Contingency for AED 235,500 renovation of a 110 m² Abu Dhabi coastal home

D

door.grounded

Construction professional
Established
I have checked the broad scope and put AED 235,500 against a 110 m² coastal home in Abu Dhabi, but access behind the bathroom walls and floors is still unclear. The work covers the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, decoration, electrical inspection and some energy improvements. I am not planning an extension or other structural addition.

Before fixing the contingency, I want to narrow the risks that cannot be cheaply reversed once work begins. What should a surveyor or contractor document about plumbing routes, waterproofing, electrical remedial work and possible structural issues? I would also welcome views on the reserve needed where hidden conditions and sequencing are more uncertain than the choice of finishes.
 
As a planning allowance, I’d show 15% contingency—AED 35,325—but also test whether you could absorb 20% if opening floors or bathroom walls exposes problems. Before pricing finishes, ask contractors to state exclusions for electrical replacement, plumbing repairs, waterproofing, substrate preparation, disposal, permits and protection of retained areas. An unexplained low quote is often just a shorter scope.
 
Is this a villa or a unit within a managed building, and will it be occupied during the work? Those details affect access, working sequence and approval timing. I’d also want to know the property’s age, whether there are existing moisture marks, and whether plumbing routes can be inspected without destructive opening. “Electrical checks” needs defining too: inspection only, testing, or an allowance for remedial work?
 
I’m not convinced a blanket 15–20% solves the problem. If the kitchen and bathroom quotes still contain provisional items, that contingency could be consumed before any genuinely hidden condition appears. Split the uncertainty instead: firm-priced work, selected materials, unresolved service work and a separate reserve. That makes it easier to see whether AED 235,500 is a real scope budget or an early estimate.
 
On sequencing, I’d investigate moisture, waterproofing, plumbing access and electrical condition before ordering flooring or cabinetry. Then confirm dimensions and material lead times after any opening-up work. Ask who carries the cost if later repairs delay installation, what substitutions are allowed, and whether permit or building-approval time is included in the programme. Coastal exposure makes unexplained staining or corrosion worth examining rather than painting over.
 
A practical next step would be a room-by-room scope shared with every bidder, followed by a written exclusions comparison. Mark each line as fixed, allowance or unknown. Keep the contingency outside the contractor’s visible trade totals so it remains under your control.

I’d also ask for a sequence showing surveys, approvals, demolition, service repairs, waterproofing, drying or curing periods, measurements, deliveries and installation. That programme may reveal more risk than the headline price.
 
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