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
Cyba Audi, a communications strategist, award-winning business news anchor and founder of Saba Consultants, bought her first home in Dubai back in 2015.
She’d spent 15 years in rented accommodation, but after getting married she and her husband wanted somewhere to call their own.
It was just after the city had won the bid for Expo 2020 and it had become a race to find the perfect location before it got snapped up.
She eventually fell in love with a Dh10 million space in Al Bada’a, which they have spent almost three years renovating through the pandemic, working hard to make the house a home.
The National takes a tour.
Please tell us about your home
It’s a beautiful house in the sense that it has this fantastic energy and everybody feels that when they walk through the front gate and into the garden. It’s very uplifting, very positive, you immediately feel oxygenated.
We saw the house about three times before we chose it … and the nice thing about it, which I didn’t actually think was nice when I first saw it, is that the garden is at the front, so the house is pushed to the back of the plot.
It has these massive, mature ghaf trees in the front – they look very romantic. And we’ve added some palm trees as well alongside a walkway down the middle of the garden. It really gives the house character.
It was probably built in around 2000, but it’s a solid house.
How did you choose your area?
It’s an independent house on a short street with only four other houses on it.
We’re right in the middle of the city, just opposite City Walk and behind Shangri-La Dubai, but you wouldn’t know it because it’s so quiet and so lush and green.
I walk to work every day – it’s a half-hour walk to DIFC and the airport is 20 minutes away.
Why did you want to own your own home?
I lived in the Dusit Thani for a good 15 years before I moved here.
We wanted to have a space to call our own. We wanted it to be ours, we wanted the security and familiarity, something to grow in and grow with. The permanency of owning that gives you a bit of comfort and grounds you.
I have friends who have spent 20 to 25 years in rented accommodation and I do not understand that. For me, it’s knowing that I have a base that gives me the opportunity to build a life.
And also being on the ground – we lived in a flat before in a tower and now we’re on the ground and that makes a world of difference.
What renovations have you done inside the house?
When we bought it, it had four bedrooms upstairs and a bedroom downstairs. We turned two of those rooms and bathrooms into the master bedroom, which is gigantic. Downstairs, I started using the bedroom as a gym, but now it’s more of a quiet room.
We’ve basically opened up the whole house, tore down a lot of internal walls and there are very few doors in this house that shut completely.
There was also a massive staircase that went across the whole centre of the house. It was a very old fashioned, sweeping staircase with a very ornate bannister. It was horrible. So, the first thing we did was to take it out and we gained all this space underneath it. We put in this Z-shaped staircase on the side and now we have a sitting area here.
The windows were also quite small, so we opened them up and now it’s very light. We wanted to bring the outside in.
What changes did you make outside?
We had this small, almost kidney-shaped pool up front, but we took that out and put in a lap pool – or perhaps a dipping pool is a better description. It’s 11 metres long, so we can get a few strokes in there.
How much did the renovations cost?
We did it in the pandemic, so it took longer than it could have, I think it took us maybe three years to finish, so it ended up costing up to Dh4 million.
What was your experience with the contractors?
It was a difficult one, to be honest. Back then, not a lot of renovations were happening in Dubai.
It was hard to find contractors that did medium-sized jobs, so we had difficulty finding a company that could do it.
We also had to stop the project one or two times and find new people to do the job with us. We didn't get to the point of courts, but it was pretty close.
What interior design choices have you made?
Overall, it's a little bit of Art Deco, a lot of old-world elegance and modern functionality.
I wanted somewhere we could hang up our art and enjoy it, somewhere we can entertain family and friends. We found the dining table long before construction was finished, because we found it in an antique place in Al Quoz.
It seats 12 and we have a large family and we wanted them to be able to come for dinners with their future partners and future children.
That’s what we had in mind when we were selecting furniture and decorating the house.
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Dubai World Cup Carnival Thursday race card
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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