Compare a bare shell contract plus finishing you manage yourself against a single turnkey contract. The comparator prices both routes on cash outlay, months to move in, carrying cost and your own supervision time, then tells you the exact finishing margin you need to beat for bare shell to actually save money.
Delhi NCR rate bands as of August 2026, with every assumption open for you to edit
These four numbers decide whether managing finishing yourself is worth it. The defaults are what we see on real Delhi NCR self-managed projects. Change them to match your situation.
Structure from a contractor, finishing awarded trade by trade
One contractor, one schedule, ready to occupy on handover
Both routes exclude land cost, sanction and approval fees, architect fees, interiors, furniture and utility connection charges. Ranges reflect Delhi NCR market bands as of August 2026 and the true cost figure uses the midpoint of each range. Edit any assumption above and the comparison updates instantly.
Per sq ft bands used by this comparator
| Quality Level | Bare Shell (₹/sq ft) | Finishing Only (₹/sq ft) | Turnkey (₹/sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹900 - 1,100 | ₹700 - 800 | ₹1,600 - 1,900 |
| Standard | ₹1,050 - 1,250 | ₹800 - 1,000 | ₹1,850 - 2,250 |
| Premium | ₹1,200 - 1,400 | ₹1,000 - 1,400 | ₹2,200 - 2,800 |
Rates last updated: August 2026. The finishing column is the gap between the two contract rates, which is what you take on when you choose bare shell.
The scope boundary is where most disputes start, so it is worth reading line by line
| Work Item | Bare Shell | Turnkey |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation, foundation and footings | Included | Included |
| RCC frame, columns, beams and slabs | Included | Included |
| Brickwork, internal and external plaster | Included | Included |
| Staircase, parapet and terrace waterproofing | Included | Included |
| Concealed electrical and plumbing conduiting | Included | Included |
| Flooring, tiling and skirting | Your scope | Included |
| Doors, windows and grills | Your scope | Included |
| Putty, primer and paint | Your scope | Included |
| Electrical fittings, switches and wiring pull | Your scope | Included |
| Sanitary fittings, CP fittings and bath accessories | Your scope | Included |
| Kitchen platform, sink and dado | Your scope | Included |
| False ceiling and finishing carpentry | Your scope | Included |
| Single point accountability for the handover date | Split across vendors | One contractor |
Open methodology so you can check the logic against your own quotes
Plot size is converted to sq ft, multiplied by your ground coverage percentage and then by the number of floors. A 100 gaj plot at 85 percent coverage with ground plus two floors gives 2,295 sq ft of built-up area.
Finishing cost is not invented. It is the difference between the turnkey rate band and the bare shell rate band at your quality level, which is exactly what the contractor is charging you for the finishing scope. That gap is then adjusted by your three assumptions: the contractor margin you avoid pulls it down, while the retail premium on materials and the wastage from uncoordinated trades push it back up.
Structure duration scales with floors and built-up area. A turnkey contractor overlaps finishing with the tail of the structure work, so finishing adds about ninety percent of its standalone duration. Self-managed finishing adds a tendering gap and runs at the pace you selected, which is why the two handover dates diverge.
Each route is charged for the carrying cost of every month until handover and for the supervision hours it demands from you. Turnkey supervision is assumed at two hours a week during finishing, since you are reviewing rather than coordinating. Adding these two lines is what turns a contract comparison into a real decision.
The comparator then solves for the one number that decides the question: the contractor finishing margin you would need to beat for bare shell to come out ahead on true cost. If that number is higher than what finishing contractors actually make, bare shell will not save you money on cost alone, though it may still be the right call for cash flow reasons.
Cost is only one axis. Bare shell also lets you split a project into two funded phases, occupy or rent early, and personally select every finishing brand. Those are legitimate reasons to choose it even when the comparator says turnkey is cheaper. Use the house construction cost calculator for a single-route estimate, the construction material calculator if you plan to buy structural materials yourself, and the tile and flooring calculator to price the largest finishing item on its own.
Bare shell and turnkey construction in Delhi NCR
Bare shell is the complete structure handed over ready for finishing: foundation, RCC frame, slabs, brickwork, internal and external plaster, staircase, terrace waterproofing and concealed conduiting for electrical and plumbing lines. Turnkey construction is the same structure plus all finishing work, which covers flooring, tiling, painting, doors and windows, electrical fittings, sanitary fittings, kitchen platform and false ceiling, handed over ready to occupy.
The bare shell contract itself is far cheaper because it excludes finishing. In Delhi NCR bare shell runs about 900 to 1,400 rupees per sq ft while turnkey runs about 1,600 to 2,800 rupees per sq ft as of August 2026. The real question is whether bare shell plus finishing you manage yourself lands below a turnkey contract. The finishing you buy separately usually costs 700 to 1,400 rupees per sq ft, so the saving comes only from the contractor margin you avoid, minus the retail premium you pay on materials and the wastage that follows from managing many vendors yourself.
Finishing is the gap between the bare shell rate and the turnkey rate. At basic quality it works out to roughly 700 to 800 rupees per sq ft, at standard quality 800 to 1,000 rupees per sq ft and at premium quality 1,000 to 1,400 rupees per sq ft. Finishing has the widest spread of any stage because it depends entirely on brand and design selections for tiles, sanitaryware, hardware and joinery.
Usually yes, by roughly two to three months on a typical Delhi NCR plot. A turnkey contractor overlaps finishing trades with the tail of the structure work and sequences them under one schedule. When you manage finishing yourself there is a gap while you tender and select vendors, and each trade waits for the previous one because no single party owns the critical path.
Bare shell plus self-managed finishing wins only when the contractor margin you avoid on finishing is larger than the retail premium on materials, the wastage from uncoordinated trades, the extra months of rent or loan interest and the value of your own supervision time. This comparator calculates that breakeven percentage from your inputs and states the exact margin you need to beat for bare shell to come out ahead.
Yes, and this is the strongest reason to choose bare shell. Splitting the project lets you occupy or rent part of the building while funding finishing from later cash flow, which matters more than the headline saving for most self-funded owners. Sujeet Engineering Solutions executes bare shell as phase one and can be awarded finishing as a separate phase two contract at the same rates quoted upfront.
For a rental unit or a builder floor being sold, turnkey usually wins because every month of delay is a month of lost rent or blocked capital, and a single point of accountability protects the handover date. Bare shell suits owners building their own home who have time, trusted vendors and strong preferences on finishing brands they want to select personally.
No. The comparator uses indicative Delhi NCR rate bands as of August 2026 and applies a city factor. Actual pricing depends on soil and foundation depth, structural design, span sizes, brand selections and site access. Sujeet Engineering Solutions prepares an exact item-wise quotation free of charge after a drawing review and site visit, and quotes bare shell and turnkey side by side so you can compare the two on real numbers.
We quote bare shell and turnkey side by side, free, after a drawing review and site visit
Share your plot details and our engineers will price both routes item-wise
Used the comparator? Send us your numbers and we will convert them into two exact quotations, bare shell and turnkey, on the same scope so the comparison is honest.
Dwarka, New Delhi
+91-83830-35590
info@sujeetengineering.solutions