House Construction and Construction Rates in Lahore Pakistan - Part 2 (Updated on March 22, 2016)

In Part-1 of my blog, I tried to cover the first two points in detail, and I will now continue to the next, and more specifically, the construction rate in Lahore and I assure you one thing, that you will not find such details anywhere on the Internet. And I request you all that when you read and make use of this information which I am sharing, just remember me in your prayers :)

Foundation digging started on 20-May-2015

Water Connection installed and Foundation Bricks being Laid

3. In case of Contractor, what should be the rate of construction per sq. feet (both turn-key or Labor only)?

The construction rate per Sq. Foot is variable in different Areas in Lahore. For example, you cannot compare construction rates of DHA and Bahria Town to the Construction Rates in Other societies, as they are usually on the higher side. My house is in a Society on Canal Road towards Bahria Town, and I got the construction rate of 270 Rs. / Sq Foot for the Labor Only Contract, in which only Electrical and Sanitary work was  not included, Other extra things which were included are as follows (Mind it, the contractor can trick you for charging for these things separately, but I negotiated wisely and got these things included in the contract without extra cost)

• Over head water tank (full sized huge)
• Septic Tank
• Main Gate
• Rooftop side pardi upto 3-Ft
• Boundary Wall
• Pergola in the front elevation
• Extra works in the kitchen and other areas

One important thing is, you can get the Construction rate of 220-240 Rs. per Sq. Foot also, but the contractor will not be good (It's my personal experience), so don't compromise the quality of construction for saving few thousands.

4. What should be done for electrical and sanitation work (should include in the Contract or should be done separately)?

I separately negotiated it with the contractor and was done 15 Rs per Sq Foot for Electrical and 15 Rs. per Sq Foot for the Sanitation, so total rate was 300 (270 + 30) Rs. per Sq. Foot for complete Labor. I dont recommend going for the separate/independent Electrician and Plumber, because they will be a headache for you. You can get cheap Electrician and Plumber but you will regret it in the end, so let it be the headache of your main contractor to run the things smoothly. Contractor knows fully that when and how he has to use Electrician and Plumber, and there is a term used by contractor "Kaam ki Chaal" which means the clearance of tasks ahead, so only your contractor knows when to give chaal to the Plumber and when to Electrician. I really had a bad experience with the independent Electricians and I had to change 3 of them till the project got completed.

After Land Filling (Ghassoo Filling in the Foundation)

Reached DPC level and starting up Brick Wall Columns (Chunaiyan)

5. What are the material costs nowadays (so I can create my budget accordingly)?

Now this is the most important part of Construction and Budgeting. First, you should know the expected covered area of your project. In Lahore, 1 Marla is of 225 Sq. Feet, and my plot was 12 Marla and 64 Sq. Feet, so total area in Sq Feet was 2,764 Sq. Feet. After construction, the Ground Floor Covered area 2100 Sq. Feet + 1st Floor 2000 Sq. Feet + 200 Sq. Feet Mumty Room = 4300 Sq. Feet total covered area of construction. I have 3 Bedrooms with attached Bath + 1 Drawing Room + TV Lounge + Kitchen and Store on Ground, and same Structure on the first floor. Also, I have a servant room with attached bath on the top floor (Mumty Extension). 10 Marla house has approximately 3300 Sq. Feet covered area of construction (with 2 Floors). So, you can have an idea of your budgeting as follows

3300 x 300  = 990,000 Rs Total Labor Cost for your 10 Marla double story house which you have to pay to your contractor for the house construction, and this includes electrical + plumbing work as well.

Bathroom on GF

1st Master Bed on Ground Floor

2nd Master Bedroom on Ground Floor

Brick Walls at 7 Feet and Septic Tank in the making

Another view of Ground Floor

Coming again to covered area (4300 Sq Feet) of my construction project, below are the approximate material quantities I had to use for the complete project, for a very good construction

Rates updated on 22-March-2016

For Grey Structure

Bricks Required = 125,000 Bricks (Awwal Brick @ 8.5 Rs. per unit)

Cement Required = 1600 Bags (DG Cement @ 520 Rs. per bag) 

Sand (Ravi) used for Lanter+Chunaiyan = 63 Trollies @ 4000 per Trolly 

Sand (Chenab) used for Pluster = 10-11 Trollies @ 28000 per Trolley 

Ghassoo (Land Fill) = Gave contract of filling the plot in Rs. 120,000

Steel Re-Bars (Sariya) = 8 Tons (Model Steel @ 83,000 Rs per Ton bought from Karwaan Steel Multan Road) = 648,000 Rs.

Sargodha Crush (Bajri) = 5-6 Trucks (@ 55000 Rs. per truck, or @ 55 Rs. per Foot ) = 330,000 Rs.

