Construction checklist

Fourteen stages, what to buy and check at each, and what to photograph before it is covered.

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Construction checklist, stage by stage (mistri se kya check karna hai)

Fourteen stages of building a house in Pakistan, in order. Each one says what happens, what to buy, what to check with the mistri before you pay, what to photograph before it is covered, and the mistake we see most. Tick the checks as you go — they stay saved in your browser — and print it for the site file.

Planning and approvals — naqsha aur manzoori

Get the architectural and structural drawings, submit them to the society, CDA or RDA building control, and fix the plinth level against the final road level. Decide whether you build on contract rate or labour rate, and put the stage payments in writing.

What to buy now

Nothing yet: get three grey-structure quotes
Water and a temporary electricity connection
A lockable site store
A permanent level peg set in concrete

Check before you pay for this stage

Approved map copy kept on site
Setbacks marked on the ground
Plinth level fixed against the road level the society will finally carpet to
Soil checked: filled earth or soft ground needs deeper foundations
Sewer and water connection points located
Written agreement with stage payments and a list of exclusions
Neighbours' wall lines and levels noted

Most common mistake: Starting before approval (demolition notices), and no written payment schedule.

Photos to keep: The empty plot from all four corners with the road in view; the level peg.

Excavation and foundation — khudai aur neev

Trenches to the depth on the drawing, down to firm soil; a bed of plain concrete; then stepped brick or stone footings, or RCC footings and column starters where the drawing has columns.

What to buy now

Cement
Crush 1/2 in and 3/4 in
Coarse sand
First-class bricks or stone for footings
Steel for column footings, per drawing
Termite treatment if specified

Check before you pay for this stage

Trench depth and width as drawn, bottom firm and level, water pumped out
PCC 1 : 3 : 6 at least 6 in thick before any brick is laid
Footing steps and widths as drawn
Column steel cages on cover blocks, not on bricks
Curing started the next day

Before it is covered: Photograph every trench with a tape in the picture before the PCC goes in, and the footing steel before the pour.

Most common mistake: Shallow trenches on filled land; footings on wet soft soil; brick straight on earth with no PCC.

Photos to keep: Each trench with a tape; column footings with steel.

Plinth, filling and DPC — plinth, bharti aur DPC

Walls up to plinth level, filling inside compacted in 6 in layers, and the damp-proof course over every wall before the walls above start.

What to buy now

Filling earth or sand
Cement and coarse sand
DPC waterproofing compound
Plastic sheet for under the floor if the water table is high
Sewer pipe, traps and sleeves

Check before you pay for this stage

DPC level marked from the level peg all round
DPC 1.5–2 in, 1 : 2 : 4 with compound, across the full wall width, unbroken at corners
DPC at least 6 in above the final outside ground
Filling compacted and watered layer by layer, not dumped in one go
Sleeves left for water, sewer and gas pipes through the plinth
Sewer line laid with its slope and floor traps positioned before filling
Anti-termite treatment done if planned

Before it is covered: Before the filling goes in: sewer slope and joints, pipe sleeves, and the DPC line all round.

Most common mistake: DPC too low or with soil later piled against it; loose filling (floors sink); pipes forgotten and walls broken later.

Photos to keep: DPC line on every wall; pipe positions with distances from the corners.

Ground-floor walls — chinai

9 in outside and load-bearing walls, 4.5 in partitions, up to lintel height, with door and window frames fixed as the walls rise.

What to buy now

Bricks (see the brick calculator)
Cement and sand
Holdfasts
Door and window frames
Scaffolding

Check before you pay for this stage

Mortar ratio as agreed, mixed bag by bag with a measured box
Bricks soaked before laying
Joints full and no more than 3/8 in
Plumb checked every three courses; corners squared
No more than 5 ft of height in a day
4.5 in walls tied with an RCC band or small columns every 10 ft
Frames plumb, with holdfasts built in
Conduit chases planned, not hacked later
Walls watered for 7 days

Most common mistake: Hollow joints with mortar only on the face; walls out of plumb (the plaster ends up twice as thick); window sizes different from the drawing.

Photos to keep: Each wall with its frame positions.

Lintel band — lantar

RCC lintel over every opening, run as one continuous band around the house at door-top level so the walls are tied together.

What to buy now

Steel per drawing (concrete & steel calculator)
Shuttering timber
Cement, sand, 1/2 in crush
Binding wire and cover blocks

Check before you pay for this stage

Bearing at least 9 in into the wall each side
Bars and stirrups as drawn, on cover blocks
Band continuous at corners and over every opening
1 : 2 : 4 concrete mixed with measured boxes, not by guess
Cured 7 days; shuttering off after 7 days

Before it is covered: Count the bars and stirrup spacing before the pour; photograph the corners.

