RSK Renovation — Premium Renovation & Fit-Out, Dubai

Overview

Fit Out Is Not Renovation. Here Is the Difference.

Fit out and renovation get used as if they mean the same thing. They do not.

Renovation changes something that already works. Fit out takes a space handed over empty, or stripped back to empty, and builds everything inside it: partitions, ceilings, floors, services, joinery and finishes.

RSK works as an interior fit out contractor in Dubai across offices, retail units and residential spaces, handling design coordination, permits, construction and handover under one contract.

Fit Out Services at a Glance

Design and drawings: development drawings and authority submission packages

Strip-out: demolition and removal where the space is not bare

Partitions: drywall, glazed systems and acoustic partitions

Ceilings: suspended grid, gypsum and feature ceilings

Electrical: distribution, lighting, small power and containment

HVAC: modification, ducting and diffusers

Plumbing: tea points, washrooms and drainage

Life safety: fire detection and sprinkler modification with Civil Defence coordination

Flooring: tile, carpet, vinyl and raised access

Joinery: reception counters, storage, display units and panelling

Finishes: painting, wall coverings, glazing film and signage

Handover: testing, commissioning and as-built documentation

Get a Written BOQ

What It Involves

What Interior Fit Out Involves

A fit out is a construction project inside an existing building, which means it runs against two sets of rules at once: the authority's, and the landlord's.

The landlord's fit out guidelines set ceiling heights, permitted finishes, service routes, working hours and often which contractors are allowed on site. The authority sets the permit route. Neither is optional, and both constrain the design before design begins.

The construction itself is fairly predictable. Coordination is where fit outs are won or lost.

Project Types

Types of Fit Out

Shell and core

The building is structurally complete with facade, core services brought to the boundary of the unit, and nothing inside. No ceilings, no flooring, no partitions. Everything internal is the occupier's responsibility.

Category A

The landlord's base fit out. Typically raised floors or screeded slab, suspended ceilings, basic lighting, HVAC distribution, fire detection and sprinklers. Usable and compliant but generic, with no partitions and no identity.

Category B

The occupier's fit out. Partitions, meeting rooms, finishes, joinery, branding, feature lighting, kitchens and tea points, furniture, AV and IT containment. This is what most people mean when they say fit out.

Turnkey / design and build

One contractor takes design, permits, construction and handover. Fewer interfaces than appointing a designer, a contractor and an MEP subcontractor separately, and one party accountable when something is late.

Sectors

Sectors We Fit Out

Offices

Workspace planning, partitions, meeting rooms, reception, tea points and branding.

Retail

Shopfronts, display joinery, lighting, flooring and back of house.

Food & Beverage

Front of house finishes, service areas and coordination with kitchen specialists.

Clinics & Salons

Treatment rooms, reception, storage and the finishes those uses require.

Residential

Apartments and villas taken from bare shell to finished home.

Permits

Do You Need a Fit Out Permit in Dubai?

For commercial space, nearly always — and which authority applies depends on the address rather than the building. Dubai is divided between several jurisdictions, and a contractor who works regularly in one is not automatically familiar with another.

Dubai Development Authority

Fit out permit process for its zones, with submission before works and a completion submission afterwards.

Trakhees

Covers areas including Palm Jumeirah, Jebel Ali and the ports and free zone territories.

Dubai Municipality

Building permit procedures covering buildings outside the other jurisdictions.

Free zone authorities

DMCC, DAFZA, JAFZA and others run their own fit out approval processes for units inside their areas.

Dubai Civil Defence

Fire detection, sprinkler modification, emergency lighting and life safety approvals.

DEWA

Electricity and water NOCs, submitted by enrolled contractors and consultants where required.

On top of the authority route, the landlord or building management normally has its own fit out guidelines, an approval process and often an approved contractor list. That document should be the first thing read on any project.

Cost

How Much Does Interior Fit Out Cost in Dubai?

