Plot Area, Covered Area, Built-up Area: What You Actually Pay For

Plot area, covered area and built-up area

Most confusion about construction cost comes from mixing up area terms. Here is what each one means and which one a construction rate applies to.

Plot area

The land you own, usually in square yards (sq yd) in Tricity. To convert: 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft. A 200 sq yd plot is 1,800 sq ft of land.

Ground coverage

The share of the plot the ground floor may cover. It is set by the approving authority and depends on the authority, zone and plot size, so confirm it for your plot with your architect. It is not a choice the builder makes.

Covered area (what we price)

The total floor area built, floor by floor. Example with an assumed 70% coverage and 2 floors: 1,800 × 0.7 × 2 = 2,520 sq ft. Our rates are per sq ft of covered area, materials and labour included, GST extra.

Built-up area

Often used to mean the same as covered area. Some people include wall thickness, balconies or the stair cover in it and some do not, which is why two quotations can show different areas for the same house. Ask each builder to state exactly what their area includes.

Carpet area

The usable floor inside the walls: rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, excluding wall thickness. It is always smaller than the covered area. It matters when you buy a flat; for building your own house, the covered area is what drives cost.

Why this matters when comparing rates

A quote of ₹2,400 per sq ft on 2,520 sq ft and a quote of the same rate on a larger "built-up" figure are not the same price. Before comparing:

• Confirm both use the same area figure and the same way of counting balconies and the stair cover.
• Confirm the finish is the same.
• Confirm what is excluded (interiors, boundary wall, approval fees, GST).

Next step

Work out your own figures with the budget planner, or read the worked cost example.