Most common mistake: Separate lintels instead of a band; steel laid on bricks without cover; a dry mix that leaves honeycombs.

Photos to keep: Band steel at every corner.

Roof slab — chhat ka lantar

Shuttering, beam and slab steel per the structural drawing, electrical conduits and fan boxes, pipe sleeves, then one continuous pour.

Before it is covered: Video the whole slab — steel, conduits, fan boxes — before the pour, and count the bars in each panel.

Most common mistake: The drawing 'adjusted' by the mistri; a dry mix; shuttering pulled early; conduits forgotten and the slab chased later.

Photos to keep: Video of the steel; fan box positions; the pour.

Upper floor, mumty and parapet — doosri manzil, mumty aur parapet

Repeat walls, lintel band and slab for the next floor; then the stair mumty, parapet walls and the base for the overhead tank.

What to buy now

As for stages 4–6
Parapet coping material
Tank base slab steel per drawing

Check before you pay for this stage

Columns continued exactly over the ones below
Parapet at least 3 ft with a sloped coping
Mumty roof waterproofed like the main roof
Stair risers and treads equal on every step
Tank base on its own slab, with the overflow route planned to a drain

Before it is covered: Same as the roof slab.

Most common mistake: Tank placed directly on the roof waterproofing; parapet without coping (the classic seepage line).

Photos to keep: Tank base and parapet coping.

Electrical and plumbing rough-in — wiring aur plumbing

Conduits and boxes, water supply lines and drainage in the walls and floors, all before plaster — and all tested.

What to buy now

PVC conduit 20 and 25 mm, boxes
PPR PN20 pipe and fittings
UPVC drainage pipe, traps, vents
Valves for each bathroom
GI pipe for gas
Wire, only after the conduits are done

Check before you pay for this stage

Point positions marked on every wall from the plan: switches 4.5 ft, sockets 12–18 in
Conduit runs without sharp bends; boxes accessible
Earth pit and earth wire route to every socket and AC point
PPR lines heat-fused, an isolation valve per bathroom
Water lines pressure-tested at 8–10 bar for 24 hours
Drainage slopes and traps checked; vent pipe to the roof
Gas line as the gas company requires
AC pipe routes and drains to a drain, not a wall

Before it is covered: Photograph the pressure gauge on the test, and every pipe and conduit run with a tape from the nearest corner. You will need these photos in five years.

Most common mistake: No pressure test (the leak shows up after the tiles); the switch ends up behind the door; no earth.

Photos to keep: Every wall with its pipes and conduits; the gauge.

Plaster — plaster

Inside 1/2 in at 1 : 4, outside 3/4 in at 1 : 3 or 1 : 4 with waterproofing admixture, after the walls have cured and the rough-in is finished.

What to buy now

Cement
Fine sand for inside, coarse for outside
Waterproofing admixture for outside plaster
Chicken mesh for brick-to-RCC junctions

Check before you pay for this stage

Walls wetted first; conduits and pipes all in
Mesh at every wall–column–beam junction
Thickness and plumb checked with a straight edge
Groove at the DPC line outside; drip moulds at roof edges and sills
Cured 7 days
Daily mix from the calculator so nothing is left over

Most common mistake: Plaster on dry walls (cracks); thick plaster hiding bad brickwork; no mesh at junctions.

Photos to keep: Junction mesh before plaster.

Waterproofing — saim se bachao

Roof, bathrooms, terraces and the tank base, before any tiles or roof finishing go on.

What to buy now

Two-part cementitious coating or bitumen membrane
Polystyrene sheets for roof insulation
Roof screed material
Corner and pipe-sleeve tapes

Check before you pay for this stage

Bathroom: pipes tested; PCC with a fall of 1 in per 4 ft to the trap
Waterproofing on the whole bathroom floor and 1–1.5 ft up the walls, around the trap and sleeves
Bathroom floor filled with water for 24 hours and the rooms below and beside checked
Roof: slab cleaned, cracks filled, coating or membrane with laps and a 6 in upstand at the parapet
Insulation and a protective screed with slope to the outlets
Terraces, balconies and the tank base done the same way

Before it is covered: Photograph the ponding test with the time on it, and the membrane upstand at the parapet, before tiles or screed.

Most common mistake: Tiling before the water test; membrane stopping at the wall base without an upstand; outlets blocked with screed.

Photos to keep: Bathroom floor under water; roof membrane at the parapet.

