What a tower lets you change, and what it does not.
Inside the unit, most of what makes an apartment feel new can change: finishes, joinery, lighting, the kitchen and the bathrooms, and non-structural walls. The structure, the façade glazing and the shared services belong to the building. The building’s fitout guide sets the line for each tower, so it is read before anything is drawn.
- Usually yours to changeFinishes, joinery, lighting, furniture, and partitions that carry no structure, within the building’s approval.
- Changed with careKitchens and bathrooms, because drainage, waterproofing and extraction connect to the floor below and the shared risers.
- The building’sStructure, façade glazing and the shared services. They shape the design rather than move.
- Set by the fitout guideWorking hours, lift slots, the deposit and the approved-contractor list, for every trade on the floor.
Instagram · Marina MansionsA first meeting in a Marina tower.
The unit walked with the owner before anything is drawn: the glazing, the floor and what the tower allows.
Layout ideas: opening the kitchen, merging rooms, adding storage.
The layout ideas that work in Dubai apartments are the ones that respect where the services already run. An open kitchen keeps its sink and hob near the existing drainage and extract; a merged bedroom or a dressing room uses partitions the tower lets you move; full-height storage is drawn into the walls you already have.
- Open the kitchen to the living roomKeep the wet run near the existing drainage, and check the extract and fire detection with the building before the wall comes out.
- Merge two small roomsA second bedroom into a principal suite with a dressing room, where the wall between them carries no structure.
- Add storage that disappearsFull-height joinery along one wall: wardrobes, a study desk, a bar, drawn as one run and made in modules.
- Light in scenes, not fittingsConcealed lighting in joinery and ceilings, set as scenes, planned before the ceiling closes.
Kitchens and bathrooms: the wet areas the building watches.
A kitchen or bathroom is where an apartment meets the unit below. Waterproofing, drainage falls and extraction are reviewed by the building before the floor is opened, and the work is booked inside its hours. Keeping a wet area where it is costs less and approves faster than moving it. A full kitchen remodel starts from AED 100,000, appliances excluded; a bathroom upgrade runs AED 45–90K and a full remodel AED 90–120K, excluding VAT.
How a bathroom is priced, scope by scope, including apartment bathrooms in towers: bathroom renovation cost in Dubai →
Materials sized for the service lift.
Everything that reaches an apartment travels in the service lift, booked in slots and shared with the tower. So stone, joinery and glass are dimensioned against the lift car and the route to the unit inside the design stage, and long pieces are split into modules on the drawing, not at the lift door.
Stone, veneer and made joinery carry lead times of around eight weeks, so they are ordered against the signed plan while approvals run.
The approval route: the building’s NOC, then the authority permit.
The tower’s management reviews the design against its fitout guide and issues its NOC first. The authority for the district then issues the permit, with Dubai Civil Defence added where fire systems change. Repainting and new furniture need no permit; layout, wet-area and services changes do.
- The building’s NOC: the fitout guide, the deposit, insurance and the drawings it asks for.
- The authority permit: issued for the district the tower sits in.
- Dubai Civil Defence: where sprinklers, alarms or detection move.
- Completion: the building’s inspection before the deposit is returned.
The same logic for villas, step by step: villa NOCs and approvals in Dubai →
How long it takes, inside a tower’s hours.
We survey the unit first and draw a signed plan in twelve weeks: four weeks planning and eight weeks design, with the building’s NOC and the authority submission prepared in parallel. The build is given its length only after the survey, because the tower’s working hours, the lift slots and the approval turnaround set it, not the drawings.
- Planning4 weeks
- Design8 weeks
- BuildSet at survey
- HandoverAfter snagging
You move out for the works: with civil works under way, an apartment is not safe to live in, and Fajr does not take on renovations with the owners in residence.
Apartment renovation — questions.
01Do I need approval to renovate an apartment in Dubai?
Yes, for anything beyond paint and furniture. The building’s management reviews the design against its fitout guide and issues its NOC, then the authority for the district issues the permit, with Dubai Civil Defence added where fire systems change.
02Can I open up the kitchen in a Dubai apartment?
Often, if the wall carries no structure and the sink and hob stay near the existing drainage and extract. The building reviews the change, and fire detection may need to move. We check it against the tower’s fitout guide at the survey.
03How long does an apartment renovation take?
The design stage takes twelve weeks to a signed plan: four weeks planning and eight weeks design, with approvals prepared in parallel. The build is programmed after the survey, because the tower’s working hours, lift slots and approval turnaround set its length.
04Can I stay in the apartment during the works?
No. While civil works are under way, an apartment is not safe to live in, so Fajr Interiors does not take on a renovation with the owners in residence. You move out for the build; its length is set at the survey by the tower’s working hours, lift slots and approval turnaround.
05Who renovates apartments and penthouses in Dubai?
Fajr Interiors renovates apartments and penthouses in Dubai towers under one contract: survey, design, the building’s NOC and the authority permit, build and furnishing. We hold Dubai trade licence 648890 and are on the approved lists at One Za’abeel, Vision Tower, Opus Tower and Emaar Square.
06How much does an apartment renovation cost in Dubai?
The kitchen and bathrooms carry most of the number. A full kitchen remodel starts from AED 100,000: cabinets, a kitchen island with a porcelain top from Spain and provision for appliances, appliances excluded. A fully renovated kitchen with all appliances and accessories typically runs AED 200,000–350,000. A bathroom runs AED 45–90K for an upgrade and AED 90–120K for a full remodel, excluding VAT. The rest is priced from the survey, line by line against the drawings; bathroom costs in detail.