B.Arch CurriculumFree, forever
A tribute to Amogh N P
Estimation and Specification
Before a single brick is laid, someone must answer two questions: how much will it cost, and to what quality will it be built? This studio is the craft of answering them. You learn to forecast cost — quick approximate methods at sketch stage, then the detailed estimate that measures every item from the drawings to IS 1200 rules. You learn to analyse a rate from its materials, labour and overheads; to write the specifications that define quality where a drawing cannot; and to value a finished property. Estimating is where a design meets its budget.
Course byAmogh N P· Architect & interior designer
The syllabus
5 units · 5 liveTranscribed from the official B.Arch syllabus. All 5 units are live as full interactive lessons, each with original diagrams, a self-assessment quiz and a studio task.
Unit 1 — Introduction to Estimation
LiveWhy we estimate; approximate vs detailed estimates; the plinth-area (₹/m²), cube-rate (₹/m³) and service-unit methods and when each is used; what a detailed estimate contains (details sheet, abstract, report); the units of measurement for different items; and contingencies and work-charged establishment.
Unit 2 — Methods of Measurement
LiveThe detailed take-off and the measurement-sheet format; the long-wall / short-wall method (out-to-out / in-to-in) and the centre-line method, with worked examples for earthwork, PCC, footings and brickwork; the centre-line junction correction; deductions for openings; and the IS 1200 mode of measurement.
Unit 3 — Analysis of Rates
LiveWhat rate analysis is and why; the components of a rate — materials, labour, plant, overheads and contractor's profit; out-turn/task-work, lead and lift; the standard data (CPWD Analysis of Rates, DSR); and worked rate build-ups for brickwork, PCC and plastering with realistic coefficients.
Unit 4 — Specifications
LiveWhy specifications exist (quality the drawing can't show); general vs detailed (item) specifications; the anatomy of an item spec — materials, proportion, workmanship, measurement, rate; the spec ↔ BOQ ↔ rate link; sample specifications (brickwork, flooring); and the standard CPWD Specifications.
Unit 5 — Valuation & Documents
LiveValuation — its purpose, gross/net income, the methods (cost, rental/capitalisation with Year's Purchase, profit, development), depreciation, and market vs book value; and the documents the estimate becomes — the abstract of cost, the Bill of Quantities and the Measurement Book — and how they feed tendering.
Course outcomes
What you will be able to doPrepare approximate estimates (plinth-area, cube, unit) and explain estimate types.
Measure quantities by the centre-line and long-/short-wall methods to IS 1200.
Analyse rates from materials, labour, plant, overheads and profit.
Write general and detailed specifications for common building items.
Value property and prepare the abstract, BOQ and measurement-book documents.
Apply India-correct conventions and avoid the common estimating pitfalls.
The author
Amogh N P
Architect, interior designer, and creative polymath. Studio Matrx began in his notebooks — his vision of design made honest, useful, and open to everyone. Its Academy is written and taught in his memory, and free, forever.
More about Amogh →How much, and to what quality?
Estimating cost, analysing rates, writing specifications and valuing property. Read the five units, study the worked examples, then test yourself.
The curriculum is free, forever