Budget vs A Quality vs Premium Quality Grey Structure: Complete Material Guide

If you're planning to build a house in Pakistan, you've probably come across the terms Budget, A Quality, and Premium Quality grey structure. But what do these tiers actually mean in terms of the materials that go into your walls, foundation and plumbing? These are some of the materials that we use or suggest for the house construction if you want to go into different tiers.

At GP Design and Construction, we get asked this question constantly — and the honest answer is that you don't have to pick one tier and stick to it for your entire house. You can pick and choose. In fact, that's what we recommend, because it gets you the best value for your money. The real difference between us and most other construction companies isn't that we push a fixed package on you — it's that we guide you on what's actually worth upgrading and what isn't, based on your budget and priorities.

This guide walks through every major grey structure and finishing item — from termite treatment to chandeliers — and shows you exactly what Budget, A Quality, and Premium Quality look like in practice.

What Is Grey Structure?

Grey structure refers to the raw structural shell of a house — the foundation, columns, beams, brickwork, roof slab, plumbing and electrical rough-in — completed before any finishing work like tiling, paint, or fittings begins. Getting the grey structure right matters more than almost anything else in a build, because once the walls are up and the roof is poured, most of it can't be undone.

1. Termite & Soil Treatment

Termite treatment is one of the first things done on site, before the PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) layer is poured. This is our own locally formulated solution, and the results have been consistently good across projects — including at the Premium tier. Even if you're building a Budget or A Quality house, our standard termite treatment gives you strong, tested protection. Premium Quality simply uses a fully imported, internationally recognized brand for buyers who specifically want that.

2. Foundation

Once termite treatment is done, PCC is poured as the base layer beneath the foundation. The PCC ratio and the quality of foundation brick both affect how well the structure carries load over the long term.

3. Mortar, DPC & Plinth Beam

This stage includes the mortar ratio used in the foundation, how the brickwork coat ("ghass") is applied, and the Damp Proof Course (DPC) — the moisture barrier that stops rising damp from entering your walls.

4. Backfilling, Brickwork & Roof Structure

This is where the bulk of your grey structure budget goes — backfilling, brick chunai (masonry), roof shuttering, steel, cement, sand, crush, and the roof pour itself.

A note on crush/bajri: for our Lahore projects, we source crush from the Sargodha plant, since good-quality Margalla crush is no longer reliably available in Lahore and supplies have become inconsistent. For Islamabad-based projects, we do use Margalla and Lawrencepur sand. Margalla crush can still be added on request for Lahore projects if preferred.

5. Plumbing & Electrical Rough-In

Pipes and fittings buried inside your walls are almost impossible to upgrade later, so this is one area worth paying close attention to — even on a Budget build.

We'll cover the difference between standard, good-quality, and premium water stoppers in more depth in a separate blog, since it deserves its own explanation.

A word on door and window frames (chaukhat): we don't list a separate frame material for every tier because the fluctuation between grades is minor — but as a rule, avoid 18-gauge steel frames altogether. Our Budget package uses 16-gauge frames and A Quality uses 14-gauge. In Premium homes, most clients move to solid wooden chaukhat instead, so a steel gauge doesn't apply at that tier.

6. Plaster & Waterproofing

Even on a Budget build, we always recommend spending on proper chemical waterproofing application — it's one of the few areas where cutting corners costs far more in repairs later than it saves upfront.

7. Utilities, Boundary Wall & Water Storage

8. Tiles & Flooring

Some clients ask why Rs. 5,000 per square meter for Premium tiles seems high. It's an average figure — you might choose cheaper tiles in some rooms and more expensive ones elsewhere, and it all balances out. If you go above this average, that's absolutely fine too; we simply adjust the cost estimate accordingly.

9. Interior Fixtures & Finishing

This is where the tiers become most visible to anyone walking through the house — ceiling work, doors, windows, lighting, and fittings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to choose one tier for my entire house? No. This is exactly why we recommend a pick-and-choose approach rather than locking into one package. You might want Premium waterproofing and A Quality tiles, or Budget electrical pipes with Premium sanitary fittings. We help you decide where an upgrade genuinely matters and where it doesn't.

Is Budget quality safe to build with? Yes. Budget doesn't mean low quality — it means the most cost-effective, tested materials for each item, still applied correctly. Structural essentials like termite treatment, waterproofing chemicals, and lintels are included at every tier.

Why is Premium Quality worth the extra cost? Premium Quality upgrades the items that affect long-term durability and daily use the most — steel grade, waterproofing depth, roof insulation, imported fittings, and finishing materials that are harder to replace later without breaking open finished walls or floors.

Have we missed anything in this list? We've tried to cover every major grey structure and finishing element in detail, but construction has hundreds of small line items. If there's something specific you'd like broken down, reach out and we'll walk you through it.

Get a Customized Quote

Every plot, city, and budget is different, and the tiers above are meant as a starting point for a conversation, not a fixed menu. Get in touch with our team for a detailed, customized material and cost breakdown for your house — whether that's a single-storey Budget build or a full Premium Quality home with basement.