The possession pack, itemised
This is what comes out of a developer-finished Chembur flat before any new work starts, and what it costs. It is priced as its own section of the package so that nobody is surprised by it.
| What comes out | Why | Typical cost on a 700 sq ft flat |
|---|---|---|
| Builder kitchen platform and sink | A granite slab on masonry with no storage below | ₹12,000 – 18,000 |
| One bathroom's fittings and counter | Builder-grade, and rarely where you want them | ₹8,000 – 14,000 |
| Loose or hollow-sounding floor tiles | Laid quickly at handover; they fail within two years if left | ₹6,000 – 15,000 |
| Builder distribution board and surface wiring | Sized for a token load, not for a lived-in flat | ₹5,000 – 9,000 |
| Token wardrobes where provided | Particle board, no soft close, wrong depth | ₹4,000 – 8,000 |
| Debris removal and bagging | BMC-compliant disposal, bagged daily | ₹10,000 – 16,000 |
Ex-GST. Total typically ₹45,000–₹70,000 on a 700 sq ft flat, and inside our package rather than beside it.
Worked example: 680 sq ft two-bedroom, redevelopment possession
Handed over with vitrified flooring, a granite platform, one bathroom fitted and builder wiring. A family of four moving in from the 500 square foot flat that stood on the same plot.
| Scope | ₹ lakh | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Strip-out and debris removal | 0.63 | Platform, one bathroom, loose tiles, builder DB, bagged and carted |
| Civil work and plumbing | 0.78 | Dry balcony drain repositioned; both bathrooms re-plumbed |
| Joinery | 6.94 | Wardrobes with lofts, full-height utility wall, TV unit, entry bench |
| Modular kitchen | 2.56 | 10 running feet, quartz counter, tall larder, corner carousel |
| False ceiling and lighting | 1.40 | Living and dining only; bedrooms keep the slab |
| Electrical | 0.85 | New DB, 26 points, separate dry-balcony circuit |
| Painting | 0.71 | Washable emulsion throughout |
| Two bathrooms | 0.95 | One rebuild, one fittings-and-counter refresh |
| Soft furnishing and curtains | 0.39 | Blackout blinds in both bedrooms |
| Society interface, snagging and handover | 0.11 | NOC file, debris challans, snag list, deep clean |
| Total, ex-GST | 15.32 | ₹2,253 per sq ft carpet |
Add 18% GST. The build-up is priced off Chembur possessions we have completed and invoiced, held at October 2026. The strip-out is 4% of the package and is the single commonest omission in a competing quotation for a possession flat.
What the developer gave you, and what has to come out
Storage is the package, really
Families arriving from old colony flats bring forty years of belongings into a plan with fewer usable walls. Our Chembur package therefore treats storage as core scope rather than as an upgrade: a loft over every internal doorway and both bathroom entries, a full-height storage wall on the dry balcony, drawers rather than shelves in the bottom third of every wardrobe, an entry bench with lift-up footwear storage, and a kitchen with a tall larder rather than open shelving. Those five items are what make a 680 square foot flat hold what a 500 square foot flat held, and leaving any of them out to reach a lower headline price is how a package disappoints.
Two package conditions particular to Chembur
- Washable finishes are the default. On the refinery side, washable emulsion, quartz rather than textured granite, a full-height splashback with no grout lines and closed display storage are what we specify at every tier. They cost nothing extra at the start and they save an hour of cleaning every day.
- The society file goes in three weeks early. Chembur committees are reasonable and slow, and several buildings have multiple fit-outs running at once. The NOC, crew list, deposit cheque and a written delivery and lift schedule are lodged before we mobilise, and the debris challans are handed over at closing.
Living in the flat while the package runs
Around a third of our Chembur package clients move in first and have the work done around them, usually because the old flat has already been handed to the developer. It is workable and it needs planning rather than goodwill. We seal the working zone with a dust barrier at the doorway and run an extractor in it, keep one bathroom and a temporary cooking point live throughout, finish the bedrooms first so the family always has somewhere intact, and take the kitchen out for a defined twelve days rather than an open-ended period. It adds about two weeks to the programme. The two genuinely difficult stretches are the bathroom rebuild and the kitchen installation, and we tell clients which weeks those are at the start so they can arrange to be elsewhere if they can.
For the suburb as a whole, see interior designers in Chembur. For package structures, payment stages and the warranty, see flat interior designers in Mumbai.
Flat interiors by Greenbox Design Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a brand new flat need anything stripped out?+
Because the developer's finishes are provided to satisfy a handover specification, not to be used. The token platform has no storage, the builder distribution board is sized for a token load, and floor tiles laid at speed sound hollow in places. Leaving them costs more later. Budget ₹45,000–₹70,000 on a 700 square foot flat.
Is the loft really necessary?+
In a family moving from old colony stock, yes — it is where the trunks, the festival vessels and the bulk tins go. Old flats had masonry stores that held all of it. Without lofts, that volume ends up in prime base storage and the flat feels full within a month of moving in.
Do you include washable finishes as standard?+
Yes, at every tier in this suburb. Washable emulsion, quartz rather than textured granite, a full-height splashback with no grout lines and closed display storage. On the refinery side those are practical decisions rather than upgrades, and they cost nothing if chosen at the start.
How early should the society file go in?+
Three weeks before mobilisation. Chembur committees are reasonable and slow, and several buildings have more than one fit-out running. A complete file — NOC, marked demolition drawing, crew list, deposit and a written delivery schedule — almost always gets approved; an incomplete one lodged late almost always costs a fortnight.
Can we do the flat in two phases to spread the cost?+
On a 680 square foot possession flat, it rarely pays. A second mobilisation, a second society file and a second round of protection and debris typically cost more than the interest saved, and you live in an unfinished flat meanwhile. We will do the arithmetic with you rather than simply advising against it.