CONSTRUCTION COST OF A 5 MARLA HOUSE IN 2020

Building a 5 marla house requires smart planning. You need to hire a reliable team of labourers, choose the right construction materials, work on the design and layout of the house and plan your finances accordingly. 

For your convenience, we have brought a complete breakdown of the construction cost of a 5 marla house. So, without further ado, let us take a look at the thorough analysis of the budget for a 5 marla house in 2020.

If you’re wondering how much money goes into the construction of a 5 marla house in 2020, then continue to read this piece.

The covered area for a double-story 5 marla house is 1,925 sq. ft. The first floor and the second floor each have a covered area of 875 per sq.ft. There are two kitchens, three bedrooms with attached bathrooms and a mumtee. 

Tiles are used as the flooring of the house and marble is used on the stairs and on kitchen shelves only. Let us divide the construction cost of a 5 marla house into two parts:

• Building the grey structure
• Finishing of the house

To lay the foundation of a 5 marla house, you need to first construct the grey structure. 

To build the grey structure of a 5 marla house House, major construction materials needed are bricks, cement, kassu, rebar, sand, bajri, safety grills. Electrical wiring, plumbing and the installation of the main gate are also included in the grey structure costs. 

In the infographic shared above we have outlined the quantity of the construction materials needed to build the grey structure along with the costs incurred in laying the foundation.

Labour cost is of the utmost importance when building a house so we will discuss it first.

Labourers who work under contractors usually stay with a project from beginning to end. Clients, therefore, don’t have to worry about workers leaving suddenly. Direct dealings with the contractor suits both parties and this partnership is most likely to work for the kind of construction quality you are looking to see in the house.

Labour cost is highly dependent on the time duration required for construction. While it suits the labourers to prolong the work in the hope of continuing to make more money, the builder has a deadline to meet. This deadline commitment allows the builder or contractor to make sure that work is completed on time and according to the standards they promised.

The estimated cost of house construction in 2020 varies between major cities of Pakistan. For a double-unit 5 marla house, the labour cost is around The labourers would charge around PKR 375 per sq. ft. which would take the total amount to around PKR 721,875. This is the general labour cost and does not include labour required to past tiles, in woodwork or in placing the windows.

Labour Cost = PKR 721, 875

A 5 marla house will require approximately 50,000 bricks. It is recommended to pick Awwal category of bricks at the rate of PKR 11.5 which means that the total cost of bricks would be PKR 575,000.

Sand is also an important component when constructing a 5 marla house. The sand is either extracted from river beds or from the coastal beaches. Usually, the sand from river beds has a grey colour. Ravi sand and Chenab sand are more commonly used in concrete mixtures. Around 3,150 cubic feet of Ravi sand is used at the rate of PKR 20 per cubic feet. This means a total of PKR 63,000 cubic feet of Ravi sand is used. 

The sand of river Chenab is of better quality and therefore the rates are slightly higher. You would need about 700 cubic feet of Chenab sand at the rate of PKR 35, taking the total to PKR 24,500.

Crush or gravel is used to make the base structure of floors and roof in the house. Builders and contractors want to use Margalla crush, but Sargodha crush can also be used. 

The required quantity of Margalla lintel/lenter is approximately 900 cubic feet and is mostly used in constructing the roof of the house. The rate is PKR 75 per cubic feet which means around PKR 67,500 would be required. 

Sargodha gravel is used in building the floor of the house. 600 cubic feet of Sargodha bajri would be required to build the grey structure of a 5 marla house at a cost of PKR 65. This means PKR 39,000 would be needed for the Sargodha gravel. Rori costs around PKR 25,000.

Cost for Bricks, Sand, Crush and Rori = PKR 794,000

Kassu is mostly used to fill empty plots and it is a mixture of mitti and sand. Around PKR 50,000 are required for Kassu. Cement is used in the plastering and many other things during construction. For a 5 marla house, approximately 525 cement bags are required at the rate of PKR 495 per bag. The total cost of cement used in the grey house structure of a 5 marla house would be PKR 259,875. 

Rebar is also used which is basically Sarya of 60 grade. Around 3 tons or 3000 kg of Sarya would be used to construct a 5 marla house. The rate per ton of Sarya is PKR 105 and the total cost of Sarya used would be PKR 315,000.

Cost of Cement, Kassu and Rebar = PKR 624,875

The construction cost of a 5 marla house also includes costs in developing water supply, sewerage, gas and drainage systems. All of this is called plumbing work. Approximately, PKR 80,000 is required for the plumbing of the house, including labour cost and materials.

Electrical wiring is also an important component in house construction. Wiring in the house requires expertise and it is better if an electrician deals with the wiring of the house. Approximately PKR 65,000 are needed for the wiring. This includes both the labour cost and the material used.

Cost of Plumbing & Wiring = PKR 145,000

The construction cost of a 5 marla house also involves steelwork. Steel is required at various stages like Chougat Steel is used in making the door frames. Chougat Steel of around PKR 54,000 is needed. 

Moreover, you also need to have safety grills for windows and a main gate for which you should keep an estimated budget of PKR 57,000 for the grills and around PKR 60,000 for the gate.

Cost of Grills, Gate and Chougat Steel = PKR 171,000

Other costs include the septic tank and the termite spray. You need to build concrete walls using cement for the water storage tank. Approximately PKR 12,000 is needed to construct the overhead tank.

Controlling termite before construction begins can really help you defend against possible claims in the future as they dwell in places where there is a high concentration of dampness and moisture. Approximately, PKR 19,500 are needed to ward off termite infestation.

Cost of Miscellaneous Items = PKR 31,500

Grey Structure Cost = PKR 2,488,250

So, the total cost to build the grey structure of a 5 marla house would be PKR 2,488,250. Once the basic structure is done, now comes the finishing part.

As shown in the detailed infographic above, there are many construction jobs involved in the finishing of a 5 marla house. Please note the sub-totals for different categories have been highlighted in the infographic. You can find the details of these figures under different headings below.

People constructing a double-unit 5 marla house usually go for tiles. Good quality Master tiles are preferred in high-end smaller houses. Here is a breakdown of the tiles used in the house.

• Around 158 tiles are needed to construct the flooring of the house at the rate of PKR 2,000. This excludes garage, terrace and bathroom tiles. The total cost in the flooring would be PKR 316,000
• 65 Master tiles are needed to construct the bathrooms. The rate of the tiles is PKR 1,500 sq. mtr. which would cost around PKR 97,500
• In building the terrace of the house, you would need 18 tiles at the rate of PKR 1,500 per sq. mtr. The total cost incurred in constructing laying the floor of the terrace would be PKR 27,000
• In building the car porch or garage you would need 22 tiles at the rate of PKR 1,500 per sq. mtr. making the total cost to be PKR 33,000
• Professional workers can paste tiles neatly and efficiently. Also, in some cases, you have to cut tiles to fill in the gaps. It is best to hire experts for this. The cost of labour for tiles would be PKR 130,000
• Marble is used in building the staircase and also in the kitchen’s countertop and shelves
• For marble stairs, you would need approximately PKR 75,000
• In the kitchen, PKR 30,000 is used to build shelves and lay the countertop

Cost for Tiles and Marble = PKR 708,500

The areas where you want to have switchboards and power plugs need proper planning. It should be in a safe place where your kids do not insert fingers and also the power plugs must be located where you can easily plug in your devices. Here are the following electrical items needed along with the costs involved. 

• You would need around 15 switch boards and push buttons at the rate of PKR 850. This means PKR 12,750 would be needed in installing the switch boards
• Around 18 power plugs and sockets are used at the rate of PKR 475 which means a total of PKR 8,550 would be required
• To install lights, lamps and chandeliers a total cost of PKR 110,000 would be incurred
• 11 fans in total, costing around PKR 5,500 per unit, would be used. This means a total budget of PKR 60,500 should be reserved for installing fans
• A good exhaust system must be installed. For this purpose, 6 Royal or GFC exhaust fans are used. Four of them in the bathrooms and two in the kitchens. An exhaust fan costs you PKR 2,500 making a total of PKR 15,000. Breakers of PKR 30,000 are also required.
• An electrician would be needed to carry out the above-mentioned tasks. He would need PKR 18,000.

Cost for Electrical components = PKR 254,800

There are many construction items needed to give a finished look to your kitchen and bathrooms. Since there are two kitchens, two kitchen hoods should be installed with the average costs of PKR 50,000 per hood. So, you would need to have PKR 100,000 for buying and installing the hood in the kitchen. Two kitchen sinks of PKR 15,000 each are needed making a total of PKR 30,000.

As for the washrooms, since three of them would be constructed, you need almost everything multiplied by three times. Three bath hangings of PKR 5,000 unit price are needed, which will take the total amount to PKR 15,000. Similarly, three commodes of PKR 15,000 each would be needed, costing around PKR 45,000. 

Installation of one vanity set would cost you PKR 9,000 so if you have three vanity sets installed it would cost you PKR 27,000. Around 3 complete bath sets are required of PKR 57,000 with each bath set costing you PKR 19,000. A plumber is needed to carry out the above-mentioned tasks. You can hire a plumber at PKR 20,000.

Cost for Kitchen & Bath Accessories = PKR 294,000

There are two parts to the finishing of the house. One is the paint done on the walls inside the house and the other is the exterior part of the house. The paint job should be done ideally after installation of switchboards and light fixtures. 

Painting a newly built house is tougher since it requires careful application of the base coat. You therefore need a professional painter to do the job for you. We have included the painter’s cost in this. It is estimated to be around PKR 300,000.

For the exterior, rockwall is mostly used. In rockwall, marble chips are used. First the wall is plastered and cleaned, then the base coat using acrylic and white sand is applied. The base coat is very important as it strengthens the walls. The total cost in the rockwall is PKR 30,000. 

The rate for false ceiling including material and for any design is PKR 65 per sq. ft. So, for a 2,125 sq. ft. double story 5 marla house, it would cost you PKR 107,250.

Cost for Paint and Ceiling = 437,250

Aluminium and glass work in houses includes windows and window frames, wire mesh and glass panes. The cost of Aluminium windows and glass is PKR 175,000. Mirrors would cost PKR 20,000. For the staircase, railings are needed which cost you PKR 65,000.

Cost of Windows and Mirrors = PKR 260,000

Wood is used in various parts of the house in the form of wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, doors, bathroom cabinets and decorative racks in the living room and drawing-room. 

The rates may vary from vendor to vendor, but it is generally advisable to buy wood and let your carpenter carve it into cabinets and doors, rather than to purchase ready-to-use cabinets from the market since you can’t be sure of the material.

There would be one semi-solid wooden door and the rest of the doors would have Malaysian plywood. It would cost you PKR 135,000. For built-in wardrobes and kitchen cabinets, UV Ply Sheets or more commonly referred to as formica sheets are used. 

For wardrobes, PKR 150,000 and for kitchen also PKR 150,000 are required. Assorted fittings like door handles would cost you an additional PKR 26,000. An LCD rack can be built in PKR 50,000.

Cost for Woodwork = PKR 511,000

Total finishing costs of a 5 marla house = PKR 2,465,550

That sums up the construction cost of a 5 marla house. Let us combine the grey structure costs and the finishing costs to get the final budget for a 5 marla house.

Total construction cost of a 5 marla house in 2020 = PKR 2,488,250 + PKR 2,465,550 = PKR 4,953,800

So, there you have it — the PKR 4,953,800 would be the complete construction cost of a 5 marla house in 2020.

It’s important to remember the rates mentioned above are applicable in case someone decides to build a house on their own. If a contractor builds your house with a labour and material contract, then you will end up with a higher estimate as you’ll have to pay an individual to procure building material, execute the construction of the unit and oversee the entire project. 

NOTE: The construction cost of building a house through a contractor will vary, as per the agreement between the contractor and the owner.