Renovating in The Greens and The Views
The Greens and the adjoining Views are Emaar's oldest apartment communities, built between roughly 2004 and 2010, and they are among the most consistently rewarding renovation projects in Dubai. The buildings are low-rise, the landscaping has had twenty years to mature, and the layouts are generous in a way that newer towers of the same price are not.
They are also now comprehensively past their first service life. Apartments here were handed over with pipework, distribution boards and air conditioning that have run for two decades in Dubai's climate, and in most of the units we survey those systems are the project rather than the finishes.
The compensation for the age is the access. Low-rise buildings of four to seven storeys do not have the single-service-lift bottleneck that defines a Marina or JLT refit, which takes real pressure off the programme. The constraint here is stair and corridor protection rather than lift bookings, and approvals run through Emaar Community Management on the same route as the Emirates Living villas.
What We Typically Find in The Greens and The Views
The things worth knowing before you set a budget.
Twenty-year-old services
Pipework, boards and AC installed at handover and never replaced. In a building of this age this is the renovation, and treating it as optional is how a finishes budget doubles halfway through.
Original kitchens and bathrooms
Largely untouched in a surprising number of units. Both are usually at the point where replacement costs less than repair, and both are where the value shows on resale.
Generous layouts worth keeping
Rooms here are larger than equivalent newer stock. Often the best value is in upgrading what is there rather than reconfiguring it, which also keeps you clear of a modification permit.
Low-rise access
Four to seven storeys, so no single-lift bottleneck. The constraint is stair and corridor protection and it is far less punishing on the programme than a tower refit.
Window and door seals
Two decades of UV on original frames and gaskets. Draughts, dust ingress and cooling losses usually trace back here rather than to the AC unit everyone blames.
Mature landscaping, restricted externals
Emaar protects the external appearance of these buildings closely. Balcony finishes, glazing and anything visible from common areas need consent before specification, not after.
Renovation Costs in The Greens and The Views
Indicative ranges for the property types found here.
| Scope | What it covers | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Full apartment refurbishment | Strip-out to handover including services replacement | AED 180k – 650k |
| Kitchen and bathrooms only | Single-area refits, services locally reworked | AED 70k – 260k |
| Cosmetic refresh | Flooring, decoration and joinery, services untouched | AED 45k – 140k |
These are starting points based on the apartment types in The Greens and The Views. The number that matters is the measured one — we survey the apartment, produce a bill of quantities, and give you a fixed price against it.
Request a Free Site VisitApprovals and Programme in The Greens and The Views
What has to be in place before work starts, and how long it realistically takes.
The Emaar Community Management NOC
The Greens and The Views are managed by Emaar Community Management, the same body that handles the Emirates Living villa communities. The NOC is applied for through the ECM portal under home modifications, and needs a registered contractor, current insurance and a refundable deposit held against damage to common areas. Allow one to two weeks from a complete submission.
The Dubai Municipality permit
Where the works touch structure, drainage or the approved layout, a Dubai Municipality building modification permit is required as well. Much of the best work in The Greens avoids this entirely, because the layouts are already generous enough that reconfiguring them adds cost without adding much.
Both sit with us. You are not the one chasing an approvals desk — we prepare the drawings, make the submissions and carry the correspondence. If you want the detail, we have written up community NOCs, the Dubai Municipality modification permit and a plain explanation of when a permit is actually needed.
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Survey, drawings and measured bill of quantities | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Emaar NOC and any Dubai Municipality permit | 2 – 5 weeks |
| Strip-out, services and first fix | 4 – 6 weeks |
| Second fix, joinery and finishes | 4 – 7 weeks |
| Testing, snagging and handover | 1 – 2 weeks |
How We Price a The Greens and The Views Renovation
Benstead is run by a quantity surveyor, and it shows in the quotation more than anywhere else. We do not price an apartment by walking through it and naming a figure. We measure it.
After the survey you receive a bill of quantities — every element of the work listed, quantified and rated, so you can see what each part costs and what it is you are agreeing to. That document is what the fixed price is built on, and it is what we get measured against later.
It matters for two practical reasons. You can compare our price against another contractor’s line by line instead of guessing why one number is bigger. And when something changes mid-project — and in a 2004 to 2010 building something usually does — there is an agreed rate for it already, rather than a negotiation while your apartment is in pieces.
If you are collecting quotations at the moment, our guides on why renovation quotes vary so much and the red flags in a renovation quote are worth ten minutes before you sign anything. You can also get an indicative range in about a minute from the Dubai renovation cost calculator.
Real figures, before you commit
The Greens Apartment FAQs
Is a twenty-year-old Greens apartment worth renovating?
Usually yes, and often more so than newer stock. The layouts are larger than equivalent modern apartments, the landscaping is mature and the buildings are well built. What they need is services replacement rather than reconfiguration, and once that is done the apartment performs like a new one in a location newer buildings cannot match.
Who issues the NOC for The Greens?
Emaar Community Management, through the ECM portal under home modifications. It is the same route used for the Emirates Living villa communities, and it requires a registered contractor, current insurance and a refundable deposit. Where the work touches structure, drainage or the approved layout you also need a Dubai Municipality modification permit.
Do I need to replace the air conditioning?
In most units of this age, yes, and it is worth doing properly rather than swapping the unit. After twenty years the ductwork, the insulation and the controls are usually as tired as the plant, and replacing only the visible part tends to leave the room that never cooled still not cooling.
Is access easier than in a tower?
Considerably. These are four to seven storey buildings, so there is no single service lift controlling every delivery and every skip run the way there is in Dubai Marina or JLT. The constraint is protecting stairs and corridors, which is far less punishing on the programme.
Can I change the balcony or the windows?
Only with Emaar's consent, and it is tighter than people expect. Emaar protects the external appearance of these buildings, so balcony finishes, glazing and anything visible from common areas have to be agreed before they are specified. We establish what is permitted at design stage rather than discovering it at inspection.
How long does a Greens apartment renovation take?
For a full renovation, around twelve to sixteen weeks on site, plus two to five weeks beforehand for approvals. Low-rise access is what keeps these programmes shorter than the equivalent job in a high-rise tower.
What We Deliver in The Greens and The Views
Full Apartment Renovation
Strip-out to handover, with building and authority approvals handled.
Kitchen Renovation
Bespoke and imported kitchens, with services reworked to the riser.
Bathroom Renovation
Tanked, water-tested and photographed before tiling.
Rewiring & MEP
The item most often missing from a cheap quotation. Surveyed first.
Joinery & Wardrobes
Sized to the service lift, fitted to the millimetre.
Flooring
Acoustic underlay specified where the building requires it.