Choosing a renovation contractor in Dubai comes down to seven things you can check on paper before you sign, and none of them is the total on the quote. Get these right and most of the risk is gone before work starts; skip them and the cheapest quote becomes the most expensive project.
1. Is the quote itemised by trade?
A serious quote shows civil, MEP, joinery, tiling, painting and approvals as separate lines, so you can see where the money goes and remove what you do not need. One number on a page is a guess dressed as a price.
2. Are the material grades named?
The quote should name brands, ranges and grades for tiles, sanitaryware, joinery, worktops and AC units. If it says “premium tiles”, ask which, and ask what happens if a cheaper grade arrives on site. The answer tells you how the project will go.
3. Is there a dated programme?
A start date, milestones and a handover date, with approval time shown as its own line. “Around two months” is not a programme. A contractor who commits to dates on paper is one who has planned the trades.
4. Who is your single contact?
Ask for the name and number of the person who will answer when a wall is opened and something unexpected is behind it. If the person who quoted is not that person, you will be managing a relay between sales and site.
5. Can they show finished work in Dubai?
Photos of completed villas or offices in Dubai, and ideally a client you can call. Renderings are not finished work. A young company can still show a real project and a real client; a company that shows neither has none.
6. Who handles the approvals?
The contractor should tell you at the site visit which approvals your scope needs and handle the submissions. If the answer is “you won’t need any”, check our permit guide, because that answer is often the reason the quote is cheaper.
7. What does “finished” mean in the contract?
Handover should be defined as a snag list at zero, with a warranty on the work and, if you want it, an annual maintenance contract that starts when the warranty ends. A contractor who is “done” while a bathroom has no mirror and one AC unit does not switch on has defined finished differently from you.
What about price?
Compare totals only after the seven checks, and only between quotes that name the same grades and include the same approvals. Two quotes for the same villa can differ by a wide margin and both be honest, if one includes AC replacement and the other does not. Our cost guide explains why.
This is the checklist we write our own quotes to. Villa renovation, office fit-out and restaurant fit-out with Widget Tech all start with a site visit and a quote you can run these seven checks on. Book the visit.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pick the cheapest quote?+
Only after checking that it names the same material grades and includes the same approvals as the others. A cheaper quote is usually cheaper because something is missing.
What should a contract define as finished?+
A snag list at zero, a written warranty, and a handover date on the programme.
