The move that defines the work here
A 1968 Chembur colony flat is 480 to 560 square feet with a long passage, a separate kitchen, thick masonry walls and cupboards built into the structure. The tower flat that replaces it is 680 to 760 square feet, open plan, with a dry balcony instead of a service passage and almost no wall you can build a full-depth wardrobe against. On paper the family has gained space. In practice they have lost linear metres of storage and gained circulation, and the fit-out has to give the metres back.
- Inventory before layoutWe measure what has to be stored — the steel trunks, the vessels, the festival crockery, the sewing machine — before drawing a single elevation. It is an unglamorous half-day that decides the plan.
- Decide what does not moveRoughly a third of what comes out of the old flat should not go into the new one. We would rather have that conversation in the old flat than build for it and regret the room.
- Build vertically and into circulationLofts over doors, full-height utility storage on the dry balcony wall, a bench with drawers in the entry. In a tower plan this is where the metres are.
- Hold one flexible roomMost families here are three generations. The second bedroom is specified so it can be a bedroom, a study and a sick room without being rebuilt.
Rates by what you are starting from
| Starting point | Typical carpet | ₹ per sq ft | What drives the figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s–70s colony flat, lived in | 460 – 580 sq ft | ₹1,890 – 2,680 | Full rewire, old plumbing, masonry cupboards to demolish |
| 1980s–90s co-operative | 600 – 800 sq ft | ₹1,830 – 2,740 | Sound structure, tired services, straightforward work |
| Redevelopment possession, developer-finished | 650 – 900 sq ft | ₹1,950 – 2,920 | Strip-out of builder flooring and platform, then a clean build |
| New private tower, bare shell | 900 – 1,600 sq ft | ₹2,070 – 3,100 | Everything from flooring up; highest finish expectation in the suburb |
| Plot house near the Gymkhana | 1,800 – 3,000 sq ft | ₹2,130 – 3,040 | Civil scope, terrace waterproofing, no lift constraint at all |
Ex-GST, carpet area, and taken from Chembur-type homes Greenbox has completed and billed, held at October 2026. A possession flat is not a bare shell — budget demolition and debris on it.
Forty years of storage, rehoused in a tower plan
Worked example: 720 sq ft two-bedroom, redevelopment possession
Handed over with vitrified flooring, a granite kitchen platform, a single bathroom fit-out and builder-grade wiring. The family is moving in from the 520 sq ft flat that stood on the same plot.
| Scope | ₹ lakh | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Strip-out and debris removal | 0.55 | Builder platform, one bathroom, loose flooring in the passage |
| Civil and plumbing | 0.86 | Dry-balcony drain repositioned; both bathrooms re-plumbed |
| Joinery — wardrobes, lofts, entry bench, TV unit | 7.47 | Loft storage over three doors; full-height utility wall |
| Modular kitchen, 10 running feet | 2.75 | L-shape with a tall pull-out and a corner carousel |
| False ceiling and lighting | 1.65 | Living and dining only; bedrooms keep the slab |
| Electrical | 0.92 | New DB, 26 points, separate circuit for the dry balcony |
| Painting | 0.76 | Washable emulsion throughout — a deliberate choice on this side of Chembur |
| Bathrooms | 1.04 | One full rebuild, one fittings-and-counter refresh |
| Soft furnishing and curtains | 0.43 | Blackout blinds in both bedrooms |
| Project management and contingency | 0.20 | Against the drain relocation |
| Total, ex-GST | 16.63 | ₹2,310 per sq ft carpet |
Add 18% GST. The strip-out line is the one most quotations leave out; a developer-finished flat arrives with about ₹50,000 of work to undo.
Two constraints that shape a Chembur project
- Refinery-side air. On the Mahul, Chheda Nagar and Vashi Naka side of the suburb, window ledges carry a fine deposit within days of cleaning. It argues for good window sealing, washable emulsion rather than chalky distemper finishes, leather or tight-weave upholstery rather than open linen, and closed rather than open display storage. None of it is expensive; all of it is a nuisance to retrofit.
- Everyone is redeveloping at once. In parts of Tilak Nagar, Chheda Nagar and the old colony belt, several plots are under construction on the same lane. Debris contractors are booked out, tempos cannot turn, and the society deposit rules have tightened because the committee has watched three other jobs go badly. We file early, bag debris daily rather than piling it, and agree a written delivery window with the secretary before mobilising.
Where a Chembur budget is best spent
- Storage volume over storage finish. A loft in laminate that holds the trunks beats a veneered wardrobe that does not.
- The kitchen, always. This is a suburb where three meals a day are cooked at home and the kitchen is in use for four hours of it.
- Window and balcony sealing on the refinery side — it protects everything else you have paid for.
- Not the false ceiling. A 2.85 metre slab in a new tower is worth keeping in the bedrooms.
For the suburb overall, including commercial and retail work, see interior designers in Chembur. For the way we run residential projects across Mumbai — drawings, staged payments, snagging and warranty — see residential interior designers in Mumbai.
Residential work by Greenbox Design Studio.
Frequently asked questions
We are moving from a 520 sq ft colony flat into a 740 sq ft tower flat. Will everything fit?+
Not without planning, and that surprises people. Old colony flats have masonry cupboards and long passages that store a lot; tower plans trade that for circulation and balconies. We inventory the old flat first and typically find we need lofts over three doorways and a full-height utility wall to break even on storage.
What does a developer-finished flat still need?+
Usually a strip-out of the token kitchen platform and one bathroom, removal of loose or hollow-sounding flooring, and a new distribution board. Budget around ₹45,000–₹70,000 on a 700 sq ft flat for demolition and debris before any new work starts. It is the line most quotations quietly omit.
Does the refinery side really need different finishes?+
It needs sealed windows and washable surfaces. The deposit is fine particulate, so it settles on ledges, open shelving and loose-weave fabric. Washable emulsion, closed storage and tight-weave upholstery cost nothing extra if chosen at the start and are expensive to change later.
Can you work in a society that has three other flats under renovation?+
Yes, and we plan for it. It means agreeing a written delivery and debris window with the secretary, bagging waste daily instead of stacking it on the landing, and booking the lift rather than assuming it. Where the committee has tightened rules after a bad job, arriving with a complete file usually resolves it.
Is Chembur cheaper than Powai or Bandra?+
Considerably cheaper than Bandra and moderately cheaper than Powai at a like specification. The savings are in access and labour rather than materials. Where Chembur is not cheap is the new tower market off the Eastern Freeway, where finish expectations have moved close to the western suburbs.