The Villa Owner’s Pre-Construction Checklist
A free, practical checklist for owners building or renovating a villa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi: the questions to answer at each stage, before they become expensive.
Send me the checklist
Ten pages, six stages, one tick box per question. We will show you the download straight away.
What is inside
The checks we would want answered if it were our own house, stage by stage.
Before you buy the plot
Title and affection plan, build-by deadlines, design guidelines, which authority applies, ground and services.
Brief and budget
Turning a wish list into a brief, and a whole-project budget with a proper contingency.
Choosing your consultant and contractor
Registration, fee proposals compared like-for-like, and bids that can be compared fairly.
Contract terms to look for
Price, payment, guarantees, retention, variations, extensions of time, defects and disputes.
During construction: monthly checks
Progress against programme, payments against work done, variations, records and inspections.
Snagging and handover
Commissioning, completion, documents, retention and the defects period.
Why we wrote it
Our founder, Philip Chapman, ran P Chapman Construction, a premium residential builder in the UK, for 21 years. From the contractor’s side we saw where budgets leak, how variations and delay claims are built, and which questions owners rarely ask. This checklist puts those questions in order.
It is written for private owners, including those living overseas, who want to stay in control of a villa project without becoming construction experts. It is general information, not legal or engineering advice: your registered consultant carries out the design, authority submissions and statutory supervision, and a UAE-qualified lawyer should review your contracts.
If you would rather talk it through, start a private brief or read how a client-side project manager works alongside your consultant and contractor.
Would a second pair of eyes help?
A personal reply from Philip within one working day. The first conversation is free, and nothing you send us is shared.