Flooring and tiles — farsh aur tiles

Floor filling and PCC, then tile bedding and tiles; wall tiles in kitchen and bathrooms; stairs and terraces.

What to buy now

Tiles from one batch (tile calculator)
Cement, sand, spacers, grout
Tile adhesive for walls and porcelain
Skirting

Check before you pay for this stage

Levels marked: finished floor above the DPC and the outside ground
Bedding 1 in of 1 : 4 with slurry; no hollow sound when tapped
Bathroom floors slope to the trap and sit lower than the room floor
Joints straight with spacers; batch numbers the same in one room
Wall tiles on a scratch coat; corners and edges finished
1/4 in gap under the skirting for expansion
Grouted after 24 hours and cleaned

Most common mistake: Mixed batches (shade difference); hollow tiles that crack; bathroom floor higher than the room so water runs out.

Photos to keep: Tile layout before grouting.

Doors, windows and woodwork — darwazay, khirkiyan aur lakri ka kaam

Door shutters, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, window frames and glass, stair railing.

What to buy now

Seasoned timber or laminates
Hardware and locks
Aluminium or UPVC windows with glass
Silicone and sealants

Check before you pay for this stage

Doors swing clear with a 1/4 in gap under; locks and stoppers fitted
Windows sealed with silicone; sills sloped outwards
Wardrobes on outside walls left a gap and ventilated
Kitchen: sink cut-out, gas and water points line up with the cabinets
Railing at least 3 ft high with gaps under 4 in

Most common mistake: Unseasoned wood that warps; windows fitted without sealing (rain comes in at the frame).

Photos to keep: —

Paint and finishes — rang

Putty, primer and two coats of emulsion inside; weather coat outside; polish or paint on woodwork and grills.

What to buy now

Putty, primer, emulsion (paint calculator)
Weather coat for outside
Sandpaper, masking tape, brushes and rollers

Check before you pay for this stage

Plaster at least 3–4 weeks old and dry
Cracks at lintel and slab junctions sealed first
Two coats of putty sanded smooth; one coat of primer
Two coats of paint, dry between coats; accent wall as planned
Two coats of weather coat outside
Grills and doors primed before paint

Most common mistake: Painting damp plaster; skipping primer; patches of different sheen from mixed batches.

Photos to keep: —

Fixtures and handover — fittings aur mukammal

Sanitary fittings, switches, sockets, lights, fans, DB, geyser, tank and pump, gas meter; then test everything and make a snag list.

What to buy now

Sanitary set and taps
Switches, sockets, lights, fans
DB with MCBs and an RCD
Pump, tank, geyser

Check before you pay for this stage

Every socket tested with a tester; earth OK; RCD trips on test
Every tap runs, no drips; tank overflow reaches the drain
Every drain flows, no smell, traps hold water
Roof outlets clear
Gas tested and connected by the gas company
Drawings, warranties, photos and receipts filed together
Final walk-through with the contractor and a written snag list before the last payment

Most common mistake: Paying the last instalment before the snag list is cleared.

Photos to keep: Every room finished; the DB with circuits labelled.

Housing societies such as DHA run their own stage inspections (foundation, DPC, pre-slab); this list is for your own control on top of those. Structural checks compare the work with the approved drawing — they do not replace the engineer.

More free tools

House builderDraw your rooms on your plot, drag things into place, then tap anything to see the tiles, paint, cement and wire it needs.
Society legal statusSearch any housing society in Islamabad or Rawalpindi and see whether it is approved, NOC in process, or illegal, with the approved area.
Plot priceBuying or selling? Pick the society and plot size for an estimated price range and the FBR reference value.
Cost by plot sizePick the area, plot size and dimensions; get cement bags, steel kg, bricks, labour, grey-structure and finishing cost.
TilesRooms in, tiles and boxes out, with wastage, bedding mortar and cost.
PaintLitres, gallons and drums for walls and ceilings, with primer and putty.
Daily cement mixBags and rehri of sand for today's plaster, brickwork or tile bedding, batch by batch.
Bricks & blocksBricks, concrete blocks or AAC blocks for a wall, with mortar or adhesive.
Concrete & steelCement, sand and crush for a slab, beam or lintel, and steel counted from the drawing.
WiringMetres and 90 m bundles by wire size for the whole house.
Cost estimateA grey-structure and finishing budget for your covered area at the rates you are quoted today.

Want a builder to check the numbers?

Blackfire Real Estate & Builders builds on labour or contract rate in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and does one-off site checks for people building themselves.

0371-7581455

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All quantities on this site are estimates for planning and buying. Site conditions, workmanship and brands change the real figures. Structural sizes and reinforcement must come from your approved drawings and engineer.