BOQ preparation in Sri Lanka
Know the price of every item before you build.
A bill of quantities (BOQ) for your house, extension or renovation, measured from your drawings and priced line by line by our quantity surveyor in Negombo. Order it on its own, or as the first step of a build with us.
Updated 21 October 2026
In short
- Every item of work and material, measured from your drawings and priced line by line.
- Prepared in-house by Madusha Hapuarachchi, quantity surveyor and partner.
- Available on its own, even if someone else builds, or as part of a build with us.
- The fee is worked out on your total floor area: about LKR 21,984 for a 1,832 sq ft house (October 2026).
- 95% BOQ accuracy, guaranteed on the agreed scope; variations are priced separately.
What a BOQ is
A bill of quantities breaks a building down into every item of work and material, from site clearing and foundations to the roof, plumbing, wiring and finishes. Each item has a description, a unit, a quantity measured from the drawings, a rate and an amount. Add them up and you have the price of the house, item by item.
That is what makes it different from a rate per square foot. A single rate hides what is and isn’t included, so the real price tends to appear later as extras. With a BOQ you can see where the money goes, compare builders on the same items, and agree changes before they are built.
What's in our BOQs
Our BOQs are split into bills, so you can see the cost of each part of the house. For a typical house they cover:
- Preliminaries: site setup, temporary facilities and the general items a build needs.
- Substructure: site clearing, excavation, footings, column shafts, tie beams and filling under floors.
- Superstructure: concrete work, masonry, plaster and floor, wall and ceiling finishes, and the roof.
- Carpentry, aluminium and steel work: doors, windows, staircases and handrails.
- Waterproofing and painting.
- Electrical and plumbing: points, conduits, pipework, manholes, tanks and fittings installation.
- Extras you ask for: a pool, a boundary wall or external works, each in its own bill.
Each bill ends with its total, and a grand summary brings the bills together. The BOQ also sets out its conditions in writing, such as which items you supply yourself (often tiles, bathroom fittings and light fittings) and how variations are priced. For larger houses we can split the BOQ by stage, for example a structural BOQ and a finishes BOQ, so you can plan the money stage by stage.
| Item | Description | Unit | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.01 | Excavation for column footings | m³ | measured | priced | qty × rate |
| 2.02 | Grade 25 concrete in footings | m³ | measured | priced | qty × rate |
| 2.03 | Reinforcement to footings and column shafts | kg | measured | priced | qty × rate |
| Total carried to the grand summary | bill total | ||||
How we prepare it
- Send us your drawings. Architectural drawings are enough to start; structural and MEP drawings make it more precise. No drawings yet? We can prepare them through design and estimates.
- We agree the scope and finishes. What is included, the finishes you have in mind, and which items you will supply yourself.
- Take-off. Every item is measured from the drawings, bill by bill.
- Pricing. Each item is priced at current rates for materials and labour.
- You get the priced BOQ with its grand summary and conditions, and we go through it with you line by line.
If we build for you, progress is measured on site and billed against the same BOQ, so every payment is tied to work you can see.
What it costs
The BOQ fee is worked out on your total floor area. For the estimator’s example house, a two-storey, three-bedroom home of about 1,832 sq ft, the BOQ comes to:
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Bill of quantities (BOQ) | LKR 21,984 |
Fees as of October 2026. Add your own rooms in the estimator and choose Design & estimates to see the fee for your house.
How accurate it is
We guarantee 95% BOQ accuracy on the agreed scope. Variations, meaning changes you decide on after the BOQ is agreed, are priced separately at the BOQ’s rates, so you know what a change costs before it is made.
Who it's for
- Building a new house: know the price before you commit, and plan your loan or savings around it.
- Comparing builders: give every builder the same BOQ and compare their rates line by line.
- Extensions and renovations: adding a storey, or reworking part of a building.
- Owners overseas: see exactly what you are paying for from abroad. See building from overseas.
Questions people ask
Can I order a BOQ without building with GRIT?
Yes. A BOQ can be ordered on its own and priced on your floor area. If we do build for you later, the same BOQ becomes the basis for measuring and billing the work.
What do you need from me?
Your drawings, and a short conversation about the scope and the finishes you want. If you don’t have drawings yet, we can prepare them.
What is the difference between an estimate and a BOQ?
Our online estimate is a rough range worked out from your rooms and finishes. A BOQ is the accurate number: every item measured from the drawings and priced line by line by a quantity surveyor, with 95% BOQ accuracy guaranteed on the agreed scope.
Who prepares the BOQ?
Madusha Hapuarachchi, quantity surveyor and partner at GRIT, prepares every BOQ in-house. See about us.
Do you prepare BOQs outside Negombo?
Yes. We work across the west and south coasts, and a BOQ is prepared from drawings, so it can be done wherever the house is.
See your BOQ fee
Add your rooms in the estimator and choose Design & estimates, or send us your drawings on WhatsApp.