Office fit out company Dubai: costs and lead times
An office fit out in Dubai normally lands between AED 350 and AED 1,100 per sqm, and a 200 to 500 sqm workplace takes 6 to 12 weeks from site survey to handover. What follows is what a turnkey contractor actually delivers, how to tell a fit out contractor in Dubai from a broker with a phone, and where the money really goes.
Why work with Crafty Clare decoration design LLC
- Turnkey delivery from design to finishing under one contract
- Own joinery workshop in Jebel Ali, no subcontracted millwork
- DET and Dubai Municipality approvals handled in house
- Fixed price quotations with joinery itemised line by line
- One project contact from site survey to snagging
- Commercial projects across Jebel Ali and Dubai
What an office fit out company actually delivers
A fit out company takes a bare shell or an old tenancy and hands back a workplace your team can sit in on Monday morning. That means five workstreams, not one: design, joinery, MEP coordination, finishing and handover. If a contractor only does two of those and subcontracts the rest, you will feel it in the programme.
The five stages, in order
- Survey and design. We measure the unit, check ceiling void, floor loading and existing services, then produce layout drawings, a 3D visual and a joinery schedule.
- Approvals. We prepare the DET and Dubai Municipality submission pack, plus the landlord NOC for any structural, facade or mezzanine work.
- Joinery manufacture. Reception counters, storage walls, partitions and pantry units are built in our in-house Jebel Ali joinery workshop while the site is being prepared.
- MEP coordination. Ductwork, chilled water, sprinklers, power, data and emergency lighting are set out to match the joinery, because a socket that lands behind a cabinet is a rebuild.
- Finishing and handover. Painting, flooring, glass, ironmongery, ceiling and final MEP commissioning, then a snag walk and a handover pack.
How to choose an office fit out contractor in Dubai
Check four things before you sign anything. Who physically builds the millwork, who signs off the approvals, who talks to your landlord and DEWA, and who carries the insurance. Most fit out problems in Dubai trace back to one of those four being vague at tender stage.
In-house workshop versus subcontracted millwork
A contractor without a workshop is quoting you a middleman. When the joinery is outsourced, your job sits in someone else's queue, revisions cost extra, and measurement errors become your problem. Ask to see the workshop. Ours is in Jebel Ali, which is also where most of our commercial work sits.
Approvals and authority coordination
Fit out work in Dubai needs DET and Dubai Municipality approvals, often a landlord NOC, a DEWA connection or upgrade application, and Civil Defence sign off where the layout changes means of escape. Confirm in writing who lodges these and who pays the fees. Do not assume the landlord does it.
Insurance and liability
Ask for a valid trade licence, public liability cover and workmen's compensation. In a live building you also want a contractor who will protect lifts, corridors and neighbouring units, because damage claims usually land on the tenant.
Office fit out cost per sq ft in Dubai
Realistic Dubai rates sit between AED 350 and AED 600 per sqm for a basic CAT-B office, and AED 600 to AED 1,100 per sqm for a premium or joinery-heavy fit out. That is roughly AED 33 to 56 per sq ft and AED 56 to 102 per sq ft. The gap is joinery, ceiling complexity, glass, and how much MEP has to move.
| Scope | Per sqm | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Basic CAT-B, open plan, standard ceiling | AED 350 to 600 | AED 33 to 56 |
| Mid range with partitions and meeting rooms | AED 500 to 800 | AED 46 to 74 |
| Premium, joinery heavy, feature reception | AED 600 to 1,100 | AED 56 to 102 |
Worked example. A 200 sqm office in Jebel Ali with an open plan floor, one meeting room, a reception counter and a pantry. The basic scope comes in near AED 90,000. A premium version with a curved reception desk, a full height storage wall, a feature ceiling and acoustic panelling lands near AED 200,000. Between AED 12,000 and AED 25,000 of that sits in joinery alone, which is exactly the line item an in-house workshop controls.
Budget another AED 8,000 to AED 20,000 for authority fees, NOCs and consultants on a job that size, plus a 10 percent contingency. If you have not seen an itemised joinery schedule, your quote is a guess.
Floating joinery and media wall detail, manufactured and finished by one team.
Programme and timeline for a Dubai office fit out
Allow 6 to 12 weeks for a 200 to 500 sqm office, counted from the day drawings are signed off. Shell and core jobs with fresh approvals run to the long end, while a simple open plan refit with minimal MEP can finish in six.
What pushes a fit out past programme:
- Late drawing approvals or a missing landlord NOC
- MEP clashes found only after demolition starts
- Joinery measured before the floor is levelled, then reordered
- Client changes made after millwork goes into production
- Lift access rules that limit deliveries to evenings only
Fit out or buy new stock?
Staying and refitting is usually cheaper and faster than moving. A refit inside an existing tenancy skips large parts of the CAT-A base works and you keep the address, the parking allocation and the fit out you already own. Moving into new stock in Dubai gives you a clean floor plate and more efficient MEP, but you pay for base build again plus rent on two premises while the work runs. Run both options with a per sqm number and a week count before you decide.
Handover checklist and snagging
Handover is a process, not a day. Walk the site with a snag list before you sign anything, and hold retention until every item is closed out.
- MEP commissioning sheets for HVAC, power and data
- As built drawings plus O and M manuals
- Snag list signed by both sides with a closing date
- Tile, paint and laminate reference codes for future repairs
- Keys, access cards and ironmongery keys handover
- Final clean and waste removal confirmed
Why a Jebel Ali workshop shortens lead times
Because the joinery is not sitting in a queue somewhere else in the emirate. Our workshop is in Jebel Ali, minutes from the commercial jobs we run, so reception desks, storage walls and ceiling features are cut and assembled while the site is still being stripped. That typically saves one to two weeks on a mid size office, and it makes late changes cheaper because we are reworking our own material rather than negotiating with a third party. It also means one team is accountable for a door that will not close or a panel that does not line up.
Statement detailing in a finished interior: carving, gold leaf and marble coordinated on site.
Ready to price your floor plate? You can request an office fit-out quote and we will come back with an itemised breakdown. If you are still comparing contractors, our office fit out company in Dubai page covers the full service scope, and there are more commercial fit-out guides on the articles hub.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office fit out cost in Dubai?
Basic CAT-B offices run AED 350 to 600 per sqm and premium joinery-heavy fit outs run AED 600 to 1,100 per sqm. A 200 sqm office typically lands between AED 90,000 and AED 200,000 all in, with AED 12,000 to AED 25,000 of that in joinery alone.
How long does a turnkey office fit out take in Dubai?
Allow 6 to 12 weeks for 200 to 500 sqm once drawings are approved. Authority approvals and NOCs can add two to four weeks before site work even starts, so lodge the submission early and chase it weekly.
Do you handle DET and Dubai Municipality approvals?
Yes. We prepare and lodge the DET and Dubai Municipality fit out submission, arrange the landlord NOC, and coordinate DEWA and Civil Defence requirements where the layout affects services or escape routes.
Do you build the office joinery yourselves?
Yes. All millwork is manufactured in our own workshop in Jebel Ali rather than subcontracted out. That shortens lead times by roughly one to two weeks and keeps revisions inside our own control.
What is the difference between CAT-A and CAT-B fit out?
CAT-A is the base building finish: shell and core, basic MEP, screed or raised floor. CAT-B is everything that turns it into a working office, covering partitions, ceilings, joinery, flooring, lighting and data. Most Dubai tenants budget for CAT-B only.
