The Dubai Renovation Timeline: How Long Each Project Actually Takes

The most frequent question from homeowners is not 'how much' but 'how long.' The answer depends on the scope, the property type, and — critically in Dubai — the community approval timeline. Here is what to expect for each project type, based on actual completion data from contractors across Dubai.

A bathroom renovation in an apartment takes seven to ten working days. The sequence is demolition (one day), first-fix plumbing and electrical (two days), waterproofing and curing (two days — this cannot be accelerated without compromising the membrane), tiling (two to three days), and second-fix installation of sanitaryware and finishing (one to two days). Villa bathrooms follow the same sequence but may take ten to fourteen days because the rooms are larger and the material volumes higher.

A kitchen renovation takes two to four weeks. The longest lead time item is the cabinetry, which is typically manufactured off-site to measure. The worktop is templated after the cabinets are installed and then fabricated, which adds three to five days between cabinet installation and worktop fitting. During this gap the kitchen is not usable, which is why many villa renovations include a temporary kitchen setup or schedule the kitchen work to overlap with a period when the homeowner is travelling.

A full apartment renovation — kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, painting, and built-in wardrobes in a two or three-bedroom unit — takes four to six weeks. The trades are sequenced to avoid conflict: demolition across all rooms first, then first-fix MEP, then plastering and painting, then flooring, then kitchen and wardrobe installation, then final decorating. Building management will typically restrict working hours to 8am–6pm on weekdays and 9am–2pm on Saturdays, with no noisy work on Fridays or public holidays.

A full villa renovation — structural modifications, all wet areas, kitchen, flooring throughout, external rendering and painting, and landscaping — takes eight to twelve weeks. The critical path runs through the structural and MEP work, which must be completed and inspected before finishing trades can begin. External work can often proceed in parallel with internal finishing, which is how the timeline compresses from what would otherwise be a four-month programme.

Community approvals add one to three weeks to the front of any timeline. This period should be used for material ordering and contractor mobilisation, not as dead time. A well-organised contractor places material orders and books specialist subcontractors during the NOC waiting period so that work begins the day approval is received.

The single largest cause of timeline overrun is scope change during the works. Adding a room, upgrading a finish, or changing the layout after demolition has started resets the material orders and re-sequences the trades. The most reliable way to keep a renovation on schedule is to finalise every decision — every tile, every tap, every paint colour — before the first wall comes down.