Same Size, Different Price | Carpet Area, Floor Rise and PLC Explained

Published On: 10 August 2026

A 1,200 sq ft flat isn't really one number. Two buyers can put down the exact same square footage and walk away with prices that differ by lakhs, sometimes by tens of lakhs. The reasons come down to six things: which floor you're on, how much of that "1,200 sq ft" is actually walkable space, whether your unit sits in a preferred spot, when you booked, who built it, and what gets added on top of the base price. Below, each factor is broken down, and at the end there's a real comparison using Brigade Granada's actual numbers.

The Floor You Pick Isn't Free

Builders don't charge the same rate for every floor in a tower. There's usually a base floor, and everything above it adds a bit more per square foot, floor by floor.

Brigade Granada's rate is confirmed at Rs 50 per sq ft for every floor above the 5th. Work that out for a 1,400 sq ft flat and the gap between a 2nd floor unit and one on the 18th floor comes to about Rs 9.1 lakh, roughly 5% on top of the base price. Worth knowing, because some generic articles online throw around figures like 10% to 20% for this exact comparison, which overstates it once you actually run the numbers against a real rate. For the full calculation, the Floor Rise Charge page walks through it step by step.

What "1,200 Sq Ft" Actually Means

This is where most buyers lose money without realising it. Builders quote size in three different ways, and the number that gets printed in bold on a brochure often isn't the number that matters most.

Carpet area is what you actually walk on, the space inside your walls. RERA requires builders to quote this. Built-up area takes that carpet area and adds the wall thickness plus your balcony. Super built-up area goes one step further, tacking on a share of the lobbies, staircases, and lift shafts you'll never personally own but technically pay for.

So a flat "sold" at 1,200 sq ft super built-up could hand you anywhere from 780 to 900 sq ft of real, usable carpet space, depending on how much common area the builder has loaded in. Brigade Granada quotes an efficiency ratio of around 73%, which is on the better end, meaning less of your money goes toward paying for someone else's staircase.

Area Type	What It Covers
Carpet Area	Usable floor space inside your walls
Built-Up Area	Carpet area, plus wall thickness and balcony
Super Built-Up Area	Built-up area, plus a share of shared spaces

Ask for the carpet figure directly when comparing two flats. The super built-up number alone can hide a lot.

Position Inside the Complex Has a Price Tag Too

Two flats on the same floor, same size, can still cost differently based on where they sit. Builders call this a Preferential Location Charge or PLC.

Corner units get more windows and better airflow since they only share one wall. A flat looking out at a garden or pool costs more than one staring at the compound wall. And there's the Vastu angle too, east or north facing units often carry a 5% to 10% premium simply because so many buyers ask for them by name. At Brigade Granada, units with open green views and better ventilation naturally sit in this higher-demand bracket. The Floor Rise Charge page covers how PLC and floor rise stack together on a single unit, since a corner flat on the 15th floor pays both.

Timing Changes the Number More Than People Expect

Buy early, pay less, at least in theory. Builders price pre launch units lower to get early momentum going and Brigade Granada is a clean example of this in action right now. The current pre launch rate sits at Rs 12083 per sq ft, good until 2 December 2026. Once the project formally launches, that rate is set to move to Rs 13500, close to a 12% jump for the same flat.

That's just the pre-launch-to-launch gap. Stretch the comparison out to a fully ready, move-in-today flat, and the difference between early and late buyers commonly runs 15% to 25%, since you're now spanning the entire construction period, not just a few months around launch.

The Builder's Name Is Part of the Price

Two identical flats in two different projects, built by two different developers, rarely cost the same. Brigade Group has been at this for over 40 years, with 250-plus completed projects across 9 cities, and that track record gets priced in.

What you're really paying the premium for is fewer surprises later. Better concrete, plumbing that doesn't need attention in year two, a project that actually gets delivered on schedule and a resale market that still wants your flat five years down the line. Smaller, local builders can undercut on price, but usually because something else, materials, finishing, long-term support, gets cut to make that number work.

Everything Else Gets Added On Top

None of the above touches the base price printed on a brochure, which was never the full story anyway. GST and stamp duty land separately and both scale with the property value. A covered parking slot costs more than an open one and isn't automatically included. Clubhouse access sometimes carries its own upfront fee. And most builders, Brigade Granada included, collect a year or two of maintenance in advance before handing over keys.

These are covered in depth on the Registration, GST and Corpus Fund page and the Hidden Ownership Costs After Possession page, so they're kept brief here rather than repeated.

Two Real Flats, Same Size, Rs 23 Lakh Apart

Here's what all of this looks like when it's stacked on two actual 1,200 sq ft units at Brigade Granada.

	Flat A: 6th Floor, Pre-Launch	Flat B: 15th Floor, Corner + Park View, Post-Launch
Base Price	Rs 12,083 x 1,200 = Rs 1,44,99,600	Rs 13,500 x 1,200 = Rs 1,62,00,000
Floor Rise	1 floor above base x Rs 50 x 1,200 = Rs 60,000	10 floors above base x Rs 50 x 1,200 = Rs 6,00,000
PLC (illustrative)	None	Roughly Rs 90,000
Total	Rs 1,45,59,600	Rs 1,68,90,000

Same tower, same size, same amenities. Flat B still costs about Rs 23.3 lakh more, close to 16% higher, purely from floor, position, and when it was booked. The base price and floor rise figures here are confirmed. The PLC amount is a reasonable estimate, not an official Brigade Granada number, since that final rate isn't public yet.

Before You Compare Two Flats

Don't let "same size" do the talking. Ask for the carpet area, not just the super built up figure. Ask which floor and whether it carries a PLC. Ask what the current per sqft rate is today versus what it'll be after launch. Small questions, but they're usually worth several lakh either way. The Price page has Brigade Granada current rates by configuration if you want to start there.

FAQs

1. Why do two flats of the same size in the same building have different prices?

Floor height, position within the complex and when the unit was booked all move the price independently. Stack two or three of these together, a high floor plus a corner with a view unit, and the gap adds up fast.

2. What are floor rise charges, and how much do they really add?

It's a per square foot fee for every floor above a builder base level. At Brigade Granada that's Rs 50 per sq ft per floor above the 5th, which sounds small until you multiply it across ten or twelve floors on a large flat.

3. Does carpet area actually matter if the advertised size is the same?

Yes, more than most buyers realise. Two flats quoted at an identical super built-up size can hand you noticeably different amounts of usable space. Always ask for the carpet number specifically rather than trusting the headline figure.

4. What exactly is a PLC?

A Preferential Location Charge. It's what builders add for units in a better spot, corner placement, a park or pool view, or a favoured facing direction. It sits separately from floor rise and can be charged on top of it.

5. Why does a ready to move flat cost more than the same flat during pre-launch?

Builders price early to build momentum, then raise rates as construction progresses and risk drops. By the time a flat is possession ready, that gap from the original pre aunch price is often 15% to 25%.

6. Does parking change the total price?

It does, and it's rarely bundled in by default. Covered or basement parking costs more than an open slot and you'll want to confirm which one, if either, is already included in your quoted price before you assume.

7. Does the builder's brand actually change what I pay?

Yes, and usually for a reason. An established name like Brigade Group tends to price above smaller local builders, but that premium generally buys sturdier construction, a more reliable handover date and a flat that holds its resale value better later on.