How to Renovate Kitchen and Bathroom the Smart Way

Kitchens and bathrooms add the most value to a home and cause the most stress during a renovation. They're full of water, power and expensive finishes, and a mistake in either is costly to undo.

Renovating both at once can be the smarter choice, as long as it's planned properly. Here's how to do it in an Abu Dhabi villa or apartment without wasting money.

Why Renovate the Kitchen and Bathroom Together

Doing both rooms in one project usually costs less and takes less time than doing them a year apart.

The same trades work in both rooms: plumbers, electricians, waterproofers, tilers and joiners. Running them together means one mobilisation, one round of dust protection and, for towers on Al Reem Island or in Al Reef, one building NOC. You live with the disruption once instead of twice.

Step 1: Keep the Wet Areas Where They Are

The single biggest saving is keeping sinks, WCs and showers in their current positions.

Moving a drain in an apartment often means cutting into the slab or running pipes through the ceiling of the flat below, and many buildings don't allow it. In villas it's easier, but it still adds time and cost. Keep the layout and spend the money on finishes you'll see every day.

Step 2: Plan Services for Both Rooms in One Go

Plan the plumbing and electrics for both rooms together, before the design is final.

• Dedicated circuits for the oven, hob, dishwasher and water heaters
• Isolation valves for each room, so one leak doesn't shut off the whole home
• Extraction ducted outside from the cooker hood and the bathroom
• Enough sockets at the worktop and the vanity
• A distribution board checked for the added load as part of the plumbing and electrical works

Step 3: Choose Fittings That Save Water and Power

Smart renovations use fittings that cut running costs from day one.

TAQA Water Solutions, which handles wastewater across Abu Dhabi emirate, recommends low-flow showerheads, taps and dual-flush toilets, and notes that a single dripping tap can waste over 11,000 litres a year (see the source at the end of this article).

In the kitchen, induction hobs, LED under-cabinet lights and efficient appliances lower electricity bills in a city where the AC already runs most of the year.

Step 4: Waterproof, Test, Then Tile

Waterproofing is the one step you should never rush. In the bathroom, the membrane goes up the walls and is flood tested for 24 hours before tiling. In the kitchen, the floor around the sink and dishwasher benefits from a membrane too, especially in upper-floor apartments.

Our bathroom renovation process builds the test day into the programme, so nobody is tempted to skip it.

Step 5: Lock Selections Before Work Starts

Indecision is the most common cause of delay in kitchen and bathroom projects.

Confirm cabinet finishes, worktops, tiles, sanitary ware, taps and appliance models before you sign. Kitchen cabinetry usually takes three to five weeks to manufacture, so it's ordered as soon as the design is approved and built while site work runs.

Our kitchen renovation guide for Abu Dhabi covers layouts, worktops and current trends to help you decide early.

Step 6: Use One Contractor and One Programme

Two rooms and five trades need one person in charge. A single contractor sequences the work so the tiler isn't waiting for the plumber and the joiner isn't fitting units onto wet plaster.

ALHUD runs kitchen renovation and bathroom work under one contract, with one site supervisor and one programme.

You can see every trade we cover on our services page.

To learn more about how the team plans and runs each job, visit our about page.

Budget and Timeline

At ALHUD, most kitchen renovations in Abu Dhabi cost AED 25,000 to AED 90,000, and most bathroom refits AED 18,000 to AED 45,000. Kitchens usually take two to four weeks on site and bathrooms one to three weeks. When both run together, much of that time overlaps, and the final figure is fixed in writing after a site survey.

Frequently Asked Questions