Almost everything that determines whether a building lasts is hidden by the time you see it. The steel is inside the concrete, the concrete is behind the plaster, and the waterproofing is under the finish. By handover, the best and worst construction can look identical.

That is uncomfortable for buyers, and it is why so many people fall back on the only visible thing: the marble in the sample flat. Finishes are the easiest part of a building to get right and the easiest to replace later. They tell you almost nothing about structural quality.

We are a builder, so this is our own work we are inviting you to examine. Here is how to do it properly.

Go when they are not expecting you

A scheduled visit shows you a tidied site. Ask for one anyway, but also drive past on an ordinary weekday morning and look from the boundary. You are not inspecting; you are observing habits.

• Is the site organised? Material stacked properly, waste cleared, walkways usable. Sites that are chaotic on the surface are usually chaotic in the parts you cannot see.
• Is cement stored off the ground and covered? Cement that has absorbed moisture loses strength. Bags sitting in the open say a lot.
• Is steel rusting in the open? Light surface rust is normal and harmless. Heavy flaking rust on bars waiting to be used is not.
• Are workers wearing basic safety gear? A builder who will not spend on helmets is making savings somewhere else too.
• Is anyone supervising? There should be an engineer or site supervisor present, not just labour working unattended.

What to look at in the structure itself

If the building is still in grey structure, you can see more than you will ever see again. Take the chance.

Ask when the last concrete pour was and whether curing is still running. Concrete gains most of its strength in the days after pouring, and only if it is kept wet. Finding a site actively curing, with water being applied or covers in place, is one of the better signs you can get.

Nine questions worth asking

1. Who is the structural engineer or consultant on this project? There should be a name, not a shrug.
2. What grade of concrete is being used, and where? A builder knows this instantly.
3. Which brand of steel and cement? Again, instant answer or a bad sign.
4. Is concrete tested, and can I see results? Cube or cylinder testing is standard practice.
5. How long is concrete cured after each pour? You want a specific answer.
6. How is waterproofing handled on roofs, bathrooms and the basement? Water causes more apartment complaints than anything else.
7. What are the floor-to-ceiling heights? Cheap buildings quietly lose height.
8. How many lifts, and what capacity? Under-provisioned lifts are a daily annoyance for the life of the building.
9. What is covered after handover, and for how long? Ask what happens if something fails in the first year.

You do not need to understand every answer in technical depth. What you are testing is whether the person in front of you knows their own building. Vagueness on all nine is the signal, not any single answer.

Red flags

• “Everything is best quality.” A real answer names a grade, a brand or a standard.
• No site access. There are genuine safety restrictions, but a flat refusal to let you see anything is different from being given a helmet and a route.
• No completed projects, and no explanation. Everyone starts somewhere, but a first-time builder should be open about it and show you the team’s experience instead.
• Pressure to book today. Urgency is a sales technique, not information about the building.
• Payment requested into a personal account. Stop entirely. Payments belong in the official company account with a receipt.
• Figures that contradict the developer’s own material. Trust the developer, not the listing.

Check the track record, not just the site

Ask what the builder has already delivered and go and look at it. A building that was handed over three or four years ago tells you more than any site visit, because time has already tested it.

Walk the common areas of a completed project. Look at the lift lobbies, the staircases, the external walls and the basement. Water stains, flaking paint on the outside, cracked external plaster and a damp basement are all the result of decisions made during construction. Then talk to a resident. People who live in a building will tell you in two minutes what a brochure never will.

You can do the same with us. We build in Bahria Town Lahore — Sky Square, Bahria Sky 2 and Grand 15 — and you are welcome to see the work rather than take our word for it. Everything we have is listed on our main site.

Why this matters more with an apartment

With a house, poor construction is your problem alone and you can fix it on your own schedule. In an apartment building, structural and shared-system decisions affect every owner, and no individual can correct them afterwards. You cannot re-waterproof the roof of a tower by yourself, or add a lift.

That is the argument for spending your effort on the builder rather than the unit. The finishes inside your apartment can be changed any time. The building cannot.

It is also why we publish dated construction photos every month rather than only renders, and why we would rather take you up the site than hand you a brochure. If you are early in the process, start with the full buying guide, then come and look.

Frequently asked questions