Latest 2019 Basement Construction Cost — Costing & Budgeting for Grey Structure Basement Construction of a Dream House
It has been almost a year and a half since Team Overc's last published the basement construction grey structure cost 2017 article and video. The response we got on that article and video was overwhelming and encouraging, and it helped and guided hundreds of Pakistanis, especially expatriates and overseas Pakistanis. Many other topics and issues were also addressed in the form of articles and videos, however the grey structure cost video was the major hit both on our YouTube channel and on Google rankings. 2018 proved to be a year of change in Pakistan — political scenarios completely changed, which had a great impact on the economy, resulting in an overall change in prices across the board. If we talk about the house construction industry, every material required during the construction of a house witnessed an increase in prices — whether bricks, steel, cement, tiles, wood, ceramics or labour. Overall construction cost of a house in 2019 has gone up by 10-12% compared to 2017, which we will explain in this blog both in written form and via video.
Video guide accompanying this article.
Basement construction cost — grey structure
Construction contract type: Labor rate contract
Construction grade: A grade compliance to all technical & engineering specifications
Sample project: Covered area 1,000 sq.ft
Item-wise per square foot cost calculations, and the total cost of the basement grey structure, are shown below.
| # | Item | Rate (Rs/sq.ft) | Amount (Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bricks | 47 | 47,000 |
| 2 | Crush | 199 | 199,000 |
| 3 | Cement | 270 | 270,000 |
| 4 | Steel | 561 | 561,000 |
| 5 | Sand | 90 | 90,000 |
| 6 | Gravel | 27 | 27,000 |
| 7 | Labor contractor | 460 | 460,000 |
| 8 | Steel fixer | 35 | 35,000 |
| 9 | Plumbing contractor | 15 | 15,000 |
| 10 | Electric contractor | 15 | 15,000 |
| 11 | Electricity items | 20 | 20,000 |
| 12 | Plumbing items | 45 | 45,000 |
| 13 | Water stopper | 12 | 12,000 |
| 14 | Water proofing | 30 | 30,000 |
| 15 | Anti termite spray | 15 | 15,000 |
| 16 | Guard salary | 20 | 20,000 |
| 17 | Excavation | 35 | 35,000 |
| 18 | Bitumen | 14 | 14,000 |
| 19 | Polythene sheet | 6 | 6,000 |
| 20 | Taxes | 8 | 8,000 |
| 21 | Electricity bills | 15 | 15,000 |
| 22 | Random expenditures | 50 | 50,000 |
| Total | 1,989 | 1,989,000 |
Disclaimer:
- In case your basement is huge, the overall per square foot cost figure can be less, and vice versa.
- A possible ±5% variation is possible in the basement construction cost shown in the video.
- Soil testing and piling, if required in certain parts of the country, is an extra cost and not mentioned in these calculations.
- Skills required to achieve this cost: past experience, quality & honest labour, labour management skills, and quality/timely/cost-effective material procurement.
- Factors such as construction inexperience, unusual covered areas, frequent wear & tear, and fraudulent labour can affect this cost figure.
- Hiring a professional company will add a figure of Rs 200/sq.ft minimum as margin.
Basement construction methods on which this costing is based have been explained in detailed video field guides from Team Overc's:
- Episode 2: Marking & Excavation — https://youtu.be/VsAMjfzy9LI
- Episode 3: R.C.C Basement Bed — https://youtu.be/gn5trXQCyfo
- Episode 4: R.C.C Retaining Walls — https://youtu.be/Vh2bXk3E__Q
- Episode 5: Water Proofing & Slab — https://youtu.be/rn66GmCL8Bo
Read our previous 2017 basement grey structure cost article for a look at how prices have changed over time.