Needless to say, as the labour charges, prices of materials and lands are increasing at a steady pace, the overall home construction cost is increasing with each passing year. So, while being concerned about the home construction cost is natural, with adequate financial planning you can easily build the corpus and reduce the cost of building a house.

If that sounds familiar, then continue reading as that is what we are discussing in today’s post.

Easy Tips and Tricks to Reduce the Cost of Building a House

Well, don’t stress as today’s writeup will give you some really smart and effective tips on how to curtail the cost of building a house in the best way possible.

Take a look at these six ways.

Hire a qualified contractor and architect

You may think that hiring an architect and building contractor will cost you a lot, which may be true in some cases, on the other end it will save on your overall construction expense to a great extent.

Just the way a professional contractor will complete the home construction by strictly adhering to the stipulated deadline, an architect will assist you in making the most of your existing space while saving you money on further maintenance costs and the prices of materials as well. Similarly, a professional interior designer can further help in designing the interior spaces of your dream home.

So, how to know that the architect or contractor you are employing is worth the investment? Well, to the best of suggestions, try and seek advice from friends, colleagues or family members in this matter who have constructed their homes recently.

As they already have previous experience, they will be able to give you the finest of suggestions to let you hire the most reliable architects only.

Next for you is to create a detailed agreement as fast as you can.

Do include every aspect in this document, including the tentative fees for architects, who will fetch the construction materials, payment and project completion deadlines and penalty in case of delays etc. Aside from that, also consider the cost of interior designing services as you have to furnish the house before moving in.

Coming to the construction costs (by the contractor), they charge anywhere between 8-12% of the total house construction cost. So, keep that factor in mind. However, if you don’t want to implement this trick, you are free to do that.

But if you think that it will save on your actual home building project notably, it’s not going to happen. You still need to bear certain imperative costs such as hiring supervisors or contractors while your dream house is being constructed.

Despite that, if you continue to stick to your decision, you can go for it. But make sure that you adhere to a simple but modern house design in order to get the entire construction work done on time, and, needless to say in tandem with your tailored needs and requirements.

Select an appropriate plot

Even though the most crucial factor to consider, the type of plot you are buying plays a vital role, particularly when it comes to saving your overall home construction cost. So, try to choose a strip of land that is situated right on the road and retains an even level as well.

Conversely, if the plot seems rocky, uneven or way lower as compared to the surface of the road, then it’s simply not worth the investment. So, in the case of the latter, you will need extra materials or components for levelling up or filing the land, thereby adding to the overall house construction cost significantly.

As a result, you must buy your plot wisely, if a budget-friendly house building is what you are looking for.

Prioritize the quality of materials

No matter whether you are buying bricks, cement, sand, tiles, marbles, bathroom fittings, windows, doors, blocks, bricks or cement, make sure that you get these items from a local service provider as their costs are generally lower as compared to the more reputable brands.

Also, you can buy them in large quantities in advance to save money even more, but be careful about storing them properly. To further cut down the cost and improve the construction quality, make sure you select the desired cement grade by consuming it in adherence to the given instructions.

Say, for example, you can optimize PPC cement for non-structural works such as tiling or plastering and OPC for the sake of structural consignments including roofs, columns, foundations and many more.

While it may be a good idea to buy alternative and sustainable building materials to keep the costs down, there is no point in compromising with the quality. For instance, you should not ignore the waterproofing of wet areas. Although you can save some costs by not doing proper waterproofing, it may turn out to be an expensive decision later on.

In a word, you got to be smart with your choices when building your dream home.

Don’t compromise on the quality

When constructing your home, taking both the initial costs as well as the total cost into consideration is of the highest importance. These include all the expenses that will be covered during the entire lifespan of your house.

At the least, a house maximum lasts for around 30-50 years and we all know that. So, make sure that you build a super-sturdy home with the help of a qualified architect as the person will assist you in selecting good-quality materials that will not only last longer but are available at affordable prices also.

Consequently, you can avoid the unnecessary repair or replacement costs that you may have to bear in the future. To the best of suggestions, go for eco-friendly construction materials. Blended cement is the best option to optimize in this matter, reducing your overall construction and maintenance cost notably.

As a result, you would be able to save more money on your construction project down the road.

