Estimate your strip-out
Scope first, then the items priced by their own quantity.
How this estimator works
- Strip-out labour = carpet area × scope rate. Joinery only covers wardrobes, kitchen, TV units and loose fittings. The middle band adds false ceilings, wall panelling, sanitaryware and light fittings. Full strip takes everything back to plaster.
- Tile removal = area × ₹42, priced separately because it is slow, noisy work and not every renovation needs it.
- Wall demolition = length × height × ₹42, covering breaking, the removal of embedded conduit and making good at the junctions.
- Debris weight is estimated at 4, 7 or 14 kg per sq ft of carpet area by scope, plus 12 kg per sq ft of tile and 18 kg per sq ft of wall.
- Trips = ceiling(weight ÷ 1,500 kg), the practical load of a Mumbai tempo, at ₹4,500 a trip multiplied by the floor-level factor.
- Duration is derived from the same quantities at roughly 300 sq ft of strip-out, 250 sq ft of tile, 90 sq ft of wall and three debris trips per working day.
| Item | Rate | Debris generated | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joinery strip-out | ₹42 / sq ft | 4 kg / sq ft | Wardrobes, kitchen, units, loose fittings |
| Joinery + ceilings + fittings | ₹65 / sq ft | 7 kg / sq ft | Adds gypsum, panelling, sanitaryware, lights |
| Full strip to bare shell | ₹85 / sq ft | 14 kg / sq ft | Everything back to plaster, including wiring |
| Floor tile removal | ₹42 / sq ft | 12 kg / sq ft | Includes breaking the bed below |
| Wall demolition | ₹42 / sq ft of wall | 18 kg / sq ft | 4 in brick, including conduit removal |
| Debris trip | ₹4,500 | 1.5 tonnes | To a designated disposal site |
| Above 7th floor | +30% on removal | — | Lift time and handling |
Design and build under one accountable roof
Worked example — an 800 sq ft renovation
| Line | Quantity | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Strip-out, joinery + ceilings | 800 × ₹65 | ₹52,000 |
| Floor tile removal | 400 × ₹42 | ₹16,800 |
| Wall demolition | 100 sq ft × ₹42 | ₹4,200 |
| Debris weight | 5,600 + 4,800 + 1,800 kg | 12,200 kg |
| Trips | ceiling(12,200 ÷ 1,500) | 9 trips |
| Removal, second to seventh floor | 9 × ₹4,500 × 1.15 | ₹46,575 |
| Total | sum | ₹1.20 L |
| Per sq ft of carpet area | ₹1.20 L ÷ 800 | ₹149 |
Demolition in a Mumbai society
The constraints are rarely technical. Most societies allow work between 10 am and 6 pm on weekdays only, require a written permission with a worker list and identity documents, and hold a refundable deposit of ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000 against damage to common areas. Several now also require a copy of the debris disposal receipt, because municipal enforcement against illegal dumping has tightened. Build all of that into the programme before the contractor is appointed.
The service lift is the practical bottleneck. A full strip-out of an 800 sq ft flat is nine tempo loads of debris, and every bag of it goes through one lift shared with residents. Book the lift for the whole demolition window rather than day by day, protect its floor and walls, and put a man at the lobby end with a broom — the single most common charge against a deposit is dust and scuff marks on the lobby floor, which costs nothing to prevent.
On safety: isolate the water and electricity to the flat at the meter before anything is broken, not at the switchboard. Old Mumbai flats frequently have a live circuit that does not run through the flat's own board, and a chisel into a live conduit is a serious event. And seal the entrance with a proper dust curtain with a zip, not a taped sheet, because the dust from tile removal travels three floors in a stairwell.
The breaking and debris rates on this page are what Greenbox actually invoiced on flats it stripped out and rebuilt, reconciled at handover 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 and any charges levied against them.
- Structural demolition, which needs a licensed structural engineer and municipal approval.
- Asbestos or lead-containing materials in buildings from before about 1985, which need specialist handling.
- Salvage value. Old teak doors, brass hardware and good stone are worth recovering and are frequently thrown away.
- Dust protection of retained finishes, ₹18–30 per sq ft where part of the flat is being kept.
- For the rebuild rather than the strip-out, see the civil work cost estimator and the renovation cost calculator.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
How much does demolition cost per sq ft in Mumbai?+
₹42 per sq ft for a joinery strip-out, ₹65 to include ceilings, panelling and fittings, and ₹85 for a full strip to bare shell. Floor tile removal is ₹42 per sq ft and wall demolition ₹42 per sq ft of wall, both charged on their own quantity.
How much debris does a flat renovation produce?+
Eight to twelve tonnes for an 800 sq ft flat taken back to plaster with the floor tile removed. That is eight or nine tempo trips at about ₹4,500 each, and above the seventh floor add 30% for lift time and handling.
Do I need permission to demolish inside my own flat?+
In a Mumbai society, yes. Expect to provide drawings, a worker list with identity documents and an undertaking, and to pay a refundable deposit. Anything touching a column, a beam or a slab additionally needs a licensed structural engineer's certificate.
How long does demolition take?+
Two to three days for a joinery strip-out of a 2BHK, five to eight days once ceilings, tiles and a wall are included, and up to two weeks for a full strip to shell — assuming a service lift is available and society hours are 10 am to 6 pm.
Is anything worth salvaging?+
Often. Old teak doors and frames, brass hardware, good Indian stone, and sometimes the kitchen appliances. In older Mumbai buildings the doors alone can be worth ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 each to a reclaimer, and they are routinely broken up because nobody asked.