typically 20 to 30 percent on contract signing and mobilisation, then instalments released at strip-out complete, MEP first fix signed off, and finishes and joinery installed, with 10 to 15 percent at practical completion and 5 to 10 percent retained for a 3-month defects period. You do not need to be in Dubai. Many of our turnkey clients are overseas for the whole project and approve stages through photo and video updates and milestone video calls.
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