Estimate your civil work
Tick only the items you are actually doing. Each is priced separately.
How this estimator works
- Demolition = carpet area × rate. Light covers taking out existing joinery, false ceilings, tiles and one or two partitions. Extensive covers a full strip-out to bare walls.
- New wall = length × height × wall type rate, which includes blocks or bricks, mortar, reinforcement ties into the existing structure and curing.
- Plaster = wall area × 2 × rate, because a new wall needs finishing on both faces.
- Screed = carpet area × ₹100, where the floor is being levelled for a new finish.
- Openings = ₹8,500 each, covering cutting, a pre-cast or cast-in-situ lintel, making good and propping while it cures.
- Debris = trips × ₹4,500. The tool also reports an indicative duration built from the same quantities.
| Item | Rate | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light demolition | ₹42 / sq ft | Carpet area | Joinery, ceilings, tiles, one or two partitions |
| Extensive demolition | ₹85 / sq ft | Carpet area | Full strip-out to bare shell |
| AAC block 100 mm | ₹310 / sq ft | Wall area | Light, fast, good thermal performance — the dearer wall |
| Brick 4 in | ₹215 / sq ft | Wall area | Standard internal partition |
| Brick 6 in | ₹290 / sq ft | Wall area | Where weight has to be hung; scaled off the 4 in rate |
| Plaster | ₹95 / sq ft | Per face | 12–15 mm internal with bedding, sponge finished |
| Screed and levelling | ₹100 / sq ft | Carpet area | Before a new floor finish |
| Opening with lintel | ₹8,500 | Each | Cutting, lintel, propping, making good |
| Debris removal | ₹4,500 | Per trip | About 1.5 tonnes to a designated site |
Design and build under one accountable roof
Worked example — a standard 800 sq ft renovation
| Item | Quantity | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Light demolition | 800 sq ft × ₹42 | ₹33,600 |
| New 4 in brick wall | 20 × 10 = 200 sq ft × ₹215 | ₹43,000 |
| Plaster, both faces | 400 sq ft × ₹95 | ₹38,000 |
| Two openings with lintels | 2 × ₹8,500 | ₹17,000 |
| Debris removal | 6 trips × ₹4,500 | ₹27,000 |
| Total | sum | ₹1.59 L |
| Per sq ft of carpet area | ₹1.59 L ÷ 800 | ₹198 |
What civil work does to a programme
Civil work is wet, dirty and sequential, and nothing else can happen while it is going on. A new masonry wall needs to be built, cured for at least seven days, plastered, and then cured again before any electrical chasing, and the plaster has to be fully dry before putty. In a Mumbai monsoon that drying can take twice as long as the calendar suggests, which is why we advise clients to avoid starting a civil-heavy renovation in June or July if the handover date matters.
There is also a permissions path that runs in parallel and takes longer than people expect. A society will typically want the application, a set of drawings, an undertaking, a structural engineer's certificate for anything touching the frame, worker identity documents and a deposit — and the managing committee may only meet once a month. Start that process before the contractor is appointed, not after.
Finally, be honest about what is load-bearing. In most Mumbai buildings after 1975 the internal walls are non-structural infill and can be removed with a structural engineer's confirmation. In older buildings, particularly pre-1960 stock in the island city, internal walls frequently are structural, and the only safe answer is a structural survey. No contractor should be making that judgement, and no society should be allowing them to.
The masonry, plaster and breaking rates here are lifted off Greenbox jobs that were measured, invoiced and closed out — homes we built rather than a market survey — and held at October 2026. We publish them so the arithmetic can be audited rather than trusted. Treat the output as a planning figure: accurate enough to brief a landlord, a bank or a family, and not accurate enough to sign a contract against.
What this tool does not cover
- Society deposits, which are refundable and typically ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000.
- Structural engineer's fees and any municipal approval for structural changes.
- Waterproofing, which is a separate trade — see the waterproofing area calculator.
- Plumbing and electrical, which follow civil work — see the plumbing points estimator and the electrical points estimator.
- Any strengthening, underpinning or beam work, which is engineering rather than civil finishing.
- Dust protection, floor protection and daily site cleaning in an occupied flat, roughly ₹18–30 per sq ft.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a new wall in a flat?+
₹215 per square foot of wall for 4-inch brick, plus ₹95 per face for plaster. A 20 ft long, 10 ft high wall is 200 sq ft, so about ₹43,000 for the masonry and ₹38,000 for plaster on both sides — roughly ₹81,000 before GST.
What does demolition cost in a Mumbai flat?+
₹42 per sq ft of carpet area for light demolition — existing joinery, false ceilings, tiles and a partition or two — and ₹85 for a full strip-out to bare walls. Debris removal is separate at about ₹4,500 per tempo trip.
Is AAC block better than brick for a partition?+
For an upper-floor flat, usually yes — though not on price. AAC is about a third of the weight, which matters for society approval and for the slab, it insulates better and it goes up faster, but it bills at ₹310 per sq ft against ₹215 for 4-inch brick. Brick is cheaper, stronger and holds a heavy fixing better, so we still use it where a wall has to carry a wall-hung WC or a large TV.
Do I need permission for civil work in a housing society?+
In Mumbai, always. Expect to provide drawings, an undertaking, worker identity documents and a refundable deposit, and to work only between 10 am and 6 pm on weekdays. Anything touching a column, a beam or a slab also needs a licensed structural engineer's certificate.
How long does civil work take in a renovation?+
Two to four weeks for a typical flat, and it blocks everything else while it runs. Masonry needs seven days of curing before plaster, and plaster needs to dry fully before putty — which in a Mumbai monsoon can take twice as long as the calendar suggests.