Construction Work Guide

House Construction- A Dream of Every Pakistani

Probably it is the dream of every Pakistani to have his/her own house. A house constructed by themselves adds countless emotions with the property. With the inflation going up day by day, this dream is becoming harder and harder to realize. Rates of everything from land to the construction material is going up by every passing day, making it difficult to build their house. 

Cost of House Construction

There are two types of houses one can own here: 

1- Self Built

2- Built by the Contractor/Thekaydar

People prefer to live in the house that they have built themselves.A general perception being that self-built houses offer better build quality than those build and sold by the contractors/thekaydars. It also enables people to design their homes according to their own requirements, taste & affordability. People buy plots in their preferred housing schemes in Pakistan and build own houses. Building own home is great, but it is not as easy as it sounds. One must know the construction cost and it has to be verified from different places in order to ensure that one is not being looted. Everyone cannot go around looking for rates as it can be full of hassle and time consuming at times. Here I'll provide a little guide to determine the estimated cost for the construction of home. For estimation purpose, you first need to know the total covered area to be constructed. Once you have calculated the covered area, house construction cost can be divided into two parts, grey structure cost and finishing cost.

Grey Structure Work Cost

The first phase in home construction is the Grey Structure Work. It is the work which starts from excavation till the structure is completed and plastered. The cost of grey structure varies according to the material used. Usually good grey construction work ranges from 1200-1800 Pak Rupees per square foot. Cost of construction for area outside covered area is charged separately and it varies as per requirement. Also the plaster work outside slab is charged separately.

Following works are included in the Grey Structure work but need to get agreed before signing a contract:

1-     Foundation

2-     Walls

3-     Roof

4-     Cement Plaster to wall

5-     Under ground water tank

6-     Roof water Tank

7-     Septic tank also

Following items (in general) are NOT included in GRAY STRUCTURE:

·        Boundary wall is generally priced separately.

·        None of the services like electric, sewage water, woodwork and painting are included in gray structure works.

·        Flooring marble tiles Aluminum steelworks and face work are NOT get counted in it and called Finishing works.

Finishing Work Cost

This is the second phase in the home construction work. It includes the marble & tile fixing, wood work, false ceiling work and painting etc. It is really hard to provide an exact amount for the work without knowing the specifications of the work that will be carried out. The specifications include type of wood used in wood work, type of paint, type of flooring etc. But to give an idea for the average finishing work estimate, it ranges from 1200-2700 Pak Rupees per square foot. Once again it depends on the quality of finishes you choose for your home.

How to build your home?

As mentioned earlier, everyone is not an expert in construction field. So there are four methods to get you house built:

1-     Hiring labor on daily basis

2-     Contract for only labor rate

3-     Contract for only Grey Structure with material

4-     Contract for complete house (Turn Key Basis)

In hiring labor on daily basis, the owner provides all the construction material and hires labor on daily basis and makes payment to them daily or weekly (daily in most cases). This method is usually adopted when owner has someone who can supervise the work all day long. Current labor rates are 1100-1400 per day for Mistri & 600-900 for Mazdor.

In contract for only labor rate, the owner provides all the construction material and engages a team in contract to do the labor work. A rate of per square foot construction is decided among the contractor/thekaydar and the owner. The current labor rates are Rs 200-250 for the grey structure work (Teesi Kaandi ka kaam in labor terms), Rs 12-20 per square foot for plumbing work, Rs 12-20 per square foot electricity work. This type is adopted when owner has someone who can supervise and provide the material to the contractor and ensure that the contractor is not wasting the material.

In contract for only grey structure with material, a contract is signed with the contractor/thekaydar in which the contractor will be responsible for purchasing all the construction material as well as the labor work. The contract specifies the type of material to be used in the construction work. In this type, the owner is at ease without being too much bothered. But still owner has to keep an eye on the work to ensure that the material used is according to the contract. Cost is mentioned above for the grey structure work.

In contract for complete house (Turn Key Basis), a contract is signed with the contractor/thekaydar in which the contractor will be responsible for the purchasing all the material including the finishing work material and labor. Specifications of all the material (grey and finishing) is mentioned in the contract to avoid any problems later. Again the owner has to keep an eye to ensure the work to be according to the specification. Cost is mentioned above for the finishing work.

Factors that decrease or increase the house construction cost

1-Small covered areas cost more to build, whereas large covered areas cost less to build.

2-Material transportation also decreases or increases the construction cost of a house. Areas, where construction materials are not locally available cost more.

3-Site preparation and soil filling also increases the cost of construction, as some sites or plots need more preparation and soil filling.

4-Single storey houses cost more to build, whereas double storey houses cost less to build.

5-Simple structures cost less to build, whereas structures with lot of beams & lintels cost more to build.

Cost of some building materials:

Bricks (1^st Class): Rs. 8700-9500 per 1000 numbers. (Rs. 8.7 to 9.5 per brick)

Cement Bag: Rs 550/- (Rates jumped from 500 per bag to 550 after current budget)

Sand (Ravi): Rs 3000-4000 per trolley (A trolley usually measures from 300cft to 400cft)

Crush (Margalla): Rs 65-75 Per cft

Steel (Sarya): Rs 72-93 Per kg (Depending upon the quality and grade)

Notes:

The mentioned construction rates are for Lahore and may vary according to the location due to variation in construction material rates.

Construction costs / rates in this blog are updated regularly (last updated on 01-07-2016).

The blogger is Associate Civil Engineer and providing house building services at Rehmat & Sons Construction Works