Avoid changing anything at the eleventh hour

When the final construction is done, an inspection or walkthrough of the building needs to be conducted. And a few changes at the last minute can occur at any point in time. But, try to avoid such expenses as much as possible as it can increase your overall construction cost quite a bit while hampering the overall structural quality as well.

So, it is best to preserve these expenses for future needs only such as emergency purposes or in case of severe damages. Also, if possible, get the essential upgrades and improvements done while the home construction goes on. This will save you from spending huge sums of money on the patch-up works or defective portions of your house every now and again.

Make the most of the latest technology

Pre-engineered building (PEBs) is a concept that is gaining immense popularity with each passing day. Interestingly, this idea is implemented in residential constructions also nowadays. In more simple words, PEBs are galvanised structures of iron steel that are first manufactured in factories and subsequently assembled on the site itself.

Coming to the walls and flooring, a mix of gypsum particle boards and cement are used so as to give these parts of your house the desired firmness. So, if building a faster home construction is what you are looking for while also saving on the overall building expense, then PEBs can certainly fulfil your wish.

Because they are way lighter in weight, quite naturally, charges related to construction will be way less as compared to conventional residential projects.

Time to build a sturdy yet affordable home!

We all want to save money no matter how massive or minimal our house construction project is. So, reducing the cost of building a house without compromising on the quality and amenities of materials is something totally attainable.

Make sure you implement each of the tips given above to do that while building an exceptionally strong and durable home without breaking the bank. All the best!

The post Six Easy Ways to Reduce The Cost of Building a House appeared first on Houseyog.

Today in this post, I am sharing everything worth knowing about the construction cost for a new home. I am also going to help you calculate the cost of constructing a new house in 2021 on a plot size of 1200 sq ft.

Although the average home construction cost in Indian was around Rs. 700-1000 per square feet in 2018 with standard quality materials, the construction costs have increased substantially in 2021.  

Today, average home construction cost can range between Rs. 1300 per sq ft – 2000 per sq ft, depending on the grade of raw materials you want to use, and quality of finish you want in your new house.

You already know that the home construction cost primarily depends on the size of the house, elevation design and quality of the raw materials being used in the construction. Apart from those crucial factors, a good portion of the total home construction budget will go towards the payment of labour charges.

All in all, calculating the cost of constructing a new house in India is not that simple and straightforward. Because, detailed home construction estimates include various cost heads, and variable factors with severe impact on construction costs. Therefore, if you want to calculate the tentative cost of constructing a new house today in India then you must consider these cost heads and factors.

Today in this post, I’ll give you a good overview of those cost heads and factors that must be considered to calculate tentative home construction cost for budgeting purposes.

So are you ready? Lets’ find out the average cost of constructing a house in India. We’ll also create a simple formula that you can use to calculate estimates costs for new home construction project.

How to calculate the cost of constructing a house in India

Constructing a house is a long term project which may take anywhere between 12 to 18 months to complete, if everything goes well. However, if the construction gets paused and halted for any reason, then it may take even longer and cost more to complete the construction. It requires a lot of patience, planning, estimation and involvement of several experts, professionals and contractors to build a house in a timely manner.

But, with proper construction planning and detailed estimation of cost heads, you should be able to manage a home construction project much efficiently and complete it on time.

However, if you start constructing a house without planning and budgeting, you can easily get caught up with issues that you thought are not important. For instance, if you did not get approval, or could not manage funding, the construction work may have to be halted which may result in higher construction costs and delays in completion. However, with proper construction planning, you can manage the expenses well and eventually reduce the home construction costs as well.

Lack of planning and inadequate budgeting can pose different challenges during the construction, which may result in delays, price rise and poor quality of construction. And that is the last thing anyone would like to experience while constructing a house.

We have been working with developers and architects and have managed many home construction projects and sites. I know what it costs to build a house today.

If you are building a house, then I can help you get a good understanding of how to calculate the tentative home construction cost in India that’ll help you to plan and build your home efficiently.

So, here’s what matters and what should be considered when calculating the estimate to build a new house in India.

Size of the plot and the house

The cost of constructing a new house primarily depends on the size of the house e.g. number of rooms, floors you want to construct. Depending on the size of the plot of land where you want to construct your house, you can figure out the size of the house and number of floors you can build.