Fit out is priced from drawings, not from floor area alone. What moves the number:

Starting condition

Shell and core against Cat A changes the scope substantially

Area and layout density

More partitions and rooms means more of every trade

MEP scope

Redistributing power, cooling and sprinklers is usually the largest single package

Ceiling type

Standard grid against feature and bulkhead ceilings

Joinery volume

Reception counters, storage and display units priced per linear metre

Finish level

Flooring, glazing and wall finishes vary widely

Life safety works

Sprinkler modification and fire detection carry design and approval cost

Permits and drawings

Authority submissions, consultant fees and as-built documentation

Programme

Compressed programmes mean more labour and out-of-hours working

The number that matters

Not a per-square-foot estimate from a website — a written BOQ after a site visit, showing quantities, materials, exclusions and payment milestones.

Usually excluded from cheap quotes

Approvals and drawings, protection of retained finishes, MEP upgrades, waste removal, snagging after handover, and anything described as "subject to site condition".

Read the full guide: how renovation cost is built up in Dubai →

Timeline

How Long Does a Fit Out Take?

Permits and long-lead items usually determine the programme, not the construction.

Design and drawings come first, then authority and landlord submissions, then site works. Construction itself is fairly predictable once it starts. What is not predictable is approval turnaround, and what is entirely avoidable is discovering a long-lead item late.

Furniture, made-to-measure glazing, feature lighting and specialist flooring all carry lead times that can exceed the build. Those selections belong at design stage.

Avoid These

Mistakes That Cost Money

Designing before reading the landlord's fit out guide. It sets ceiling heights, permitted finishes, service routes, working hours and sometimes the contractor list. Designing first means redrawing.

MEP not coordinated with the ceiling. Ducts, sprinklers, lighting and cable trays all compete for the same void. Resolving that on site rather than on drawings costs time.

Civil Defence submissions left late. Life safety approvals cannot be rushed at the end, and handover depends on them.

Furniture ordered too late. A finished space with no furniture is not a handover.

No as-built drawings. Required for handover and needed by whoever works in the space next. Leaving them out creates a problem you will meet later.

Checklist

What to Check Before You Start

The landlord's fit out guidelines, obtained in writing

Whether the space is shell and core or Cat A

Which authority the address falls under

Whether the landlord operates an approved contractor list

Who prepares and submits the permit drawings

Whether MEP and life safety are inside the quoted scope

Lead times for furniture, glazing and specialist flooring

Permitted working hours and access arrangements

Whether as-built drawings and O and M documentation are included

Payment milestones tied to stages, not dates

Ask for the BOQ split by package. A single figure for a fit out tells you nothing about whether MEP, life safety and as-built documentation are inside it.

FAQ

Interior Fit Out FAQs

What is the difference between fit out and renovation?

Renovation changes a space that already functions. Fit out builds the interior of a space that was handed over empty, or stripped back to empty. Fit out normally includes partitions, ceilings, services distribution and finishes from scratch.

What is the difference between shell and core, Cat A and Cat B?

Shell and core is a structurally complete building with services only to the unit boundary and nothing inside. Cat A is the landlord's base fit out with floors, ceilings, basic lighting and HVAC distribution. Cat B is the occupier's fit out: partitions, finishes, joinery, branding and everything that makes the space specific to the business.

Do I need a fit out permit in Dubai?

For commercial space, almost always. Which authority applies depends on where the building sits: DDA, Trakhees, Dubai Municipality or a free zone authority. Civil Defence approval applies where fire and life safety systems are affected. The landlord will usually have its own approval process on top.

How much does it cost to fit out an office in Dubai?

It depends on the starting condition, layout density, MEP scope, ceiling type, joinery volume and finish level. A shell and core office costs substantially more to fit out than a Cat A space. Pricing comes from drawings, not from floor area alone.

Can you work with our own designer?

Yes. We can build to supplied drawings, or take design and build together as one contract.

Do you handle residential fit out as well as commercial?

Yes. Apartments and villas handed over as bare shell are fitted out the same way, though the approvals route and the finishes differ.

Who is responsible for the permits?

Permit coordination is part of the project scope. The exact division of responsibility is confirmed in the contract.

Request a Fit Out Proposal

Send us the location, the area and the current condition of the space, along with the landlord's fit out guidelines if you have them. We will confirm which permits apply and issue a BOQ split by package.

+971 8001 217 info@rskrenovation.ae

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Interior Fit Out in Dubai