Renovating in The Lakes
The Lakes shares its era and construction with the rest of Emirates Living, but the plots are more mature and, in the Hattan sub-communities, meaningfully larger and more individual than the standardised stock elsewhere.
The renovation profile follows from that. Internal refurbishment here is nearly always a full-services job given the age of the buildings, and the external works are usually about editing established landscaping rather than creating a garden from scratch.
Access deserves specific attention in The Lakes. Mature planting, narrow approaches to some plots and lakeside positions can restrict how plant, materials and skips reach the property. We establish that at survey, because it affects both programme and preliminaries and is a common source of unwelcome adjustment later.
Property types you will find here
- Deema, Ghadeer, Maeen and Zulal — standard villa types across several bedroom counts
- Hattan — the larger, more individual villas within the community
- Detached properties, many with lake frontage or backing onto landscaped areas
- Generally mature landscaping and established planting
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Developer / master community | Emaar Properties — Emirates Living |
| Approval authority | Dubai Municipality (with Emaar community NOC) |
| Typical build era | Approximately 2003–2007 |
| Community NOC | Required, obtained by Benstead as part of the works |
Emaar requires approval for any alteration to the villa. See our guide to the Emaar NOC and Home Modifications permit for how the application works.
The Lakes sits alongside The Springs and Meadows and shares their build era, which means the same end-of-life services story. The houses are larger than their neighbours and the plots more generous, so the scope tends to be fuller and the programmes longer.
What We Typically Find in The Lakes
The things worth knowing before you set a budget.
End-of-life MEP
Villas of this era are now around twenty years old. Distribution boards frequently lack adequate RCD protection, circuits are undersized for modern kitchen and AC loads, and original pipework is at the end of its service life. This is the largest single item in most renovations here and the one most often excluded from a cheap quotation.
Original AC
Ducted systems from the original build are usually well past their design life, with ducting that was never balanced properly. Replacing units without addressing the ductwork rarely fixes the room that has never cooled.
Restricted access
Mature planting and narrow approaches on some plots limit how excavators, materials and waste move. Priced into preliminaries at the outset rather than discovered in week two.
Established landscaping
An asset worth protecting rather than clearing. Protection and reinstatement need to be designed and priced, not improvised.
Original pools
Shell, plant and drainage from the original build generally need more than cosmetic work after two decades.
Hattan variation
The Hattan villas are less standardised than the rest of the community, so we survey from scratch rather than assuming a known layout.
Renovation Costs in The Lakes
Indicative ranges for the property types found here.
| Property | Scope | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| 3–4 bed villa | Full strip-out, new services, kitchen and bathrooms | AED 550k – 950k |
| 5 bed / Hattan | High-specification refit with structural alterations | AED 950k – 1.7m |
| With pool & landscaping | External works alongside internal refurbishment | AED 1.2m – 2.1m |
| Single-area refit | Kitchen or bathrooms only | AED 45k – 200k |
These are starting points based on the property types in The Lakes. 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 The Lakes
What has to be in place before work starts, and how long it realistically takes.
The Emaar Community Management NOC
Emaar Community Management issues the NOC, applied for through the ECM portal under home modifications. Any alteration to the villa needs approval, and the terms and conditions are accepted before the submission goes in. Expect to provide drawings, a registered contractor, current insurance and a refundable deposit held against damage to common areas. ECM's toll free line is 800 EMAAR (36227).
What Emaar will not approve as of right
Exterior changes. Emaar's community rules do not permit alterations to the external appearance as a matter of course, and lights cannot be fixed on top of, or on the community-facing side of, boundary walls. Pergolas, carport extensions and re-doing a pool each need their own NOC. The exterior alterations guide and the pergola and carport NOC cover what is and is not allowed.
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 Emaar 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 The Lakes 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.
The Lakes Renovation FAQs
Will access be a problem on my plot?
It might be, and it is worth establishing before you set a budget. Mature planting, narrow approaches and lakeside positions can stop an excavator reaching a rear garden or restrict where a skip can stand.
Where machine access is not possible, excavation and waste removal happen by hand and cost meaningfully more. We check at survey and price it openly rather than absorbing it and adjusting later.
Are Hattan villas different to price?
Yes. Most of Emirates Living is highly standardised, which lets us price quickly from known layouts.
Hattan properties vary considerably in size and arrangement, so they get a full measured survey from scratch. Slightly slower, and a materially more accurate number.
Is The Lakes the same as The Springs to renovate?
Similar in age and construction, but the houses are bigger and the plots more generous, so the scope is usually fuller and the programme longer. The services position is the same — pipework, boards and AC from the original handover are at the age where replacement rather than repair is the sensible call.
Who issues the renovation NOC here?
Emaar Community Management, through the ECM portal under home modifications. Any alteration to the villa needs their approval before work starts, and you will need drawings, a registered contractor, insurance certificates and a refundable deposit. Where the work touches structure, drainage or the approved layout you also need a Dubai Municipality modification permit on top.
Can I change the outside of my villa?
Not as of right. Emaar's community rules do not permit exterior alterations as a matter of course, and that extends further than people expect — boundary wall lighting on the community-facing side is specifically restricted. Pergolas, carports and pools each need their own NOC. Approval in advance is considerably easier than retrospective approval, and reinstatement at your own cost is a real outcome.
What We Deliver in The Lakes
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.