Rebuilding Your Old House in Pune: Cost, FSI and What to Expect

Across older parts of Pune — Vishrantwadi, Yerwada, Wadgaon Sheri, Dhanori — families are replacing single-storey houses with modern two- and three-storey buildings. Done well, it gives the family a new home and often a rental income. Done badly, it leaves a family renting elsewhere while a half-built site waits on a dispute.

Here is how to do it well.

1. Find out how much you can build

The single most important number is the FSI your plot is allowed today, under Maharashtra's UDCPR building rules. It depends mainly on the plot area, the width of the road your plot faces, and the setbacks you must leave.

Today's FSI is often well above what the old house used. That is why rebuilding so often means adding floors. But do not guess — a registered architect calculates it for your exact plot, and also checks any height limit (near the airport) or flood line (near the rivers) that would cap it.

2. Sort out ownership before anything else

Old family plots often have several owners on the 7/12 extract or property card — brothers, cousins, the next generation. Every owner must agree in writing before demolition. Agree, on paper:

• who gets which floor or unit,
• who pays which share of the cost,
• and who signs the applications.

The commonest reason a redevelopment stops halfway is a family disagreement that was never written down.

3. Get permission before you demolish

Do not pull the old house down until the new plans are approved and you have the commencement certificate. A demolished house with no approved plan is a plot you cannot use and cannot easily build on.

4. What it costs

Construction is priced on built-up area, not plot area. Built-up area includes about 50% of the ground slab for the plinth and about 35% of the top slab for the terrace.

A worked example — G+2 on a 1,000 sq.ft footprint:

• Plinth (50%): 500 sq.ft
• Ground, first and second floors: 3,000 sq.ft
• Terrace (35%): 350 sq.ft
• Total: about 3,850 sq.ft built-up

At our Basic rate of Rs. 1,499 per sq.ft, that is about Rs. 57.7 lakh, plus 18% GST — about Rs. 68.1 lakh in all. A G+3 on the same footprint is about 4,850 sq.ft, roughly Rs. 72.7 lakh before GST.

Demolition is quoted separately, after we have seen the old structure.

5. How long you will be out of the house

Plan for the whole build, and a margin:

• Approvals and demolition first.
• Then construction: a G+1 typically takes 10 to 14 months from foundation to handover, and each additional floor adds about one to two months.

Budget for rent elsewhere for that whole period. It is part of the real cost of rebuilding.

6. Building next to neighbours

In older areas the houses are close and the lanes narrow. Plan for:

• Shoring — supporting the neighbours' walls while the foundations are dug.
• Access — what size of truck can reach the plot, and where a concrete pump can stand.
• Timing — deliveries and concreting days that do not block the lane.

A neighbour's cracked wall can stop a site faster than any inspector.

7. If you are adding rental floors

Plan separate water and electricity meters, and a separate entrance and staircase, at the design stage. Adding them afterwards costs far more than designing them in.

The short version

Find your FSI. Get every owner's signature. Get the commencement certificate before demolition. Budget for built-up area, not plot area, and for rent while you are out. Plan the neighbours as carefully as the building.

We are building in Vishrantwadi now, and completed the Gangurde Row House in Yerwada. If you are thinking of rebuilding, we can look at your plot and tell you what it allows.