Construction Cost

[OldWorldCharm]

Hello blrsiteseeker,

If I may ask, where all did you have to go for variations from what the contractor proposed in Rs1300? Flooring (better tiles/granite), electrical and bathroom fittings etc.
Usually, as per my current understanding, most of the contractors take vitrified tiles worth about Rs 50 each for flooring and Anchor Roma as the default electrical fitting choice in the quote ranging around 1450- 1550/sq ft. Could you please elaborate on what you actually went for that shot up the rate to 1800? This might help a lot of us who are in the initial stages of construction now. Of course, there's no upper limit when it comes to how much one can spend on fittings/finishing .

Thanks in advance.

[blrsiteseeker]

flooring, cladding and wall tiles, flooring for balcony (tiles vs. concrete floor), tiling in sump, solar water heater, geysers in all bathrooms, solar battery + dedicated solar lighting circuit, inverter (hybrid), granite counters (not just kitchen - but all baths, store room, utility room), additional sinks, kohler fixtures, grohe plumbing fixtures. List only includes a few items (there were more, I can't remember right now). Each one seems like a small upgrade, but in the end they all add up.

Having said that, be careful when making selections and decisions. While picking, we feel we have to do it right, since we build a house but once, but keep the price tags and the budget in mind when you are doing this.

[OldWorldCharm]

Thanks a lot, blrsiteseeker. Very useful information. You're absolutely right in saying that it's easy to get carried away and "adjust" for more than budgeted fittings/fixtures, but in the end they all add up to a huge total. Thanks again and wish you a great life in your new home.

Regards.

[ardesarchitects]

Hi Blr siteseeker
Good Experiences shared ....the same way people should look at smaller items in saving cost too.flooring Is direct proportion to your sft rate.
Items to be very care full with -
plumbing fixtures like tapes ,showers
Flooring
Electrical switches and no of points -don't go for unnecessary network routings since it's all wire less now
Wood work - upgrading from sal to teak is not wood cost ,polishing of teak ,hardware etc need to be considered

Any item before upgrading be ready for other items to be upgraded to same category
For example Italian with ms railing is not a good combination ,for italian marble internal railings has to be stainless steel .
While planning don't underestimate the basement .

Regards
Ar.Praveen.n
Ardes architects and interior designers
ardesarchitects@gmail.com

[pnara2]

Rs1800-2000 is a good estimate. I wouldnt agree with anything less than that! Considering the cost of materials today, I think anything less than this price means substandard construction or you have grossly underestimated the figure!

My cousin built a decent duplex house recently for about 52lakhs! His estimate was about 33lakhs initially! But it was not to be! And, he ended up arranging the extra funds from private financiers for higher interest rates. So this is just a warning for someone who is in the initial estimating phase now!!

The site dimension is 30/40.

Totally, the house has 3 floors, ground floor- only garage, first floor- italian kitchen, one master bedroom, 1 big hall, 1 pooja room, and 1 common bathroom.

Second floor- one master bedroom, one study room and a big hall.

Other facilities- borewell, solar, grill covering for all windows for extra security

Flooring- Granite- good quality but not very high end! I think he purchased granite in jigani.

Wood- He purchased it from one of the timber yard in mysore road. He spent around 4.5 lakhs just to purchase wood. I think it was teak only.

I dont know all the technical terms but I can vouch that it took about 52lakhs flat for the total house completion. Believe me that the construction is decent and you can call it as fit for upper middle class but in no way upscale or posh! And, it has taken about 52 lakhs for completion.

Initially I was planning to construct an other house but now I am thinking twice because of the costs involved!

Again, I am sorry that I have not described everything technically but my aim of this post was to warn people who are in the estimating phase now and whose budgets are somewhat constrained! Especially young couples or someone who is planning to build their home for the first time! Please keep a good buffer or backup or whatever you want to call because 10 out of 10 times the initial estimate will be wrong.

[blrsiteseeker]

pnara - I think you are right. I was upset that my estimate was lower and when we got done it came to the numbers you quoted above. Now I feel better. Our house is quite decent in terms of construction quality and finishing. I think the materials used were good (not because it is my house - but the comments I received from friends and neighbours who have even recently constructed their houses). Reasonable numbers should be about rs. 2000/sq. ft (for a decent high end middle class house).

In addition to the cost, please be ready to invest a lot of your time in supervision, selections and monitoring the construction, that is even if you have a contractor (turnkey contract). We did all that, but I spent about 6-7 months doing all the work. It is not easy to get it done. But the feeling of accomplishment after it is all done is worth it. So don't hesitate to construct your house. LIke you clearly said, you need to set your expectations right, if your budget is 50 lakhs then start with a budget estimate of about 30 or 35 lakhs, by the time you are done, it will come to the total amount you can afford. Keeping a good buffer (of about 30 to 40% is very good advice).

"Mane Katti Nodu, Maduve Maadi Nodu" rings very true.

[dream_home]

Hi,
I do not think the construction cost will be more than 1.3lac / 100 sqft for a decent finish.
In my case i am constructing 6000 sqft house. In which 2000 sqft is for stilt floor with covering on all side.
Rest 4000 sqft is for duplex. I have used BIRLA super 53 grade, RMC for slabs, APCO blocks, Red SAL for frames, Teak for main and puja door, Imported Vitrified tiling (nano technology) 1 metre x 1 metre. For bath rooms imported 2ft x 1 ft. Modular kitchen with rubber wood shutters. Wardrobes with rubber wood shutters and few with laminates. Finolex wiring. ANCHOR VOILA switches. Berger primer/wall putty/paints. Cast iron for 2 front balcony. Security doors, gate with cast iron, SS with wooden handrail + cast iron designs for internal stairs and cut out. All 5 bathrooms have jaguar hi flow diverter with rain showers. Commodes and sinks are of RAK brand. Puja room decorated with Teak. Murals for front elevation.
This has come to 57 lakh + 3 lakh (for borewell + plan saction charges).
The house is in finishing stages and another 1 month work is pending. I will upload the photo once it is complete.

[vpachhu]

Dream_Home; Have you contracted the whole construction? If so, please share the contractors details

[abhi]

Dream_home is an appropriate screen name for a guy with this kind of a home at the price he said.

[pnara2]

@blrsiteseeker
Yes sir! Only people who have seen it all and done it all can speak the truth. Reality is far more important than fiction. In a real world, one needs to know the actual facts before embarking on any projects such as house construction.

And, yes, building a home is a good accomplishment in one's life. But again, one should not forget the famous adage in kannada- "haasige iddashtu kaalu chaachu". So trying to calculate everything at this time before I come to a conclusion of whether to build or not.

@dream_home
I am not sure how you cut construction costs or how you did it at that price but if you have accomplished at the price you quoted, I am very happy for you. Like I said, I just shared what I knew after seeing my cousins experience. I had no intention of just giving a random figure or something just for the sake of discussion.