If you are planning a home makeover in Dubai, you will hear very different numbers from different people. One firm quotes AED 150 per square foot. Another says AED 800. Both can be right, because they are talking about different homes. Here is a straight breakdown.

Price per square foot

For a full interior with fit-out, joinery, lighting and furniture, prices fall into three bands.

  • Basic work: AED 150 to 250 per sq ft
  • Mid-range materials: AED 300 to 500 per sq ft
  • Luxury, with custom joinery and imported stone: from AED 800 per sq ft

Most well-finished homes sit in the middle band.

Typical mid-range budgets

  • 1-bedroom apartment (700 to 950 sq ft): AED 210,000 to 475,000
  • 2-bedroom apartment (1,100 to 1,500 sq ft): AED 330,000 to 750,000
  • 3-bedroom apartment or townhouse: AED 540,000 to 1.5 million
  • 4 to 5-bedroom villa: AED 1.2 to 3.25 million

These figures assume a full fit-out. If your apartment is ready to move into and only needs furniture, lighting and styling, you will spend a fraction of this, because no walls, ceilings or building services are touched.

Designer fees

For a full home, designers in Dubai charge between 8% and 25% of the project value. An hourly consultation runs AED 100 to 300, and a flat fee for one room can range from AED 2,000 to 15,000 or more.

The fairest setup is a fixed design fee agreed when you sign. Amanda D’souza charges 8% to 12%, written into the contract, with supplier costs shown openly. This matters because a fee that rises with your spending gives the designer a reason to suggest marble over porcelain.

Check what the fee covers. It should list concept boards, space planning, 3D visuals, construction drawings, a finishes schedule and a bill of quantities. Furniture, building work and authority fees are paid separately.

Where an AED 1 million budget goes

  • Materials and execution: 65% to 70%
  • Electrical, plumbing and AC: 10% to 15%
  • Design fee: 8% to 12%
  • Approvals and fees: 2% to 4%

Most of the money goes into the building itself. The design fee is a small slice, and its job is to prevent expensive mistakes in the big ones.

What changes the price most

Home size matters less than you might expect. Three things move the number more: how much work you need, the materials you choose and where the home is.

A cosmetic refresh costs very differently from a renovation that moves walls and plumbing. Veneer and solid timber are far apart in price, and so are porcelain and natural marble. And a Palm Jumeirah villa has different approval steps, working hours and delivery rules from a Downtown apartment.

How long it takes

A turnkey apartment or townhouse usually takes 10 to 20 weeks from first sketch to handover. A full villa renovation with approvals takes 6 to 12 months.

Two habits that save money

Keep an extra 15% in reserve for a new home and 20% for a renovation, whoever you hire. You will probably need some of it.

And settle every decision, from tiles to socket positions, before site work starts. A change on a drawing costs nothing. The same change in a finished wall costs a lot.

For more on how Amanda plans budgets and timelines, see amandadsouza.com.