Construction cost of a 1-kanal A-category house

Being the most popular plot size in high-end societies of Pakistan, 1-kanal is also the most preferred one among those looking to live in grand homes. When it comes to the construction, few are looking to compromise on design, material, and fixtures. So overall, most of the 1-kanal houses are constructed in the A-category.

In all high-end housing societies, construction bylaws are strictly followed, which also means that any house constructed against the approved map will not get a completion certificate.

Covered area limit

According to bylaws of some prominent societies in Pakistan, the covered area of the ground floor in 1-kanal houses cannot be more than 2,720 square feet, while the first floor has a limit of 2,080 square feet. So the total covered area of a 1-kanal house normally is 4,800 square feet.

Note:

This article talks about expenses required for the construction of a 1-kanal house having a covered area of 4,800 square feet, featuring two storeys, five bedrooms with attached bathrooms, plus a powder room, two living rooms, two kitchens, and one drawing and dining room. The house also features 7-feet wide alleys on the three sides, and a porch and a lawn on the front.

The mentioned expenses don’t include the price of land, fees for hiring the services of an architect, for the approval of the map, expenses of installing a meter for gas, electricity, and water connections, and expenses required for the construction of a basement, an enclosed staircase tower, commonly known as a mummty, and a room for domestic help staff. In addition, the cost of switchboards, fans, tube lights, and kitchen appliances is also excluded from the below-mentioned details.

Here is the breakdown of the construction cost of an A-category 1-kanal house as of April 2018. The Construction Cost of A1 Kanal House in 2023 has substantially increased; you can check it by using our construction cost calculator.

Grey structure

The grey structure takes over half the period of house construction. It is built exactly according to the floor plan and supervised regularly by the contractor to ensure that every step is carried out just the way it was planned. While it includes various steps, the expense required under different heads is explained below.

Labour

The labour hired for grey structure is different than that needed for finishing or other works including wiring and fitting etc. So, the rate of labour to be hired for the grey structure is also different. The rates also vary if the contractor is to buy the construction material.

If you choose to purchase construction material for the contractor and engage him only for managing the construction work, the per square foot rate of labour, as of April 2018, is PKR 260. Multiplying it with the total covered area gives an estimate for the whole expense:

Labour cost = PKR 1,248,000 (260 x 4,800)

Bricks

As said before, for the construction of 1-kanal houses, owners often don’t compromise on the quality of the material. So A-category bricks are chosen, the market rate of which is currently PKR 8,500 per one thousand bricks. For the kind of house we are discussing, a total of approximately 125,000 bricks would be required.

Brick cost = PKR 1,062,500 (8.5 x 125,000)

Cement

While companies claim their cement quality is superior, the fact remains that the cement required for building construction has almost the same quality. This is also evident from their prices. For the kind of house for which we are breaking down the construction cost, almost 1,000 bags of cement will be required and the rate of per bags is PKR 575.

Cement cost = PKR 575,000 (575 x 1000)

Gravel

Approximately 3,500 square feet of gravel (bajri) is required to build a double-storey 1-kanal house. The most preferred type of gravel among builders and contractors is gravel from Margalla, which has a per square feet rate of PKR 65. The other option, although the lesser preferred one, is gravel from Sargodha, which has a market rate of PKR 55 per square foot. Assuming that you pick Margalla’s gravel, the expense would be:

Gravel cost = PKR 227,500 (65 x 3,500)

To form the beds for floors before flooring work can be started, another form of gravel is used; it is locally known as bajar. Leftover bricks purchased in bulk for construction purposes can be broken up into smaller pieces and used as bajjar. So there is often no added cost for it.

Sand

In this regard, the builders and contractors also have two options, i.e. sand from River Ravi and sand from River Chenab. The former is deemed to be low in quality as it has a higher percentage of mud in it. So the contractors prefer using sand from River Chenab, the per square rate of which is PKR 24. In terms of price, this sand is often measured per truck, the rate of which varies slightly from vendor to vendor. Approximately 12 trucks of sand will be required for the construction of a 1-kanal house.

