Before You Renovate a UAE Villa: A Contractor Checklist

Open up before you price

Any renovation quoted without opening a ceiling void or lifting a bathroom floor is a guess. Ask for an investigation stage. It costs a little and prevents variation claims later.

Check waterproofing age honestly

If the property is over fifteen years old and the bathrooms have never been re-tanked, budget for it now. Retiling over failing waterproofing is money spent twice.

Electrical capacity, not just sockets

Older villas were wired for a different load. Before adding a kitchen, outdoor lighting and a pool pump, confirm the incoming supply and board can carry it.

Agree the programme in writing, with phases

If you are living in the property, insist the programme is phased by zone with the kitchen and one bathroom kept live. A contractor who will not commit to that in writing has not planned the sequence.

One contractor or five?

Splitting packages saves money on paper and costs it in coordination. Where trades interface — waterproofing to tiling, MEP to plaster — a single accountable contractor removes the gap where blame usually lives.