Our Dubai base

KARANI GROUP has been headquartered in Dubai since 1986. Our head office, site teams and 35,000 sq ft joinery facility are all located in the emirate, so Dubai projects are delivered with in-house resources rather than a remote subcontract chain.

KARANI GROUP was established in Dubai in 1986 and today delivers construction, interior fit-out, bespoke joinery, restoration and facility management across the UAE and India. More than 600 completed projects and over 300 professionals sit behind every programme we commit to, supported by ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified management systems and two owned joinery facilities — 35,000 sq ft in Dubai and 18,500 sq ft in Mumbai.

Dubai approvals and compliance

Dubai works are coordinated with Dubai Municipality, Dubai Civil Defence, DEWA, Trakhees or free-zone authorities such as DMCC, DIFC and Dubai South where applicable, and with building-management or mall fit-out guidelines. Approval lead times are included in the baseline programme.

Quality control runs against documented hold points. Shop drawings and material submittals are approved before fabrication begins, samples are signed off on site, and first-fix, second-fix and pre-handover inspections are recorded. Health, safety and environmental procedures follow certified method statements with permit-to-work controls, toolbox talks and daily supervision.

Our delivery process, stage by stage

Every engagement covering a Dubai project in Dubai follows the same six stages, so owners, developers and tenants in Dubai always know what happens next. Stage one is discovery: a site visit, measured survey, review of existing drawings or landlord guidelines, and a clear statement of the outcome you need and the date you need it by.

Stage two is design coordination and costing. We convert the brief into drawings, a finishes schedule and a priced breakdown, flagging any element that carries long procurement lead time or an approval dependency. Stage three is approvals and procurement: submissions to the relevant authorities, landlord or building management, plus purchase orders released against a specification that has been locked to prevent late substitution.

Stage four is site execution against a baseline programme, with weekly progress reporting, documented inspections and controlled variation management. Stage five is testing, commissioning and snagging. Stage six is handover — as-built drawings, warranties, O&M manuals and a defects-liability period, with the option to continue into a planned maintenance contract.

Budgeting and cost certainty

Cost overruns on a Dubai project almost always trace back to three things: an incomplete specification at tender, scope added after mobilisation, and site conditions discovered once demolition starts. We reduce all three by pricing against a defined finishes schedule, recording variations formally before work proceeds, and carrying out opening-up surveys on refurbishment scopes before the budget is fixed.

A realistic budget separates base build and structural works, finishes, MEP modifications, bespoke joinery, loose furniture and equipment, authority and landlord fees, professional fees, and a contingency of five to ten per cent depending on how much of the existing condition is unknown. Presenting the numbers this way lets an owner make informed trade-offs instead of blanket cuts.

Because bespoke joinery is manufactured in our own facilities — 35,000 sq ft in Dubai and 18,500 sq ft in Mumbai — a significant share of the value stays inside the group rather than being marked up through a subcontract chain.

Programme risk and how we manage it

The critical path for a Dubai project is usually set by approvals and long-lead procurement rather than by site labour. We identify those items in the first two weeks, submit early, and track them on a procurement log reviewed weekly alongside the construction programme.

In Dubai, seasonal factors, permit windows, restricted working hours in occupied or trading premises, and delivery access all shape sequencing. Planning for them at mobilisation is far cheaper than accelerating later, and where acceleration is genuinely needed we set out the options and their cost implications rather than absorbing silent delay.

Progress reporting is factual: percentage complete by trade against baseline, procurement status, open RFIs, approved and pending variations, HSE observations and a forward two-week look-ahead.

Sustainability, safety and workforce standards

Environmental performance is managed under our ISO 14001 certified system: waste segregation and diversion from landfill on site, low-VOC paints and adhesives where specified, responsibly sourced timber for joinery, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC specification, and reuse of existing elements on refurbishment projects wherever condition permits.

Safety is managed under ISO 45001 with documented risk assessments and method statements, permit-to-work controls for hot works and confined spaces, site induction for every worker, daily toolbox talks and recorded supervision. Our workforce is directly employed and housed to standards we audit ourselves, which is a material factor for clients whose own procurement policies assess labour welfare.

Discuss your project

To discuss a Dubai project, contact KARANI GROUP — we will arrange a site visit and issue a priced proposal with a programme.