Electrical Piping and Boxes = 50,000 Rs. for 2 floors

Sanitary Piping = 200,000 Rs for 2 Floors (Gas pipe, cold and hot water pipes)

Other things which includes Rora, Marble Chips, Brick Tiles for Roof Top, Plastic Roll, Door Chokhats (Iron) and many other smaller material = 200,000 Rs Atleast should be budgeted.

I will write about the Finishing Material Costs in the next section.

Ground Floor Brick walls at 10 Feet

First Lanter Concrete Filling

Concrete filling for RCC Lanter (Iron Cage in the pic)

Shuttering of First Floor

6. How to manage the construction work and how to supervise it?

To supervise the construction work, you must set your schedule (whether you are in a job or a business) in a way that you must be present at the construction site daily for atleast 2-3 hours., only then you can have a complete satisfaction that your house is having a quality built and no sub-standard stuff is carried out by the Labor as well as no material is going waste (the Labor class has no ethics about wasting the Cement Masala, Bricks or other expensive things). Your Chowkidar must be very active and must be having knowledge of construction so that he can take care of the work when you are not on-site. Also, Chowkidar must be having a mobile phone on which you can call him round the clock and get the update about the work.

7. How to decide for the finishing material (Tiles, Marble, Electrical Fancy Fittings, Bathroom Fittings, Paint, Woodwork, Safety Grills, Main Gate, Metal Gates, False Ceiling, Aluminium Windows etc)

Well, it's a question based on your budget range and the preference. You can take the decision based on your circumstances. Below are the details of material which I used in finishing

Material I used For Finishing

Marble for flooring (Good tiles are very expensive, so I used Marble) = 5500 Sq. Ft Marble (@ 80 Rs. per Sq Foot China Verona Crystal Marble) = Total 440,000 Rs

Granite Slabs for 2 Kitchens = 80,000 Rs. (@ 550 Rs. per Sq. Foot, Galaxy Black Granite)

Marble Finishing (Ragrai+Polish) = 12 Rs per Sq. Foot  = 66000 Rs. Total

Marble for Stairs = 50,000 (@ 280 Rs per Sq. Foot, Jet Black Marble)

Bathroom Tiles (Sonex and Master) = 30,000 to 35000 Rs. per Bathroom (Average)

Kitchen Tiles = 15,000 each kitchen

Safety Grills = 120 Rs. per Foot (with Fitting)

Main Gate = 50,000 Rs. Iron Gate of 6 Feet height and 13 Feet width + 3 Feet wide Side Gate

Terrace Grill = 35,000 Rs. (@ 250 Rs. per running Foot, Fancy Iron Grill in piping)

Complete Electrical Wiring for 2 Floors (Including AC, UPS etc) = 150,000 Rs. (GM Cables used)

Main meter wire (double wiring for 2 separate meters) = 21,000 Rs (180 Feet wire used)

Bathroom Fittings = 20,000 Rs. per bathroom (For good local brand accessories)

Wooden Doors (Main) with Solid wood = 25,000 per Jodi (5 feet wide double door)

Wooden Doors (Inside) with Imported Ply Wood = 5,000 Rs. per door (On average)

False Ceiling = 50 Rs. per Foot

Aluminium Windows with Glass + Fitting = 350 Rs. per Foot

Wooden Railing on Stairs = 31,000 Rs (use Taal Wood, don't go for Keekar Wood)

Electrical Lightings + Fans + Switch Plates for 2 Floors = 200,000 Rs.

Wood work for Good Wardrobe = 35,000 Rs. per wardrobe (4 door wardrobe on one wall of the room)

Kitchen Work = 100,000 Rs for a modern kitchen wood work (12 x 12 size)

The most important question is, how much total money I have spent on the project, so the cost per sq foot can be calculated, here are the details once again

Covered Area of my house = 5500 Sq Ft (Measured by Contractor at the End)
Total Spending = 9.1 Million Rs. (91 Lac)
Per Sq Ft = 1,654 Rs. per Sq Ft
Ground Floor: 3 Bedrooms with attached bath, DD, TV Lounge, Kitchen, Store, Patio, Garage having space for 3 cars (1 Sedan and 2 hatchbacks can be parked easily)
First Floor: 3 Bedrooms with attached bath, 1 Guest Room, Kitchen, Store, Patio
Roof Top: Servant Room with Attached Bath.

These are the main goods in finishing material, and of-course there are tons of options available for the people to choose from. The quality of the material matters the most, as it will decide that how long those things will last in your home, so don't just go for saving the money at all the steps, and think about the affordable yet quality products. Do some research before buying anything, and make sure that the material is checked after unloading, especially the finishing material. 

I tried to cover the most important points that are faced by everyone during the construction of house, and still there are many other little things which I may have forgotten, but my article is a guideline for the beginners (Like myself) to take a head-start even without previously knowing anything about construction. Moreover, anyone can ask any additional questions to get clarifications on the steps I have mentioned. In the end, I want to request all the readers to remember me in their prayers :)