Setting Up Space

Outward glitter often conceals inner emptiness, which makes those capable of filling a space with genuine comfort and cosiness all the more valuable. Today we publish a column by Hayk Mkrtchyan, founder of Renovertex, one of the leading players in Dubai's elite renovation and construction market. His frank account reveals how real homes are created.

When life brings you to Dubai, you quickly grasp a paradox: in this showcase city where everything appears gleaming and perfect, property, particularly new apartments from developers, often leaves much to be desired. Picture this: you purchase premium accommodation, yet upon receiving the keys you discover uniform, characterless spaces with questionable finishing quality. This very discrepancy between bold promises and reality became the starting point for creating Renovertex two years ago.

Ten years of living in Dubai taught me a great deal, including the peculiarities of the local property market. Remarkably, regardless of the developer (whether the giant EMAAR, DAMAC or other major builders), the quality of delivered housing is frequently identical. Even stranger, this rule extends to premium districts. You won't find here the quality differential to which residents of post-Soviet territories are accustomed.

Our target audience initially formed around Dubai's Russian-speaking population and that of other emirates. These people grew used to a certain format of accommodation: where everything is attractive and comfortable, where the quality of materials and execution corresponds to the declared class. When they relocate to Dubai and receive keys to their new flats, disappointment often proves inevitable. And here we enter the scene, offering quality renovation that transforms standard, impersonal spaces into distinctive homes.

My personal path to the construction business wasn't the most direct. I trained as a lawyer, but after university decided against pursuing a legal career. Instead, I went into an entirely different sphere: the oil and gas industry. I worked in Turkmenistan, spent a year living in Italy, where I was posted by the major Italian company Eni, one of the global leaders in the oil and gas sector. Then I moved to Dubai, where I continued working in this field.

Later, together with investors, I took up an entirely new business: supplying drinking water from Europe to the UAE. It seemed a promising idea: in a country where water costs more than petrol, importing natural spring water ought to be a goldmine. But bureaucratic complications proved a serious barrier. Obtaining the Emirati quality mark alone, mandatory for imports, took us a full year. Some competitors found this process stretching to eighteen months or two years. Then Covid struck, which put paid to our strategy oriented towards HoReCa (hotels and restaurants).

After closing the water business, I separated from my previous partners and began undertaking renovations. In parallel, I continued work in oil and gas: in Dubai's free zone I have a company engaged in petroleum products trading, equipment supply and commodities trading.

Renovertex today is not simply a renovation company. From the outset we envisaged it as something more. Currently we're at the stage of obtaining a G Plus 4 Licence, which will allow us to construct buildings, not high-rise skyscrapers but exclusive villas. Why villas specifically? Because even in the most premium districts, where developers offer so-called 'exclusive' villas worth tens of millions of dirhams, the same problem persists: they're all identical in exterior.

Initially we planned to obtain this licence in our fifth year of operation, but our development proceeds more rapidly, and most likely we'll have authorisation by the end of the current year. This opens new horizons: creating not only interior spaces but working with exteriors too, realising truly special architectural solutions.

A separate strand of our business is flipping. We help investors find profitable opportunities in the secondary market, carry out quality renovation and sell with a minimum 35 per cent profit. In some cases, we manage to double the value. This service proves particularly sought after amongst those who view Dubai property as an investment instrument.

At Renovertex we pay particular attention to quality at all stages. We give a minimum two-year guarantee on all our projects. This depends on the property type: residential or commercial building. The service package includes remedying any defects that might manifest during this period. Though in fairness, in two years of the company's existence we've virtually never had to redo anything.
The secret of such consistent quality lies in people. Our team includes specialists from Central Asia with 10 to 20 years' experience. These are craftsmen with major projects in Russia and other countries behind them. We make it a principle not to hire workers from India or Pakistan, though this would be cheaper labour. For us, quality and the company's reputation matter more.

Working in Dubai has its own specifics. Here there are very strict requirements imposed on developers by the municipality, and by developers on contractors like us. Everything we do must comply with law and developers' internal regulations. Within these boundaries we can alter walls, pipes and much else, but certain things remain sacrosanct.

