Ask anyone who has built: the grey structure came in close to plan, and then finishing happened. Standard finishing has been running Rs 3,800 to 5,500 per square foot and premium work well past 6,500 — which means on a 5 marla the finishing decisions alone swing the total by several million rupees.
Bathrooms and kitchen first
These two rooms are the budget's deep water. A bathroom is tiles on six surfaces, concealed piping, fittings, a vanity, glass and accessories — and the difference between economy and imported-fitting premium can be several hundred thousand rupees per bathroom. Multiply by four or five bathrooms. The kitchen adds cabinetry priced by the running foot, a hob and hood, and counters where granite versus engineered stone changes the line by half. Decide these two rooms' tiers before you sign anything.
The quiet multipliers
Tiles: the rate card says Rs 120 to 450 for local ceramic, but large-format imported porcelain runs several times that, and wastage on diagonal layouts adds 10 to 15 percent nobody quoted. Wood: doors, wardrobes and the kitchen priced 'per square foot of covered area' hide the fact that carpentry is measured by shutter area — roughly Rs 450 per covered square foot is a sane planning number for standard work. Paint: the material is cheap, the labour and coats are not; weather-shield exterior paint costs several times interior emulsion per litre, and every colour change after the first coat is a change order.
The pattern behind every trap is the same: decisions deferred to the moment of installation, priced when you can no longer say no. Walk the estimator's finishing tiers room by room before construction starts — flip a bathroom from premium to standard, watch the delta, and make the fight happen on a screen instead of on site.