Costs and break-even¶
Capital (one-time)¶
| Item | ₹ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SHARE SLAM S20 | 5,75,840 | From K.K. Geosystem |
| MSI Titan 18 HX A14VHG (used) | 2,35,000 | i9 14900HX, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB, RTX 4080 12 GB, 18-inch UHD+. Processing and splatting rig |
| Company registration incl. CA | 30,000 | Pvt Ltd |
| Total capital | 8,40,840 |
Accounting note: the S20 and laptop are fixed assets, depreciated (roughly 40% a year for computers, 15% for the scanner as plant and machinery under IT rules). Registration is a preliminary expense written off over five years. Purchases made before incorporation are either reimbursed to the partner who paid or treated as capital contribution; the CA needs the invoices.
Monthly running cost¶
Agreed working assumption: about ₹1,00,000 per month all-in, no rent (own premises). Covers two trainee-level hires initially, site travel, printer and one extra laptop.
Detailed estimate for the planned team of two draftspeople and one field operator:
| Item | ₹/month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Draftsperson 1 | 25,000 | Fresher or 1 yr exp |
| Draftsperson 2 | 25,000 | Add only when pipeline fills |
| Field operator | 18,000 | Diploma/ITI, trained on S20 |
| PF/ESI (approx 13%) | 8,800 | Optional below 20 staff; consultant contracts for first 3 to 6 months instead |
| Site travel | 10,000 | 8 to 10 visits a month |
| Software | 3,000 | Open-source stack; see Operations. Was ₹12,000 in the earlier estimate with Autodesk |
| Internet, phone, power | 5,000 | |
| Printer, consumables | 3,000 | |
| Marketing | 5,000 | Reels, site boards, cards |
| CA retainer, GST filing | 4,000 | |
| Contingency 10% | 10,700 | Device insurance, repairs |
| Total | about 1,17,000 |
Ways to land at ₹1 lakh: start with one draftsperson, skip PF/ESI for now, stay on open source. With all three the figure is roughly ₹95,000 to ₹1,00,000.
Three-month and six-month totals¶
| 3 months | 6 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | 8,40,840 | 8,40,840 |
| Running at ₹1.17 L | 3,51,000 | 7,02,000 |
| Total | about 11.9 lakh | about 15.4 lakh |
Roughly 70% of the first three months is one-time equipment; the real monthly burn is just the running cost.
Break-even in square feet¶
Using ₹1.17 lakh/month running cost and ₹8.41 lakh capital.
| Cloud only (₹10/sq ft) | Cloud + 2D (₹25/sq ft) | BIM (₹50/sq ft) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sq ft/month to cover running cost | 11,700 | 4,700 | 2,350 |
| Sq ft to recover capital | 84,100 | 33,600 | 16,800 |
| Sq ft to recover everything in 6 months | 1,54,000 | 61,700 | 30,800 |
| Per month over 6 months | 25,700 | 10,300 | 5,150 |
| Sq ft to recover everything in 12 months | 2,24,000 | 89,700 | 44,800 |
| Per month over 12 months | 18,700 | 7,500 | 3,750 |
In plain terms: at the mid band, roughly two 5,000 sq ft buildings a month pays everything back in six months; one and a half a month pays back in a year; one a month only covers the running cost.
Mix matters more than volume. One BIM job a month does the work of five cloud-only jobs. Push the drafting hires toward IFC modelling early.
Expect months one and two to be slow while the portfolio builds; plan on month three onward hitting these rates.