For instance, in most EMAAR buildings it's forbidden to change the entrance door or floor covering by dismantling existing tiles. You can only lay new covering over the old. Balconies cannot be glazed, railings cannot be changed from iron to glass. All this relates to preserving the building's external appearance and caring for neighbours' comfort. Noisy work is strictly regulated, which sometimes irritates clients but ensures all residents' peace.

The greatest difficulty in our work is interaction with developers. Sometimes their requirements are so rigid and literally interpreted by staff that this leads to delays. Clients don't always understand this causal connection and may express dissatisfaction. But we try to explain everything and find compromise solutions.

What distinguishes us from competitors? First of all, complete transparency of work. Many of our clients are investors who don't live permanently in Dubai. For their peace of mind we install cloud cameras on sites. The client receives a login and password, through which they can access the system at any time and observe the progress of work. This gives confidence that everything proceeds according to plan, that workers aren't slacking, and that nothing odd is happening on site.

Another feature of ours is the use of modern technology. In collaboration with partners we're developing a programme using artificial intelligence that will allow clients to visualise the future interior through VR goggles. This will enable them to walk virtually through their future flat before renovation begins and make necessary adjustments.

Client tastes in Dubai are gradually changing. If previously, particularly amongst the local population, a luxurious style with an abundance of gold was popular, now more and more people choose contemporary minimalism or loft style for everyday life. Some wealthy Arab families even furnish two houses on one plot: one in traditional luxurious style for receiving guests, the second in modern laconic design for themselves.

Our clients are mainly Russian speaking. These are either people who've relocated to the Emirates or those who continue living in their own countries but invest in Dubai property. For the latter, our renovation is not simply an improvement of living conditions but an investment, a way to distinguish their property from uniform offerings and sell more expensively.

Amusing cases occur when clients bring back unusual ideas from travels. For example, recently we had customers who returned from Japan inspired by its architecture and culture. They wanted to radically change an already half-realised project. One must show flexibility and adapt to such situations.

Speaking of further development plans, we've acquired land in the Nad al Sheba district, not far from the downtown area, behind Sobha Hartland. After obtaining the necessary licence we'll build exclusive villas there to our own design. In prospect, projects in Abu Dhabi are also interesting, where artificial islands are currently being actively developed and the government provides opportunities to acquire property rights.

Our activities are closely connected with the UAE's overall development vector. For me, Dubai is a city of the future developing at incredibly rapid pace. Here the latest technologies and innovations are concentrated, and we try to keep pace with the times. Our vision coincides with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's Vision 2030. Everything the Dubai government does in our niche opens enormous opportunities. The main thing is to use them intelligently, not chasing exclusively after profit but building long-term reputation.

Renovertex's philosophy is built on striving for perfection in all details. We don't simply renovate flats or build houses: we create spaces that reflect owners' individuality, taking account of their lifestyle and needs. In a situation where distinctiveness is increasingly valued, our approach resonates with clients who want to stand out and live in a space created specifically for them, not stamped out by conveyor-belt methods.

The first thing we do when meeting a new client is ascertain their real needs and budget. Many people are frightened by a direct question about budget, but for us this isn't a way to determine 'whether it's worth working with you' but a tool for understanding points of contact. Knowing the financial framework, we can propose optimal solutions: from quality but affordable materials to exclusive Italian brands.

Recently we took on a project in Dubai Creek: a three-bedroom apartment. At the client's request, our staff toured all the major shops and showrooms with him, including Italian brand representatives. Nothing presented in Dubai satisfied the customer, and now we're bringing everything in for him by special order directly from Italy. Such an approach guarantees that his interior will be truly special: no one else can replicate this solution, since these items are simply absent from the local market.

Dubai is a city where competition exists in absolutely all spheres. Here it's impossible to arrive with an idea that no one has yet realised. To survive in such a market, one must constantly develop, introducing new technologies and materials. For instance, in our projects we pay particular attention to lighting solutions. In interior design, light plays a key role: properly constructed lighting can completely transform a space, alter the perception of colours and textures, create the desired mood.

It's interesting to observe how preferences differ amongst clients from various countries. For example, investors from Kazakhstan particularly love the Palm Jumeirah district. And this love is backed by financial capability: they can often afford to purchase property in this prestigious location. But a client from Georgia once wanted to install in his not particularly spacious living room a massive concrete column with national symbols. This was technically possible but absolutely inappropriate from the standpoint of design and spatial functionality.