Sand cost = PKR 144,000 (12,000 x 12)

Rebar

Rebar is used in the scaffolding of the ground and first floors, in windows and doors as beams, and also in pillars. Most modern houses don’t have pillars, yet it doesn’t deduct the cost as it is always advisable to use good quality rebar in a house. For the kind of house under discussion, approximately 10 tons of rebar will be required, while the rate of rebar per ton is PKR 85,000.

Rebar cost = 850,000 (85,000 x 10)

After grey structure

Once the grey structure reaches its final phase of completion, work for the installation of pipes for plumping, sewerage, and wiring begins. At the same time, the preparation of beds for floors also starts. The pipes for electricity wires and plumbing work are laid through walls and floor beds, while bigger cement pipes for sewerage are laid beneath the beds of floors.

Piping

In this regard, new and modern materials have replaced conventionally used ones due to issues such as erosion, rusting, leakage, etc. For wiring, contractors pick PVC pipes, and for plumping the preferred material is Turkplast, which has replaced Galvanised Iron pipes. Additional pipes are required for gas connections, while separate lines run for hot and cold water. In this regard, using only the best material is recommended as otherwise troublesome maintenance in terms of controlling and fixing leakage issues will be required.

Piping cost = PKR 800,000

Wiring work

This requires assistance from experts as wiring work for electricity also includes proper distribution of electricity through the right kind of wires and sockets. Wiring work is done simultaneously with piping work and laying beds for floors.

Two types of wires are used in houses i.e. 3/29 for low voltage appliances and 7/29 for high voltage appliances. Around 50 coils for both 3/29 and 7/29 coils will be used. The cost mentioned below includes the charges of labour, coils, and all sockets as well as lying wires for UPS and the generator.

Wiring work cost: PKR 350,000

False ceiling

This feature has lately become a must for modern houses where keeping construction costs under a limit is not necessary. False ceilings may be meant as an added feature to make a house look aesthetically more attractive, their main purpose remains insulation as it allows air-conditioners cooling to circulate better inside the rooms and keep it from escaping. Depending on the design and how many rooms you pick to have a false ceiling, its rates vary. So we are sharing the range of per square feet cost required for the ceiling work:

False ceiling cost = PKR 55 – PKR 100

Finishing work

Marking the start of the finishing process, walls are smoothened out by removing extra plaster and by filling pores. This process is deemed essential for preparing the walls for a base coat of paint.

Paint work

A newly built house requires a demanding paint job where at least a couple of coats are done before the application of the final coat can be done. Please note, that the final coat is applied in the end just after the installation of lights, fans, switchboards, and other fittings. This also means that the after application of two to three base coats, the final coat is left as the final job.

In the case of an A-category house, builders or owners often pick the top quality brand, and depending on the kind of required finish, the number of gallons can also vary. In addition, more often than not, separate labour is hired for paint work at different rates. Given is a rough estimate of how much paint work costs:

Paint product = PKR 200,000 – PKR 450,000

Labour cost = PKR 350,000

Total expense = PKR 550,000 to PKR 800,000

Flooring  

As soon as floor beds and pipes are laid, floors are ready for tile work. At the moment, larger tiles are much preferred among owners and builders engaged in the construction of 1-kanal A-category houses. Depending on individual choice, the size can be 3 x 6 feet. The size of tiles can also vary from room to room. In living rooms, lobbies, drawing rooms, and dining rooms, tiles measuring  3 x 3 feet are used more often.

In addition to the size of the tile, the choice of material also varies. For living rooms, lobby, and drawing rooms, granite tile or high-quality ceramic tiles or even Italian tiles can be used. For bedrooms and kitchens, medium-range Chinese tiles, also called B-category tiles, are used.

