Office fit out company in Dubai: how to choose one
A commercial office fit out in Dubai usually lands between AED 180 and AED 350 per sq ft for a turnkey CAT B handover, with 6 to 10 weeks on site once permits are issued. This guide breaks down what that price buys, which approvals you need, and the seven questions that separate a genuine office fit out company from a middleman with a phone.
Why work with Crafty Clare decoration design LLC
- Turnkey interiors from concept design to final finishing under one contract
- In-house joinery workshop in Jebel Ali, so millwork is built by our own team
- Commercial fit out experience across offices, cafés, clinics and retail units
- Based in Jebel Ali, close to JAFZA and Jebel Ali Industrial Area sites
- One project manager for design, joinery, MEP, ceilings, partitions and flooring
- Fixed scope pricing with a written snag list agreed before handover
What a commercial office fit-out actually covers
A full office fit out is not paint and furniture. It is the permanent shell to desk build: partitions, ceilings, power, data, HVAC adjustments, flooring, joinery and the finishes that make the space usable and compliant.
Design and authority drawings
Space planning, 3D visuals, joinery shop drawings, MEP layouts and the drawing set your landlord and the authority need to see before a permit is issued.
Joinery and millwork
Reception counters, workstations, meeting room walls, storage walls, pantry units and feature cladding. In a mid-spec Dubai office this line item is often 20 to 30 per cent of the total budget, which is why who builds it matters more than the headline rate.
MEP and services
Power distribution, lighting circuits, data cabling, fresh air and AC duct modifications, sprinkler relocation and drainage for pantries.
Ceilings, partitions and flooring
Grid or plaster ceilings, glass and stud partitions, doors, and flooring in carpet tile, LVT, porcelain or engineered timber.
A typical office interior fit out Dubai scope for 2,500 sq ft includes:
- 2,500 sq ft of ceiling and flooring
- 3 meeting rooms in full height glass partitions with acoustic seals
- 24 to 30 workstations plus a reception desk built in joinery
- Pantry with plumbing and dedicated power
- Sprinkler and AC reconfiguration
- 40 to 60 lighting points and a structured data backbone
Staircase, glazing and feature joinery delivered under one commercial contract.
Why an in-house Jebel Ali joinery workshop cuts cost and lead time
When the joinery is built in the contractor's own workshop in Jebel Ali instead of being outsourced, you remove a margin layer and a scheduling handover. On commercial jobs that usually shows up as 10 to 20 per cent off the joinery package and one to two weeks off the programme.
Three things change when the workshop is in house. First, pricing is built from our own cutting lists rather than a subcontractor quote with a mark-up tucked inside. Second, the workshop and the site share one schedule, so a counter that is 30mm out is remade the same week rather than three weeks later. Third, finish consistency holds across reception, meeting rooms and pantry, because the same team sprays and assembles all of it.
You can see how the millwork side works on our in-house joinery workshop in Jebel Ali page. It also matters for lead time on imported finishes. While a laminate or veneer is in transit, the frames and carcasses are already being cut in Jebel Ali, so installation week is not lost to waiting.
Office fit-out cost in Dubai
Cost depends on spec level, the condition of the unit you are handed, and how much MEP work moves. The bands below are what commercial projects in Dubai realistically price at today, quoted per sq ft of built area.
| Scope level | What it typically includes | AED per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Shell and core plus CAT A | Landlord base build finish, minimal MEP, no joinery | 120 to 180 |
| Mid-spec turnkey CAT B | Partitions, ceilings, flooring, standard joinery, full MEP | 180 to 280 |
| High-spec corporate | Feature joinery, acoustic systems, premium finishes, AV ready | 300 to 450 |
A worked example. You lease 2,500 sq ft of shell and core space in Jebel Ali. Three routes:
- CAT A only, so the landlord keeps the space vanilla: 2,500 x AED 150 = AED 375,000
- Mid-spec turnkey CAT B, which is what most tenants actually need: 2,500 x AED 220 = AED 550,000
- High-spec corporate with heavy custom joinery and acoustic treatment: 2,500 x AED 380 = AED 950,000
That gap is not contractor markup. It is joinery volume, glass, ceiling type and how far the sprinklers and AC move.
| Cost driver | Budget effect |
|---|---|
| Custom joinery volume | Add AED 40 to 90 per sq ft for heavy millwork |
| Full height glass partitions | Add AED 25 to 45 per sq ft |
| AC and sprinkler relocation | Add AED 30 to 70 per sq ft |
| Flooring spec | AED 8 to 25 per sq ft for carpet tile, AED 15 to 40 for LVT |
| Plaster ceiling over grid | Add AED 10 to 20 per sq ft |
| Night or weekend working | Add 10 to 20 per cent |
| Authority approvals and NOCs | AED 3,000 to AED 15,000 depending on scope |
For commercial work, get a line by line price, not a lump sum. Our commercial fit out services in Dubai page shows the scope breakdown we price against.
