Cost guide · 1 BHK · Mumbai region
₹7–17L
Total project · 7–17 lakhs · ex. white goods
What a 1 BHK actually costs in the Mumbai region.
Carpet area
350 sqft ref
Per sqft rate
₹1,950–3,500
Delivery
~3 months
Typical spread
+6 to +12%
01 · THE HONEST ANSWER
Why a compact flat isn’t a cheap flat.
The number depends on two things — scope (new flat vs renovation) and finish grade. Below: how each trade moves the total, what each scope includes, and the five mistakes that inflate the final invoice past the BOQ.
The call we get from compact buyers and second-home owners. The honest answer: a 350 sqft flat costs ₹6.8 lakhs with new-flat scope and ₹9.5 lakhs if renovation civil is involved.
Add a premium finish grade and both numbers climb further. A 1 BHK is small in area but not in decisions — the kitchen and the wardrobe still carry the bulk of the spend, and the lighting plan, the stone choices, and the lead times move the total just as they would in a larger home.
50+
Homes delivered
7
CLARITY gates
100%
BOQ itemized
47
Handover checks
02 · WHERE THE MONEY GOES
One bar. Six trades.The whole budget.
The split holds for every 1 BHK — whether new flat at ₹6.8L or renovation at ₹9.5L. Civil & finishes applies only when walls open; on a new-possession flat that slice moves into modular and furniture.
Modular 42%
Civil 18%
Furniture 16%
Elec 12%
7%
5%
Modular & joinery
42%
Kitchen + three wardrobes. The bulk of every 3 BHK.
Furniture & soft
16%
Sofa, dining, three beds, curtains, blinds.
Furniture & soft
16%
Sofa, dining, three beds, curtains, blinds.
Electrical & lighting
12%
Points, wiring, fixtures, cove + track.
Electrical & lighting
12%
Points, wiring, fixtures, cove + track.
Design fee
7%
Drawings, specification, site supervision.
Modular & joinery
42%
Kitchen + three wardrobes. The bulk of every 3 BHK.
Civil & finishes
18%
Reno only — demolition, tiling, waterproofing.
Furniture & soft
16%
Sofa, dining, three beds, curtains, blinds.
Electrical & lighting
12%
Points, wiring, fixtures, cove + track.
Design fee
7%
Drawings, specification, site supervision.
Contingency
5%
Visible in the BOQ. Unspent, it is returned.
03 · NEW FLAT VS RENOVATION
Same flat. Two scopes.
A new-possession flat and a 15-year-old renovation — same 350 sqft, different cost because different work. Civil & finishes is the entire gap between the two columns.
SCOPE · NEW FLAT
₹6.8L
350 sqft × ₹1,950 / sqft
Modular
Joinery
Finishes
Furniture
Process
Excludes
SCOPE ·RENOVATION
₹8.5–9.5L
₹6.8L + 25–40% civil
Demo
Plumbing
Tiling
Civil
Liaison
Buffer
Actual cost depends on material grade, vendor selection and scope additions. Final number confirmed by BOQ after the design phase.
A REAL BOQ
The number on the paper. Line by line.
Below is a real BOQ from a delivered 1 BHK project — sections, items, units, rates. Client name, address and a handful of specific rates are redacted; the structure is exactly what you’d receive at Gate 03 before signing. Sample format — use it to compare what you’re being shown elsewhere.
Six redactions above: four where the rate is the kind of thing studios try not to share, two where the client preferred their numbers not be public. The structure — sections, units, quantities, vendor names — is exactly what every BOQ we send out looks like.
05 · QUOTE AUDITS
Five mistakes that inflate the final invoice.
The patterns we see most often when a client brings us a quote to audit. Each one is avoidable with a specified, two-list BOQ.
01
Lump-sum quotes with no spec attached.
If your quote lists modular kitchen at ₹2.5L with no spec, you are comparing nothing to nothing. The same kitchen costs ₹1.8L in particle board and ₹4L in BWP with Hettich tandem drawers.
₹2.2L
swing on one line
02
No visible contingency line.
Any honest renovation quote includes 10–12% contingency. If it is not visible, it is hidden in inflated rates. We itemise it so you can see what is spent and what is returned.
10–12%
itemise it
03
Modular brand confusion.
Most quotes say Hettich fittings but do not specify which line — the range between Hettich InnoTech and Hettich Atira is 3x. Same brand, vastly different product.
3×
same brand
04
Light layers under-counted.
A 1 BHK needs roughly 20 light points for basic, and 45+ for a designed scheme. Each point is ₹950 plus wiring. The electrical line can swing ₹25,000–₹50,000.
₹25–50k
count the points
05
Items unlisted without the dash mark.
Every competent BOQ has two lists: included (bullet) and excluded (dash). If there is no exclusion list, everything that appears mid-project feels like a surprise.
Two lists
incl. & excl.
06 · FROM THE JOURNAL
Further reading.
Field notes and methods from the studio — the thinking behind the numbers above.
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