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Stages of house construction (and what each costs)
Stages of house construction (and what each costs)
Building a house moves through five clear stages. Here's what happens in each, the rough share of your budget it takes, and where the money goes.
The five stages
| Stage | ~Cost share | What happens |
|---|
| Foundation | ~12% | Excavation, anti-termite, PCC and column footings up to ground level. |
| Plinth | ~10% | Plinth beams, backfilling/compaction, damp-proofing and the ground-floor base. |
| Structure (RCC) | ~33% | Columns, beams, slabs cast floor by floor; brick walls raised. The longest, most material-heavy stage. |
| Roofing | ~15% | Final roof slab cast and cured; waterproofing so the shell is weather-tight. |
| Finishing | ~30% | Plaster, flooring, tiling, paint, doors/windows, plus electrical and plumbing fittings. |
Shares are typical for a low-rise RCC home and shift a little with design and finish level.
Where most of the money goes
Two stages dominate: the RCC structure (the skeleton — cement, steel and labour) and finishing (the biggest lever you control, through your choice of tiles, fittings, doors and paint). Spend your decision-making energy on finish quality, since it can swing the total by 50% or more.
- Foundation & plinth — get the soil and site right; mistakes here are expensive to fix later.
- Structure — follow your engineer's design mix and bar schedule; don't under- or over-build.
- Finishing — pick a finish tier and stick to it; mid-project upgrades blow budgets.
See your stage-by-stage timeline & cost →
FAQ
How long does each stage take?›
For a typical home: foundation and plinth a couple of months each, the RCC structure the longest (it scales with floors), then roofing and finishing. Your full timeline shows in the report.
Which stage is most expensive?›
The RCC structure and finishing together are usually 60%+ of the cost — structure for materials, finishing for fittings and labour.