While deciding the size of the house, you should consider a permissible FAR (Floor Area Ratio) in your city. Depending on the geography, you should check the local building guidelines from the municipal corporation, development authority or Gram Panchayat to figure out how much of open space has to be kept while constructing the house on your plot.

Moreover, it’s not just the permissible FAR, but you should also consider your immediate space requirements and future space requirements to decide the size of the house you should build.

Architectural design of the house

Once you get the idea of FAR and how much of space has to be left open as per the local building guidelines, the next step is to onboard a professional architect to get a customized house plan design and architectural drawings for your new home.

The very thing that you need is a proper house plan based on your plot size and layout. House plan consists of a set of detailed drawings that helps you visualize the entire layout of your upcoming house e.g. position and size of different rooms and areas like bedrooms, kitchen, living hall, bathroom, balcony, parking, passage etc. Depending on the number of floors you want to build, there’ll be a specific floor plan for every floor of the proposed house.

The architect and structural engineers are going to charge you a professional fee to help you design a customized house plan. House plan design charges in India vary depending on the expertise and experience of the architects you are working with and the level of detailing you want in your house plan.

Some of the architects in India charge a flat fee to design a house floor plan as per your plot and requirements. And some architectural firms charge based on the plot and total built up area.

Generally, to design a house plan for a 1000 sq ft plot size, the architect fees can range from Rs. 10000 to Rs. 15000 assuming you need a different set of drawings. But, please note that the architect’s fees for designing a house plan may increase in case of larger plot/house size. And if you want them to visit the site during construction, then they may charge separately for every site visit.

At Houseyog, we charge a flat fee of Rs. 4449.00 (plus GST @18%) to design a space optimized customized house plan for a 1000 sq ft single floor house. Our house plans are very detailed and contain furniture layout and column position marking. And the cherry on the cake is unlimited revision that we offer during the design. You may like to check out our ready to use house design catalogue to get some inspiration before you design your own house.

Quality of raw materials to be used

Once you have the set of architectural drawings passed and approved by the local building authority, the next major cost head in constructing a house is the cost of materials. Based on the set of drawings, a qualified architect or a building contractor can prepare a bill of quantities for you. BOQ for constructing a house is a vital document as it lists out all the materials with tentative cost that will be required to construct a new house.

However, you can think of materials in two different ways e.g. materials required for civil work and materials required for finishing.

You require different types of raw materials for construction e.g. sand, cement, steel, brick etc. And then you require materials for flooring e.g. tiles, marbles, fittings for doors, windows, etc

However, the price of the construction and finishing materials depends on the quality, brand and grade you prefer to use. Prices of raw materials may also vary from city to city and based on the supplier you are buying from.

The cost and quality of materials that you want to use can have a major impact on overall home construction cost, and that’s where the detailed BOQ document can help you prepare better estimates and stay on budget during the construction.

Moreover, if you want to get home construction loan to build your house, then the bank will ask for a Bill of Quantities with detailed cost estimates to assess your loan application. They’ll only approve a construction loan when they are satisfied with all the documents, especially the projected estimates of construction you submit with your loan application.

Labour charges to be paid

Apart from the cost of construction materials, labour charges are going to be another major cost head that you need to consider when estimating the construction cost. During the construction of a house, you will be working with different types of contractors and they charge differently. For instance, someone with expertise in brick work and plastering will charge differently than the flooring and waterproofing contractor.

And therefore it makes sense to work with one reliable home builder contractor who can execute the entire construction work from RC work to column, brick work to plastering, roofing to flooring and waterproofing etc.

However, you should take quotations from multiple home builder contractors to know the market rates. Moreover, home construction is a time taking project, and you are most likely going to work with your contractor for the next 12-18 months. And therefore, it is important that the construction contractor is truly reliable, transparent and has the expertise to pull it off on time and in your budget.

Also, it is easier to deal with one efficient contractor than coordinating and struggling with different independent contractors for different tasks, and hence it’s better to work with a full stack home builder. Here’s a detailed post on hiring a builder to build your home.

Calculating average home construction cost in India

Now that you know about the major costs and how it may affect the home construction cost, let me help you with tentative construction costs in India. The average home construction cost in India ranges from Rs. 1300 per sq ft to Rs. 2500 per sq ft. It includes standard quality materials and labor costs.

