Renovating in Remraam
Remraam is predominantly a low-rise apartment community rather than a villa community, which changes the renovation approach considerably.
Apartment work is constrained by the slab — drainage cannot simply be moved, so wet areas generally stay where they are unless floor build-up is acceptable. Building management approval, working-hours restrictions and lift access all shape the programme.
Within those constraints there is a great deal that can be done: kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, joinery and lighting all transform a unit without touching anything structural.
Property types you will find here
- Low-rise apartment buildings across Al Ramth and Al Thamam
- One to three bedroom apartments predominantly
- Some townhouse-style ground-floor units with private terraces
- Consistent developer handover specification
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Developer / master community | Dubai Properties |
| Approval authority | Dubai Municipality — confirmed against the specific plot before submission |
| Community NOC | Required, obtained by Benstead as part of the works |
These communities are managed by Dubai Holding Community Management. See our guide to renovation approvals in Dubai Properties communities for how the application works.
Remraam is apartment and townhouse stock rather than large villas, and the work here is predominantly services, wet areas and finishes. Layouts repeat across the community, which makes a tested design transferable between units — useful if you hold more than one.
What We Typically Find in Remraam
The things worth knowing before you set a budget.
Out of warranty, not out of life
Properties of this age are past developer warranty but the structure and services are sound. Work here is upgrade and personalisation rather than repair, which makes budgets far more predictable.
Developer-specification finishes
Standard tiling, sanitaryware, joinery and paint chosen for cost rather than longevity. The most common brief in this stock is replacing finishes throughout while leaving the services alone.
Slab constraints
Drainage cannot be relocated freely because the slab cannot be cut. Wet areas generally stay put unless a floor build-up or step is acceptable.
Building approvals
NOC from building management, contractor passes, insurance and a refundable deposit, plus restricted working hours and lift booking.
Access and protection
Material delivery and waste removal via service lifts on a booking system. Common areas need sheeting and reinstatement.
Storage
Built-in storage is minimal in standard specification. Fitted joinery is usually the highest-value change.
Renovation Costs in Remraam
Indicative ranges for the property types found here.
| Property | Scope | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bed apartment | Full internal refit, kitchen, bathroom, flooring, joinery | AED 120k – 280k |
| 3 bed apartment | As above at larger scale with lighting design | AED 200k – 400k |
| Kitchen only | Replacement kitchen, worktops, local services rework | AED 45k – 110k |
| Bathroom only | Strip-out, tanking, tiling, sanitaryware | AED 25k – 60k |
These are starting points based on the property types in Remraam. The number that matters is the measured one — we survey the villa, produce a bill of quantities, and give you a fixed price against it.
Request a Free Site VisitApprovals and Programme in Remraam
What has to be in place before work starts, and how long it realistically takes.
Dubai Holding Community Management
These communities are managed by Dubai Holding Community Management, which now covers the Nakheel, Meraas and Dubai Properties portfolios — though each brand keeps its own portal, and Dubai Properties uses eservices.dp.ae. Expect drawings, a registered contractor, insurance and a refundable deposit.
What to establish before pricing
The Dubai Properties portal is login-gated, so published detail on fees and timescales is thin and we do not invent it. We confirm the current requirements for your specific community directly before submitting, rather than working from an assumption. The community management guide maps which developer sits behind which portal.
The authority permit
Where the works touch structure, drainage or the approved layout, an authority building modification permit is required on top of the community NOC. Consultant drawings are prepared and submitted before anything is demolished. Work that stays inside the existing layout frequently needs no permit at all, which is worth establishing early because it removes several weeks from the programme.
Both sit with us. You are not the one chasing an approvals desk — we prepare the drawings, make the submissions and carry the correspondence. The Dubai Properties NOC guide sets out the route in full, and there is a plain explanation of when a permit is actually needed.
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Survey, drawings and measured bill of quantities | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Community NOC and authority permit, run in parallel | 3 – 6 weeks |
| Strip-out, structure and first fix | 4 – 7 weeks |
| Second fix, joinery and finishes | 5 – 8 weeks |
| Testing, snagging and handover | 1 – 2 weeks |
How We Price a Remraam Renovation
Benstead is run by a quantity surveyor. We do not price a villa by walking round it and naming a figure. We measure it, and you receive a bill of quantities — every element listed, quantified and rated, so you can see what each part costs and what it is you are agreeing to.
That matters for two practical reasons. You can set our price against another contractor’s line by line instead of guessing why one number is bigger. And when something changes mid-project — and on a renovation something usually does — there is an agreed rate for it already, rather than a negotiation while the house is in pieces.
For an indicative range in about a minute, use the Dubai renovation cost calculator. Before you sign anything, why renovation quotes vary and red flags in a renovation quote are worth ten minutes.
Remraam Renovation FAQs
Can I move the bathroom in a Remraam apartment?
Rarely without a floor build-up. The slab cannot be cut, and waste needs a consistent fall to reach the existing stack.
Relocation therefore means raising the floor or forming a step. That is often perfectly acceptable, but it has to be designed in rather than discovered. We survey the drainage before proposing any layout.
How long will the works take?
A single-room refurbishment typically takes four to six weeks on site. A full villa renovation sixteen to thirty weeks.
Add four to eight weeks beforehand for design, approvals and procurement. Extensions and pools extend it further, because each triggers its own approval cycle.
I own more than one unit here. Does that help?
It does. Remraam layouts repeat across the community, so a design and a measured bill of quantities developed for one unit transfer to the next with minor adjustment. That reduces both the design cost and the pricing risk on the second and subsequent units, which is why we are often asked to price these in batches.
Who issues the renovation NOC here?
Dubai Holding Community Management, which took over the Dubai Properties portfolio alongside Nakheel and Meraas — but each brand keeps its own portal, and Dubai Properties runs eservices.dp.ae. Expect drawings, a registered contractor, insurance and a refundable deposit, plus a Dubai Municipality permit where structure, drainage or the approved layout changes.
Why is published guidance so thin for this community?
Because the portal is login-gated, so fees and timescales are not publicly documented in the way Emaar's and Nakheel's are. We would rather say that than invent a process. In practice we confirm the current requirements directly with the community management team before pricing, which is also why our programme allows a realistic window rather than an optimistic one.
What We Deliver in Remraam
Full Villa Renovation
Strip-out to handover, with municipality and community approvals handled.
Kitchen Renovation
Bespoke and imported kitchens, islands and services relocation.
Bathroom Renovation
Tanked, water-tested and photographed before tiling.
Rewiring & MEP
The item most often missing from a cheap quotation. Surveyed first.
Pools & Landscaping
Shell, plant, surrounds and shade planned as one package.
Extensions
New floor area with structural design and authority approval.