The growth of the construction industry results in the growth of multiple industries such as warehousing, transportation, tiles, marbles, furniture, fixtures, cement, brick, cables, etc. The industry is divided into two major sides i.e. commercial and residential. Understanding the differences between Commercial and Residential Constructions would help investors, builders, and constructors get a lot of benefits.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES), Pakistan’s construction sector contributes 2-3% of the country’s total GDP. Besides, the construction sector employs 7-8% of human labor. Therefore, the business in this sector has been constantly growing and the CPEC project has given it an amazing boost
7 Major Differences Between Commercial and Residential Constructions
1: Purpose of Commercial and Residential Facilities
Residential construction may be clearly defined as a place where humans can live such as an apartment, villa, or bungalow, etc. On the other hand, there is a commercial place which facilitates businesses such as an office or an outlet.
There are some specific requirements of a residential place like a drawing-room, bedroom, kitchen, basement, etc. While on the other hand, a commercial place may have a diverse set of requirements for specific usage. For example, a restaurant structure may be quite different than a hotel. Or a factory outlet may be different than the factory itself.
2: Types of Commercial and Residential Properties
The commercial construction may cover any structure that serves commercial activities. These may include but not limited to the following:
- Academic institutions
- Factories
- Grocery stores
- Hospitals
- Industrial areas
- Marketplace
- Mills
- Offices
- Restaurant
- Retail space
- Shopping malls
- Skyscrapers
- Sport facilities
- Storage units
- Others
Residential construction may be new or renovation of old structures. It may be anything that is built for humans residing. These may include but not limited to the following:
- Apartments
- Condominiums
- Condominiums
- Detached homes
- Dormitories
- Duplex triplex
- Flats
- Group housing units
- Guest houses
- Hostel
- Multi-family dwellings
- Single-family dwellings
- Townhouses
- Others
3: Quality of Material for Two Types of Constructions
There are different types of frames for construction such as concrete frames, steel frames, timber frames, etc. However, the concrete frame is the most popular type of construction for both residential and commercial buildings in Pakistan.
The material used in concrete frame construction makes a huge difference. Concrete as the name itself suggests is the structure of concrete material. Beams, columns, and slabs are the most important parts of this kind of structure.
If you are looking for stability, durability, and strength, you would prefer the concrete frame. However, every design has its specific requirements as such it demands the availability of certain types of material. Some popular types of items used in constructions are:
- Cement
- Clay
- Concrete
- Fabric
- Glass
- Metal
- Mud
- Plastics
- Rock
- Sand
- Stones
- Timber
- Wood
- Others
One big difference between the two types of constructions is the quality of the material. Most of the residential projects are built on average quality material while on the other hand commercial projects are built with high-quality material. However, a construction company in Pakistan that equally treats its clients will never compromise over the quality of the material.
4: Different Types of Equipment for Commercial and Residential Constructions
Hundreds of residential units are built every day in Pakistan. But most of them don’t require heavy construction equipment due to the small size of the projects. On the contrary, large commercial projects require large equipment and for this purpose. The use of heavy equipment is one of the major differences between Commercial and Residential Constructions.
Some examples are as follow:
- Backhoe Loaders
- Boom Lift
- Bulldozers
- Carry Deck Crane
- Common Dump Trucks
- Crawler Loaders
- Drum Roller
- Excavators
- Motor Graders
- Scissor Lift
- Scrapers
- Skid Steer Loader
For safe use of heavy equipment, trained personnel are needed to finish the job. These equipment are not usually used in residential construction unless the project is too large to handle with human power. However, the house construction contractors hire the trained personnel as per the requirement of the project.
5: Time Period for Completion of Commercial and Residential Projects
As far as the completion period is concerned, every project follows a completion deadline as per the size and the level of complications. Although it has been seen especially in Pakistan’s residential construction side that the project follows a slow pace.
If we look at the current constructions in Karachi, we see that those projects which were to be completed five years ago are not completed yet. There could be multiple reasons but the truth is that those face delayed completion.
On the contrary, commercial construction is much quicker as every construction company in Karachi strives its best to finish the project as early as possible. One reason to follow a quick path is the investment by the client who intends to pay higher charges in heavy machinery and trained personnel.
6: Permission, Non Objection Certificate and Codes for Constructions
For all types of constructions, permissions are granted by the relevant authorities. If you are constructing a house for living or a shopping mall for business activities, you will have to get permission from relevant building control authorities and follow strict rules and regulations as required by the law.
Both types of constructions have to seek permission and follow specific requirements from the government. If compared, we see that the commercial constructors have to deal with a lot more complications than the residential constructors.
For instance, if a commercial infrastructure is being built, there are a number of factors that are considered such as safety of nearby areas, electrical wiring, and equipment safety, quality of material, plumbing system, etc. Additionally, one has to deal with permission, NOC, and codes as well.
Before you hire a Pakistan construction company, make sure they understand the rules of building and construction in Pakistan. Moreover, they must have an experienced team of engineers, designers, and legal advisors.
7: Consider Above Factors While Choosing a Construction Company in Pakistan
When you know the PURPOSE of your construction, you will choose the right type of Project. The type, size, and complication of the project will decide how much time this will take for the completion. Of course, you can’t ignore the other two most important factors i.e. quality of material and code of constructions.
Keeping in view all the above differences between Commercial and Residential Constructions, your contractors will be in a much better position to estimate the cost and time for completion of the project. When you know how to deal with the project requirement, you can make it a cost-effective construction.
The biggest challenge for a residential/commercial builder is to deal with the concerned government department that is responsible for granting permission in your type of construction. Like every other government department in Pakistan, building control authorities follow the same traditional ways to facilitate citizens.