However, this cost does not include the architectural service fees and fees for getting necessary approval and sanctions from the local authorities. It also does not include the interior designing and decorating charges. Above cost estimate is from the home construction which includes civil work and basic finishing like doors, windows, flooring etc.

Calculate the home construction cost based on materials

As per the size of the house you are building, the architects or the builder should give you the detailed cost estimates. The estimates should not include the quantities, but also the current market price for different materials.

But, you can use a simple formula to calculate the home construction cost for your own estimation and budgeting purpose.

First off, let’s divide the quality of materials and finishes as standard, premium and luxury and based on that, you can easily calculate the home construction cost.

For the sake of calculating the construction cost of a small house in India, let’s assume you want to build a house on a 30 x 40 sq ft or 1200 sq ft plot size. We are also assuming the standard build up area of around 900 sq ft space (after leaving some open space). If we leave space for car parking, then the actual build up area will be around 775 sq ft.

Assuming you want to build a small one floor house with a car parking space of around 125 sq ft, let’s calculate the tentative construction cost using standard, premium and luxury quality of materials.

Standard home construction cost

Our actual build up area out of a 1200 sq ft plot size, after leaving all the open space and car parking comes around 775 sq ft. if we are to use the standard quality materials, the construction cost would go around Rs. 1300- Rs. 1500 per square feet.

To build a single floor house in India with RCC and red brick with plaster and wall tiles in bathrooms and kitchens, it may cost around Rs. 1007500 to Rs. 1162500.

The cost is only for civil construction work with finishing. Also this estimate includes the labour charges.

Here’re the tentative prices for main raw materials:

• Polished granite at the entrance @ Rs. 60 per sq ft
• Car parking flooring using paved tiles @ Rs. 35 per sq ft
• Tiles flooring (except stairs) with tiles @ Rs. 80 per sq ft
• Granite kitchen countertop @ Rs. 90 per sq ft
• Ceramic wall tiles @ Rs. 60 per sq ft
• Semi polished granite flooring at staircase with MS railing @90 per sq ft
• Bathroom fittings @ Rs. 20000 per bathroom
• Sump and overhead water tank of around 10000 liter capacity.
• Rooftop tiling @ Rs. 35 per sq ft
• Waterproofing in bathrooms and terrace.
• Electrical wiring, points and accessories of mid range like anchor by Panasonic

Home construction cost with premium and luxury materials

If you wish to build the same house but want to use a little premium quality of products like floor tiles, wall tiles etc then construction cost can range from Rs. 1800 – Rs. 2000 per sq ft.

Similarly, if you want to build a super luxurious home with the best available products, the construction cost could range from Rs. 2000 – Rs. 2100 per square feet.

But as you know, the cost of construction can increase or decrease based on the quality of materials you decide to use.

Instead of using polished granite of Rs. 60 per square range you can use the granite of Rs. 80 per square feet. Similarly, you can use higher range premium floor and wall tiles in the kitchen, washroom and other areas.

For instance, premium grade bath fittings could cost you around Rs. 50000 – Rs. 60000 per bathroom.

Similarly, you can use premium quality electrical wires, switches and accessories from Havells which costs nearly the double for other similar products.

For instance a normal fan regulator by Anchor costs around Rs. 150 per pc. But the same fan regulator from Havells or Crabtree is going to cost you around Rs. 275 per pc.

Hope it helps you understand how vital the brands and products could be and how it could affect the overall construction cost.

Conclusion

While, there are many benefits of living in a residential complex, some of us still prefer to build your own house as per our space requirements and preference. Although you get a lot of facilities when living in a well maintained residential complex and societies. Living in your own house with a small backyard can be a different feeling altogether.

The cost of home construction in India can range between Rs. 1300 per sq ft using standard quality materials, Rs. 1800 per sq ft if you wish to use premium quality materials and Rs. 2000 per sq ft using luxurious quality materials.

If you are wondering about how to calculate the tentative construction cost for budgeting purposes, you can use the cost heads as shared above.

Hope it’ll help you in budgeting for the upcoming home construction the right way.

And if you have any question or want to share some tips, then feel free to do so by commenting below.

Happy home construction!!

The post What’s the Average Home Construction Cost in India? appeared first on Houseyog.