Fit-out
Interior fit-out in Abu Dhabi
An interior fit-out is the work that turns a bare or stripped-back space into a finished, usable one. It covers partitions and ceilings, flooring, joinery, electrics and cooling, painting and finishes, and the furniture that goes in at the end. A fit-out is not the same as a renovation, which changes an interior that already works, and it is not interior design, which produces the drawings a fit-out is built from. Arkan does both, on one contract.
Where a fit-out goes wrong
A fit-out usually goes wrong in the gaps. The designer hands over to the contractor. The contractor sub-lets the joinery. The person who drew the cabinet never meets the person who builds it, and the detail that made the drawing worth paying for quietly disappears somewhere in between. Then the dates start moving, because everyone on site is waiting for someone who does not report to them.
Arkan takes the whole thing on one contract. We have worked in Abu Dhabi since 2003 and delivered more than 440 projects in that time, for developers, consultants and private owners. The drawings, the site work and the furniture all sit with the same team, and the joinery is made in our own workshop by our own people rather than bought in from whoever quoted lowest that month. When a door does not close properly, there is no argument about whose door it is.
If you are working out a budget, we have written up what interior fit-out actually costs in Abu Dhabi by level of finish, and the questions worth asking before you appoint a contractor. For a villa, the renovation checklist covers approvals and sequencing, which is where most programmes slip.
Process
How we work
- 01
Survey and drawings
We measure the space ourselves rather than working from a floor plan someone emailed us. What is structural, what can move, where the services run. The drawings come from those measurements.
- 02
One quote, materials named
The quote says which material goes where. Not "hardwood" but the actual specification, so there is something to hold us to when the piece arrives on site.
- 03
Workshop and site run together
Joinery starts in our workshop while the site is being prepared. The two schedules are ours to coordinate, which is the main reason a fit-out slips when it is split between firms.
- 04
Handover
Snagging, then handover on the agreed date. Anything outstanding is ours to close, not a subcontractor's to argue about.
Gallery
From this part of our work
See the full gallery
Questions
Questions we get asked
- What does a turnkey fit-out include?
- Design drawings, joinery, upholstery, flooring, painting and the site work that ties them together, on one contract with one team responsible. Where a project needs a trade we do not hold in-house, we bring it in and manage it rather than handing you a second contract.
- Do you work on occupied villas and offices?
- Yes. It changes the sequencing more than the scope. Work gets phased so the rooms you actually need stay usable, which usually means a longer programme overall but far less disruption week to week.
- Can you work from an architect's drawings?
- Yes, and we often do. We will review the drawings against our own site measurements first and flag anything that will not build as drawn before you sign, rather than after.
- How long has Arkan been doing this?
- Since 2003, in Abu Dhabi, with more than 440 projects delivered.
Related services
Next step
Tell us about your project
Send a floor plan, a photograph, or just an idea. We will tell you what it takes and what it costs.