Services · Cost and tendering
Cost planning and tendering for Dubai interiors
Priced twice. Then tendered.
An interior priced before the drawings exist is a guess. So we price twice. A budget estimate first, then a detailed cost plan from the drawings. Our own quantity surveyor prices both. Then vetted contractors tender against the drawings.
01 · What it covers
Our own quantity surveyor.
Cost is priced by our own quantity surveyor, in the London studio.
Cost planning, tendering, contracts and valuations. The reason a price holds its shape.
Cost and programme are reviewed with the design, every week.
- A budget estimate from the brief and the site
- A detailed cost plan, line by line
- Provisional sums named, not buried
- Changes priced with a drawing, before you say yes
- Valuations you can read
02 · Two prices, then a tender
Budget estimate, then cost plan.
From the brief and the site.
Early, before a drawing is frozen. Enough to decide whether to go on, and how far.
From the drawings, line by line.
Every room, every finish, every allowance, priced before you sign.
Prices you can compare.
Vetted contractors price the same drawings. We compare them line by line and advise.
03 · Market figures
What the market publishes.
These are third-party market figures, not NU quotes. Your price comes from your own brief and drawings.
Knight Frank publishes UAE construction costs. Its 2025 UAE Construction Landscape Review gives them for Q2 2025.
They are build costs for whole buildings, per square metre. They are not interior fit-out rates. We converted them to square feet and rounded them.
From AED 4,200 per sq m. About AED 390 per sq ft.
Up to AED 11,000 per sq m. About AED 1,022 per sq ft.
AED 4,300 to AED 9,500 per sq m. About AED 399 to AED 883 per sq ft.
Source: Knight Frank, 2025 UAE Construction Landscape Review, published 22 September 2025. Third-party market figures, not NU quotes.
We found no published super-prime fit-out rate we could verify on 7 October 2026. So we show none.
04 · How a cost plan is built
How the cost plan is built.
- 01Measured from the drawings. Our own quantity surveyor measures every room, finish and allowance.
- 02Provisional sums, named. Items not chosen yet get their own line and a name.
- 03A contingency, on its own line. Sized to the risks we can see. Never hidden inside the rates.
- 04A tender, compared. Vetted contractors price the same drawings. We compare them line by line.
- 05Valuations, checked. Each valuation is checked against the work on site, before you pay.
- 06Changes, priced first. Every change is priced with a drawing, before you say yes.
We publish no NU prices. Every home is priced from its own brief and drawings.
05 · A sample cost plan
The structure of a cost plan.
Illustrative structure, not a quote. The values are left blank on purpose.
Site set-up, protection, access, waste and the contractor’s supervision. Value: blank.
Removing what goes and protecting what stays. Value: blank.
New partitions, ceilings, screeds and floor finishes. Value: blank.
Air conditioning, electrics, lighting circuits, plumbing and drainage. Value: blank.
Kitchens, wardrobes, libraries and media units, by Cochrane Bespoke. Value: blank.
Stone, tiling, panelling and decoration. Value: blank.
Sanitaryware, brassware and kitchen appliances. Value: blank.
Fittings, scenes, audio-visual and home controls. Value: blank.
Named allowances for items not yet chosen. Each on its own line. Value: blank.
For risks we can see but cannot price yet. Share of total: blank.
Developer NOC and authority permits, listed on their own. Value: blank.
06 · A sample tender comparison
How tenders are compared.
Illustrative structure, not a quote. The values are left blank on purpose.
Tender A: blank. Tender B: blank. Tender C: blank.
Missing items are listed, then priced by each bidder.
The same allowances go in every tender, so the totals compare.
Each exclusion is listed and priced back in.
Weeks to complete: blank. Checked against the plan.
Rates for extra work, compared side by side.
Trade licence and references checked before they price.
07 · What you hold
What you hold at each stage.
Before you commit
- A budget estimate
- The assumptions behind it
- What it does not include
Before you sign
- A detailed cost plan
- Provisional sums on their own lines
- Tendered prices, compared
While it is built
- Changes priced before you say yes
- Valuations you can read
- Weekly photographed reports
08 · Where
Cost planning by community.
- NakheelPalm JumeirahGated villa communities on the fronds, apartments on the trunk. Nakheel approves every alteration.
- EmaarEmirates HillsCustom-built homes on private plots, most overlooking lakes or fairways. Emaar approves every alteration.
- MeraasJumeirah Bay IslandA private island by Meraas, joined to the city by a bridge. Private beaches, homes and land plots.
- Emaar, with MeraasDubai Hills EstateAn Emaar and Meraas community around a championship golf course. Villas, and plots to build on.
- Al BarariAl BarariVillas set in gardens, lakes and walkways. The developer’s architectural and landscape guidelines apply.
- Meydan SobhaDistrict OneVillas around a lagoon in Mohammed Bin Rashid City. Bespoke plots to build on.
- EmaarDubai MarinaTowers around the water. Our finished apartment interior is here. Emaar approves alterations in its buildings.
- EmaarDowntown DubaiEmaar’s flagship district, around Burj Khalifa. High-rise residences. Alterations need an Emaar NOC.
- GuideDesign and build, or a designer on your side?An honest comparison. Who checks the price, the quality and the changes.
Other services
Super-prime interior design·Penthouse fit-out project management·Villa renovation and extension
09 · Questions
Questions about cost planning.
What is a budget estimate?
A first price from the brief and the site. It tells you if the idea and budget fit.
What is a cost plan?
The work measured line by line from the drawings. Prepared before you sign.
What is a provisional sum?
An allowance for something not yet chosen. Each one sits on its own line.
Who prices the work?
Our own quantity surveyor prices the plan. Vetted contractors then tender against it.
What is a contingency?
A sum for risks we can see but cannot price yet. It sits on its own line.
How do you compare tenders?
Line by line, against the cost plan. Exclusions are priced back in before we advise.
Who checks the valuations?
Our quantity surveyor checks each valuation against the work on site, before you pay.
What does a Dubai villa interior cost?
It depends on the brief. Knight Frank’s published build costs give market context.
Do you publish Dubai prices?
Not our own. The market figures here are Knight Frank’s, labelled as such.
10 · Next
Start a conversation about your home.
Send the address or the plan. We will tell you, honestly, what it could become and what it would take.