Bespoke millwork cut and finished in our own workshop, not bought in.
Approvals and authority steps in Dubai
Every commercial fit out in Dubai needs at least a landlord NOC, and most need an authority permit plus Civil Defence clearance where the works touch fire systems. Starting on site before approvals are issued risks a stop-work notice and a wasted mobilisation.
- Landlord or free zone approval. Submit drawings and secure the NOC. Units inside JAFZA go through the free zone authority.
- Fit out permit. Dubai Municipality or DET depending on the property and its registration, or the free zone authority for free zone premises.
- Civil Defence. Required wherever partitions, exits, sprinklers or fire detection are altered.
- DEWA. Needed for new connections or a change in connected load.
- Inspections and completion certificate. Booked after works finish and before handover.
Allow 2 to 4 weeks for approvals on a clean drawing set. This runs in parallel with joinery production, which is why the workshop lead time does not simply add to the site programme.
Timeline: what a 6 to 10 week programme looks like
A 2,500 sq ft office fit out runs 6 to 10 weeks on site after permits are issued and long lead materials are released. Here is the shape of it.
- Week 1: site protection, demolition, setting out
- Weeks 2 to 3: MEP first fix, partitions, ceiling grid
- Weeks 3 to 5: joinery installation, glass partitions, doors
- Weeks 5 to 6: flooring, painting, ceiling closing, MEP second fix
- Weeks 7 to 8: joinery finishing, lighting, pantry, feature elements
- Weeks 9 to 10: snagging, testing, authority inspections, handover
What delays it: a late landlord NOC, design changes after first fix, imported finishes with four week lead times, building rules that restrict noisy work to set hours, and holding back mobilisation payment so the site team cannot start the joinery cutting list.
How to shortlist an office fit out company in Dubai: 7 vetting questions
- Do you have your own joinery workshop, or is millwork subcontracted?
- What trade licence do you hold, and can I see it before I sign?
- Who supervises my site daily, and are they on your payroll?
- Which approvals do you handle, and which stay with me?
- What is your snag process in writing, including a close-out deadline?
- What is excluded: AV, IT, loose furniture, moving, cleaning?
- Can I call two clients whose commercial jobs you completed in the last year?
If a contractor cannot answer questions one and three with names and licence numbers, the price is probably a broker margin, not a build.
Recent commercial project types
Our commercial work in Dubai and Jebel Ali covers four recurring shapes. Corporate offices with 20 to 60 desks, where the priority is acoustic separation and data routing. Cafés and food units, where drainage, extraction and Dubai Municipality food safety requirements drive the layout. Clinics and medical suites, where finishes must be cleanable and partitions must meet privacy and fire rules. Retail and showroom units, where lighting and display joinery carry the brand.
The same Jebel Ali workshop serves all four. If you also exhibit at trade shows, the display joinery skills transfer directly, and we handle exhibition stand design and build Dubai work on the same production line. To scope your own unit, request an office fit out quote with your floor plan and we will price it line by line.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office fit out cost in Dubai?
Expect AED 180 to AED 350 per sq ft for a turnkey CAT B office in Dubai, and AED 120 to 180 per sq ft for basic CAT A work. A 2,500 sq ft office therefore lands between roughly AED 450,000 and AED 875,000 turnkey, or about AED 300,000 to AED 375,000 for CAT A only. Heavy custom joinery, full height glass and relocated AC push you toward the top of the band.
How long does an office fit out take in Dubai?
A 2,500 sq ft office takes 6 to 10 weeks on site, plus 2 to 4 weeks for landlord NOC and authority permits beforehand. Joinery built in our Jebel Ali workshop runs in parallel with approvals, so it rarely adds to the on-site programme. Larger offices and spaces with long lead imported finishes run longer.
Do I need approval for office fit out in Dubai?
Yes. At minimum you need a landlord or free zone NOC, and most commercial units also need a fit out permit from Dubai Municipality, DET or the relevant free zone authority. If partitions, exits, sprinklers or fire detection change, Civil Defence approval is required before you start. Working without permits can trigger a stop-work notice and fines.
What is the difference between CAT A and CAT B fit out?
CAT A is the landlord base build: bare ceiling, basic power, unfinished floors, no usable layout. CAT B is what turns that into a working office, adding partitions, ceilings, flooring, lighting, joinery, data and pantry services. Most tenants leasing shell and core space are buying CAT B, whether they use that term or not.
Can you fit out an office in a Jebel Ali free zone unit?
Yes. We are based in Jebel Ali and work with free zone submission requirements, including JAFZA and units in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area. Free zone processes differ from mainland Dubai Municipality submissions, so the drawing set is prepared to match the authority you are filing with.
Do you build the office joinery yourselves?
Yes. Reception desks, storage walls, pantry units, workstations and feature cladding are cut, assembled and finished in our own workshop in Jebel Ali. That removes a subcontractor margin and keeps remakes and finish matching under one team.
