Top 5 Things to Know Before Renovating your Home in Dubai

A renovation design can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. We've gathered together our top tips for making your project a success.

Taking on a renovation project is both a challenging and rewarding experience. But unlike building a new home with a renovation, you are never starting with a blank page.

As such, renovating a house can be complex and prone to unforeseen issues and expenses, so being well prepared is key to a successful project. We've gathered together some of our top tips for making your project a success and buying the right property for home renovation .

1. A Building Survey is Important
It would help if you always commissioned a building survey from a chartered building surveyor before buying a property to a home extension . These typically range from 500 to over 1,000, depending on the house's size, location, and age.

A building survey will highlight any significant issues — such as the requirement for a dissimilar roof or problems such as dampness or architectural movement. The survey will also highlight any further surveys you may need.

However, do bear in mind that a surveyor will not uncover hidden problems and will not usually give an idea of the costs.

2. Be Programmed for ConflictWhen there is a lot of interest in a property, it will often go to sealed bids. The estate agent will let you know the date and time by which all requests have to be in. When submitting your bid, you will need to provide a letter stating your final offer, along with your solicitor’s details and, ideally, a mortgage offer in principle from your lender.

It often pays to write the letter to the house owner, setting out why you are a good choice — no chain, big deposit, etc. Include a little personal information on why you want to buy the property and are a reliable choice.

3. Save on Surveys
If you require a home renovation in Dubai , your lender will insist on a valuation. If you also want a full building survey, ask your lender whether your chosen surveyor is on their panel for valuation reports. If not, if they could recommend one locally, it saves paying for two different surveys, saving 100s.

4. Reflect Before Commencing Work on Your RenovationIt can be tempting to start work straight away, particularly if you intend to live in the house during the renovation. Let's face it, and no one wants to live on a building site longer than necessary.

However, it can pay to pause before starting work. This will allow you time to thoroughly prepare and provide an opportunity to get to know the house. For instance, you can observe which rooms receive natural light throughout the day, and those spaces you naturally gravitate towards and those you don't and need house renovation or working, accordingly.

Plus, unless you've been lining up a builder or trades during the buying process, it's unlikely they'll be able to start for some months.

5. Budget for New ElectricsElectrics in old buildings will often require updating — lookout for old-fashioned fuse boxes, light switches, round pin plugs and fabric-coated flex.