Plan & budget · Fees & money
Architect's fee
Architects in India usually charge a share of the construction cost. The Council of Architecture's guideline for a house is 7.5%; in practice fees run about 4–12%.
Approximate cost
₹5.31 lakh
Approximate, from published rates, checked Nov 2026. Get 2–3 quotes before you commit.
- Fee
- ₹4.5 lakh
- Market range
- 4–12%: ₹2.4 lakh to ₹7.2 lakh
When you pay
On signing (retainer) (5%)
₹26,550
Concept design (5%)
₹26,550
Preliminary design (10%)
₹53,100
Drawings submitted for sanction (10%)
₹53,100
Sanction received (5%)
₹26,550
Working drawings and tender (10%)
₹53,100
Contractor appointed (10%)
₹53,100
Drawings to start on site (10%)
₹53,100
During construction, in four steps (20%)
₹1.06 lakh
Virtual completion (5%)
₹26,550
Completion report and as-built drawings (10%)
₹53,100
Who to talk to
Professionals listed on Design IRL: verified pages first, then alphabetical. Nobody pays to appear.
Architecture firms
Looking…
Good to know
- A typical way of splitting payments; your agreement sets the real schedule.
- Some architects quote a design-only fee per sq ft instead, with fewer site visits.
Read before you start
More in fees & money
How we work this out
Rules, not AI: your inputs times rates per city, gathered in November 2026 from builders, cement and paint brands, banks, interiors firms and government pages. Most published rates come from firms that sell this work, and they often disagree, so we show a range. Use it to plan and to compare quotes, not as a quote.