For back and side alleys, garages, terraces, and all parts of the house exposed to sunlight and water, marble tiles locally called badal are preferred, although they are porous and can crack up with prolonged exposure to water. As a replacement for this, some people may also use tough tiles or go for B-category ceramic tiles as they are water resistant and their colour doesn’t fade with constant exposure to the sun.

Just like paintwork, skilled labour is hired for flooring, for which the rate varies according to the size of the tile; it falls between PKR 20 and PKR 60 per square foot. The bigger the tile, the higher the per-square-foot rate.

The rate of A-category tile varies from PKR 1,200 to PKR 3,000 per square meter. And for granite tile, the price per square meter falls in the range of PKR 800 to PKR 4,000.

Considering that granite tiles are used in some parts of the house, A-category in the rest, and badal in the garage and back and side alleys, the expense could be:

Cost of tiles = PKR 1,700,000 to PKR 2,500,000

Labour cost = PKR 96,000 to PKR 288,000

Woodwork

Woodwork includes doors, kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, and display racks in the lounge and drawing room. It is one of the most expensive features of a home. These days, both builders and owners prefer purchasing readymade items from companies that specialise in such items as it takes several months to get things made through a carpenter. Depending on the kind of woodwork required in an A-category house, the expense is almost the same for cabinets and doors purchased from specialists and those made by a skilled carpenter. The only difference is the quality of wood used by either.

A 1-kanal house has 35 doors on average, the price of which, if purchased from a vendor, falls in the range of PKR 12,000 to PKR 25,000 per door.

For wardrobes (one for each bedroom), which are often custom-made through specifications given to a vendor, the price of one wardrobe set falls in the range of PKR 35,000 to PKR 85,000.

Including the expense of racks for the living room and drawing room, plus the labour cost for installation, the cost of woodwork can be quite high.

Woodwork (including labour cost) = PKR 1,100,000 – PKR 1,500,000

Window work

Windows in houses can be fitted without grills, but this is not recommended for security concerns. For window work, the grills preferred by owners are often simple in style. Other items included in window work include wire mesh, glass, and aluminum frames. The preferred glass thickness for windows is 7 mm, although thinner glass is also used. Each room, be it the bedroom or drawing room, in a 1-kanal house often has two windows.

Window work = PKR 700,000 – PKR 800,000

Bathroom

The quality and variety of products available in the market for bathrooms can easily make them the most expensive part of the house. The homeowners and builders are also less willing to compromise on their aesthetics and the quality of the items used.

In the market, locally produced toilet bowls, sinks, showers, taps, special tiles for floors and walls, and fittings are available but for folks interested in premium items, local brands may lack in offering variation in style and neatness in the finish. The other difference is of course the cost, which in the case of locally made items, can be several times lower. Assuming that these bathrooms (six in total) do not have a jaccuzi, imported bathtubs, and concealed tanks for toilets, the price per bathroom, including the labour cost, falls in the following price range:

Bathroom cost = PKR 100,000 to PKR 500,000

Assorted fittings

Items such as doorknobs, latches, handles locks, etc. are part of the assorted fittings. Compromising on their quality in an A-category house is not possible as low-quality assorted fittings lose their luster, colour, and grip with constant use and are hence not preferred by the builders as well as owners. The cost of these items plus the labour cost for fitting them is:

Assorted fitting cost = PKR 80,000 – PKR 150,000.

Main Gate

Although this is installed as soon as the floor bed for the garage is prepared, it is given the final touch just when the final coat of paint is applied. So far, most of the houses constructed in Pakistan come with a locally-made main gate. The best part about it is that it is custom-made according to the size and style you have in mind. All you need to do is to properly guide the vendor about the type of gate you want.

Main gate cost = PKR 50,000 – PKR 450,000

Total Expense

Taking into account the average expenses mentioned above, the grand total for the construction of an A-category 1-kanal house is PKR 16,159,000.