My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Vish Patel, the owner of a project management company, lives with his wife, two children and mother in a five-bedroom villa in Dubai Hills, not far from the sprawling golf course.
He built the property from scratch, buying the land for more than Dh5 million ($1.3 million), before spending at least Dh20 million – although he says it’s probably more, as there were plenty of additions and upgrades he didn’t account for – creating his dream home.
Now, he’s listed it for Dh65 million as he looks to build an even better project elsewhere in Dubai. The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
It’s a five-bedroom house, with a basement, ground floor and roof terrace. It’s on a 12,000-square-foot plot. With it being my own house and me being a perfectionist, I wouldn’t say it’s finished even now. But it’s been two years since we moved in.
Why did you decide to build your home?
I'd wanted to build a house here for a while. We have an old house in the UK, it’s a listed building that we’ve renovated. Here we wanted something modern, opposite to what I have over there. And a family home – something practical that we can use for my kids, who are teenagers, and my mum, who is staying with us now, too.
We wanted somewhere that we could use all of the areas, entertain in the house. It’s not just a show home, it’s something that suits all of our needs.
I knew in my mind how that would work, I sketched it out then called an architect. I chose the materials, equipment, everything. It was an exciting time.
Of course, Covid caused some changes in direction due to the availability of materials and so on.
Why have you decided to sell?
I’m not selling because the market is great and now is the time to sell. I put my heart and soul into this house.
I’d never sell my house in England no matter what offer someone made. But, emotionally, here I can sell the house and I know I could do something similar again. I wanted to liquidate some funds from the value of the house to do it again.
The needs of the family have changed and I might not build something as big again.
Why did you choose Dubai Hills?
I love Dubai Hills. The million dollar question we used to get asked since we’ve been in the UAE 20 years was, 'Where’s the centre of Dubai?' It was the Marina, then Downtown. Now I really feel Dubai Hills is the right place to be.
It’s so central, you can get out to everywhere, it’s a practical location.
When we move on, I’d like to stay here. Having a villa is absolutely amazing as it’s a private space but it comes with responsibility, maintenance.
Now we’re toying with the idea of moving into a penthouse and having a change, where we can go down and use the pool, instead of worrying about the pool cleaner coming. Short-term, we’re potentially looking at a flat or something similar, but in Dubai Hills.
What facilities do you have access to?
The master plan has community pools, but I also have a pool at the house and a Jacuzzi outside. The basement has a gym and a steam room, and we have a home cinema as well.
It’s a small cinema, with only four seats, but it’s for our use, not to invite people round.
The entertainment space is in our basement. Our whole plot was excavated and the basement is our biggest floor.
Growing up, watching movies, basements were always dark, scary places, so I’ve excavated the plot and it has three-metre-high ceilings and windows with natural light coming in.
We’ve got a sunken terrace, a green living wall on one side, a barbecue pizza oven, kitchen and so on that we use – that’s all on the lower basement level as well.
How would you describe your interior style?
It’s pretty neutral. When you enter you notice a skylight at the top that goes up to the roof.
The whole house is built on this spine wall. Outside, it’s clad in basalt, a lava stone. With heat and dust, there are very few dark colours you can use, but basalt doesn’t heat up the house.
It’s black outside and we boldly use it in the master bedroom, too. Inside is the white marble, which serves a purpose as it stays cool.
The flooring is porcelain tile that’s made to look like white marble slabs.
We have wooden floors for bedrooms, which are solid oak. Every two to three years you need to oil the floor, but otherwise it’s low maintenance and, because it breathes, it allows for shrinking and expanding with the humidity.
It was a considerable expense, but we also have floor-to-height windows in every room – and most of them are motorised. People forget how heavy they are, so the motorised option really helps. For many months of the year we have our windows open in our bedrooms, so it’s nice to have those sliding doors.
The glass is clear and transparent, but it limits heat protection without the tint. It’s one of the best investments I made. You can put your hand on it and not feel the heat even during the summer.
We wanted light to come in and didn’t want to have to close the curtains during the day because it’s hot.
What other features have you installed?
Storage was really important and everything can be hidden away. All the cabinet and joinery has been made bespoke.
There’s a lot of automation – the way the music works, the locks on the doors, the cameras. We can programme it how we want and control it all even when we’re not here.
There’s also a double-height wardrobe in our master bedroom. You can never have too much wardrobe space, and there’s a lift in there that takes you up to the same wardrobe floor above it.
Another element that’s been practical for us is that the master bedroom has two separate bathrooms – his and hers – so no more arguments in the morning.
What will you miss about this house?
I’ve been dreaming of building this house for a long, long time. In my head, I’ve been bookmarking pages, saying, ‘When I do my house, I want to do that or this.’
And I have to say this is the best community I’ve stayed in – we know the neighbours, my son plays basketball and this is the first time he’s met kids that aren’t in his school.
We go walking the dog as a family and get to meet loads of people.
On this street, most people have built their houses from scratch and they are mostly here to stay forever. It’s not just houses getting flipped and sold all the time. That gives more stability as well.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%20(V%20Class)%3B%20electric%20motor%20with%2060kW%20or%2090kW%20powerpack%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20233hp%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20204hp%20(EQV%2C%20best%20option)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20350Nm%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20TBA%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMid-2024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani