Ask three builders what your house will cost and you'll get three very different numbers — sometimes double each other. It isn't always dishonesty. It's that "cost per marla" hides a dozen assumptions about covered area, the number of storeys, and the level of finishing. Once you can separate those, the quotes stop being confusing and the padding becomes obvious.
First: covered area, not plot area
Construction is priced on covered area — the total built floor area across all storeys — not the size of your plot. A 5 Marla plot (~1,125 sq ft) built double-storey with a mumty can easily have 1,900–2,300 sq ft of covered area once you count both floors, the stairs and the rooftop room. Always confirm whether a quote is per plot marla or per covered square foot — mixing them up is the single most common estimating mistake.
The split that explains everything: grey structure vs finishing
Every build has two halves, and they behave completely differently:
| Stage | What it covers | Share of cost |
|---|---|---|
| Grey structure | Excavation, foundation, RCC (steel + concrete), brickwork, roof slabs, stairs — the bare, unfinished building. | ~45–55% |
| Finishing | Plaster, flooring/tiles, woodwork, kitchen, wardrobes, paint, electrical & plumbing fixtures, elevation, doors & windows. | ~45–55% |
Grey structure is relatively predictable — it's mostly cement, steel, bricks and labour, and there's a "right" amount of each. Finishing is where budgets explode and where overcharging hides, because the range between basic and premium is enormous (think tile that costs Rs 120/sq ft vs Rs 800/sq ft, or a laminate wardrobe vs solid woodwork).
Indicative per-square-foot ranges (2026)
Read this carefully: the figures below are rough, indicative ranges for early 2026 in Lahore's planned societies and move constantly with cement, steel and labour rates. Treat them as a sanity-check on a quote, not a fixed price. Always get an itemised estimate for your design.
| Spec level | Grey structure | Finishing | Total / sq ft (covered) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | ~Rs 2,800–3,400 | ~Rs 2,500–3,500 | ~Rs 5,300–6,900 |
| Good (DHA-typical) | ~Rs 3,200–3,900 | ~Rs 3,500–5,500 | ~Rs 6,700–9,400 |
| Premium | ~Rs 3,600–4,400 | ~Rs 6,000–10,000+ | ~Rs 9,600–14,000+ |
Notice how tightly grey structure clusters and how wildly finishing spreads. If a builder's grey-structure number is far above these ranges, ask exactly why. If their finishing number is suspiciously low, it usually means a cheap spec you haven't agreed to yet — and a "surprise" upgrade bill later.
A worked example: 5 Marla, double storey
Say ~2,100 sq ft covered area at a "good / DHA-typical" spec, using a mid-point of ~Rs 7,800/sq ft:
- Grey structure: ~2,100 × Rs 3,550 ≈ Rs 7.4 million
- Finishing: ~2,100 × Rs 4,250 ≈ Rs 8.9 million
- Indicative total: ≈ Rs 16–17 million (excluding plot, boundary wall, and major design changes)
Change the finishing spec and that total swings by millions — which is exactly why a vague "Rs X per marla" quote tells you almost nothing on its own.
What actually moves the number
- Covered area & storeys — more floors, mumty and basement all add covered area.
- Finishing spec — tiles, woodwork, kitchen, wardrobes, sanitary and elevation are the big levers.
- Structural design — long spans, cantilevers and extra steel for a "strong" structure cost real money.
- Material rates on the day — cement and steel move weekly; a six-month build spans several price changes.
- Site conditions — soil, water table, and access affect foundation and logistics.
Where overcharging hides
Most disputes don't come from the headline number — they come from what's left vague:
- Un-itemised quotes. A single lump sum can't be checked. Insist on a line-by-line breakdown (a BOQ — Bill of Quantities).
- Scope creep mid-project. "That wasn't included" becomes a fresh bill every few weeks. Lock the scope and the spec in writing up front.
- Material substitution. Lower-grade steel, fewer cement bags, second-class bricks — billed at first-class rates. (See our material quality checklist.)
- Finishing "upgrades." The cheap default is quoted; the real spec is sold to you later.
Key takeaways
- Costs are priced on covered area, not plot size — always confirm which.
- Think in two halves: grey structure (~half, predictable) and finishing (~half, where it explodes).
- Use per-sq-ft ranges as a sanity check, never as a fixed price — rates move constantly.
- Demand an itemised BOQ and a locked scope; that's what makes a quote checkable.