One feature of Dubai property that arrivals from post-Soviet countries often note is the perception of area. A square metre in the Emirates and in our countries are completely different concepts. If you have an apartment of 200 square metres in Dubai, only about 170 of those will be habitable. In local practice, the total area includes everything: wall thickness, staircases in the case of villas, balconies. By comparison, in our countries they usually indicate precisely the habitable area.

Another important difference: construction quality in Dubai doesn't improve with the years but rather deteriorates. Why? Building volumes are enormous, deadlines compressed, and developers make compromises. For example, three or four years ago, partition walls in most projects were made from foam blocks. Now practically all developers have switched to plasterboard: it takes up less space and significantly speeds up the construction process.

Unfortunately, some renovation companies, our competitors, also follow the path of least resistance. Instead of properly levelling walls with filler, they simply sheath them in plasterboard. We prefer to do everything thoroughly, even if it takes more time.

A particular pride of Renovertex is our approach to safety and observance of all norms. Yes, bureaucratic procedures sometimes drag out projects, but ultimately, they guarantee residents' safety. After each project's completion, an inspection occurs by DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) or the developer itself. Everything must correspond to the initially approved plan.

Sometimes clients become upset when they learn that their wild ideas cannot be realised because of local rules. For instance, you cannot increase habitable area at the expense of the balcony, even if it's quite small. At such moments I explain that these restrictions exist for good reason. They ensure order and safety for all the building's residents. Imagine what would happen if everyone could arbitrarily change the facade or load-bearing structures.

We already have several projects of which I'm particularly proud. These include not only luxurious villas but commercial premises: restaurants, offices. Commercial properties comprise about 15 to 20 per cent of our portfolio, and we aim to increase this share, since they usually bring greater income.

In working with flipping we have partners: companies with licences for property operations. We ourselves have no right either to buy or sell properties, but thanks to this collaboration we offer clients a full cycle of services: from finding a profitable opportunity to selling with renovation already completed. Moreover, we don't abandon the client after finishing work but continue helping them.

Interestingly, the approach to flipping depends on district and budget. Newcomers or investors with limited means usually purchase inexpensive secondary property in districts like JVC, JVT or Sports City in the Dubai South direction. In such cases, renovation is purely decorative: inexpensive materials are used, emphasis is placed on visual attractiveness for quick sale.

Our clients, however, mainly work in a different segment: they acquire properties worth five to ten million dollars and upwards. Here the approach is completely different: quality of materials and execution must correspond to the property's class.

Of course, not everything in our work proceeds smoothly. Comical cases occur too. Once we encountered a problem relocating a gas point. According to local rules, renovation companies, even those holding our licence, cannot independently perform such work. One must turn to outside organisations that have special permissions. And here begins the most interesting part: the human factor.
By nature, I'm a person for whom insurmountable barriers don't exist. If someone tells me no, I don't perceive this as a final answer. Not in the sense of violating rules and boundaries, but in the sense of seeking legal paths to solve the problem. Sometimes one must spend a long time explaining to staff of various authorities that our proposed solution doesn't contradict safety requirements and internal regulations.

Now we stand on the threshold of a new development stage. With obtaining the G Plus 4 licence we can realise our main goal: constructing exclusive villas. This is not simply a business decision but a strategic step towards creating a recognisable brand in the premium market segment.

I believe that the main thing in our work is not chasing momentary profit but building fundamental trust. When clients recommend us to their friends and acquaintances, when our projects become the calling card of certain districts, when the name Renovertex becomes associated with impeccable quality, then one can speak of success. Money will come of itself if you do your work with soul and conscience.

That's why I tell my staff: 'If you want to do something well, do it yourself.' This simple phrase has become our company's unofficial motto. We don't shift responsibility onto others, don't seek excuses, but simply do our work in such a way that we can afterwards show the result with pride.

Renovertex is not simply a company; it's a way of thinking, an approach to life. We strive not merely to meet market standards but to set a new quality benchmark. And I'm confident that our vision coincides with the general direction of Dubai's development: a city that never rests on its laurels and always looks towards the future.