Resources
Planning resources for building a house in Pakistan
Construction rates reviewed every quarter, calculators for area, cost and materials, how an architecture fee is set, and building byelaws cited to the printed page. Start from the question you have.
Avenir Developments is an architecture, interior design and construction firm with offices in DHA Phase 5, Lahore and Gulberg Greens, Islamabad. It designs houses, farmhouses, apartment and commercial buildings anywhere in Pakistan and builds them in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
We reply within one working day. The first consultation is free.
The library
Six pages, each answering one kind of question.
Start with the page that owns your question. This page carries no rates of its own. It sends you to the page where each figure is kept and reviewed.
Rates reviewed Q4 2026
Construction cost guide
What will my house cost to build in Lahore, Islamabad or Rawalpindi?
- Rates per sq ft for grey structure, finishing and a complete house, at four specification tiers
- A calculator that applies them to your covered area
- Eight package guides, from electrical works to paint
Planning figures
Calculators
How much area, material or floor space does my plan need?
- Marla and Kanal converted to square feet
- Floor area ratio, gross floor area and parking
- Brick, concrete, tile, paint and ceiling quantities
- Rental yield, returns and development feasibility
Quoted after a brief
Architecture and design fee
What does an architect charge, and what should the fee include?
- The five things that set a design fee
- Core drawings, Coordinated and Full scope compared
- Eight questions to ask before you compare two fees
Cited to the page
Building byelaws
What can I build on my plot under DHA, CDA or RDA rules?
- Clear spaces, coverage and height for DHA Lahore, each with its regulation, edition and printed page
- CDA and RDA rules, and the approval route in Islamabad and Rawalpindi (CDA and RDA byelaws)
Before you appoint
Frequently asked questions
How do design, approvals and construction work in practice?
- Choosing an architect in Lahore or Islamabad
- Approval drawings for DHA, CDA, Bahria Town and Gulberg
- Design only, or Design + Build
By Avenir's team
Blog and guides
What should I know before I start building?
- House construction in Lahore
- Costly mistakes overseas Pakistanis make when building
- Passive design and rainwater harvesting
Where you are
Start from the stage your project has reached.
Pick a stage. The drawing moves to that point in the build, and the pages worth reading first appear beside it, with what to settle before the next stage begins.
From plot to keys, in six stages.
Each stage has a few decisions that cost less to settle before the next one starts. Pick yours to see them.
I have a plot
Settle at this stage
- The plot's real area. A Marla is 225 sq ft in some schemes and 272.25 sq ft in others, so work from the dimensions.
- Which authority's rules apply. DHA, LDA, CDA and RDA each set their own.
- A first budget range for the house you have in mind.
Read first
Setting a budget
Settle at this stage
- The covered area you want to build, because rates are per sq ft of covered area, not of plot.
- The specification tier: Essential, Standard, Premium or Luxury.
- Whether you are pricing grey structure, finishing or a complete house.
Read first
Starting the design
Settle at this stage
- A written brief: floors, basement, bedrooms and anything non-negotiable.
- Which drawings the design fee covers, listed one by one.
- How many architect site visits are included during construction.
Read first
Drawings and approval
Settle at this stage
- The authority's limits on clear spaces, coverage and height.
- Whether the submission set is complete. DHA Lahore checks the building plans, structural, fire protection and MEP drawings and 3D views together.
- Who takes the drawings through approval: you, or your architect.
Read first
Ready to build
Settle at this stage
- A quotation priced from the drawings and a verified bill of quantities, not from a rate alone.
- Which site items the price includes: boundary walls, gate columns, parapets, water tanks and the septic tank.
- Whether the contract covers material and labour, or labour only.
Read first
Finishing and interiors
Settle at this stage
- A schedule of finishes, with the brand and grade named for each item.
- Ceilings, lighting and joinery drawn before finishing starts on site.
- Quantities for tiles, paint and false ceilings.
Read first
Tools and guides
Every calculator and guide, sorted by the job it does.
Pick what you are working on. Each link opens the tool or guide on its own page, where its figures are kept.
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Calculator results are planning estimates. A quotation needs drawings and a verified bill of quantities.
How the numbers work
A rate, an estimate and a quotation are three different numbers.
Plot owners often compare one firm's rate with another firm's quotation. They answer different questions. Switch between them to see what each is built from and what it leaves out.
A published rate
See the current ratesA range across four specification tiers
What it is
A price per square foot of covered area, for the building alone.
Built from
Avenir's planning rates for Lahore, and for Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at four specification tiers. Reviewed every quarter.
What it leaves out
Professional fees, approvals, utility connections, external works, taxes and your contingency.
A calculator estimate
Try the cost calculatorA planning band around one figure
What it is
One planning figure for your house, with a narrow band around it. Avenir is not bound to build at it.
Built from
Your covered area, city, society or authority, plot size, basement, design complexity and specification.
What it leaves out
What only drawings and the site can show: soil, structural spans, floor heights and your society's requirements.
An Avenir quotation
How Avenir buildsOne figure, the one you sign
What it is
One lump sum for the agreed scope, set out in writing.
Built from
Architectural, structural and MEP drawings, the plot's conditions and a verified bill of quantities.
What it includes
Eight site items that a rate per square foot leaves out, each calculated and included:
- Boundary walls
- Main gate columns
- Parapet walls
- Underground and overhead water tanks
- Septic tank, where the authority permits one
- PCC or kacha flooring to side passages
- PCC or kacha flooring to garage and porch
- Sun shades
Questions
What people ask about these resources.
Questions about design, approvals and appointing an architect are answered on the FAQs page.
Go to the FAQsHow often are Avenir's construction rates updated?
Every quarter. The rates on the house construction cost page were last reviewed in Q4 2026. The calculator and the rate tables on that page are produced from the same figures, so they agree.
House construction costIs a calculator result a quotation?
No. It is a planning estimate for your covered area, and Avenir is not bound to build at it. A quotation needs architectural, structural and MEP drawings, the plot's conditions and a verified bill of quantities.
Why doesn't Avenir publish its architecture fee?
Because the work behind two houses on the same plot size can differ widely. Avenir quotes each design fee in writing after you complete a design brief and meet the team. The proposal reaches you within two working days of that meeting.
Architecture and design feeWhat does an Avenir construction quotation include?
One lump sum, priced from the drawings and a verified bill of quantities. Eight site items are calculated and included: boundary walls, main gate columns, parapet walls, underground and overhead water tanks, the septic tank where the authority permits one, PCC or kacha flooring to side passages, PCC or kacha flooring to the garage and porch, and sun shades.
A published rate per square foot covers the building alone, which is why the two should never be compared directly.
Construction servicesWhich cities do the cost rates cover?
Lahore, and Islamabad with Rawalpindi. DHA Lahore and DHA Islamabad have their own rows in the tables. The rates do not apply to Karachi or other cities, where sub-soil, aggregates, freight and labour differ.
Where do the byelaw figures come from?
From the authority's own published regulations, cited to the regulation, the edition and the printed page. For DHA Lahore that is the Construction and Development Regulations 2014, Building Control 2026 edition. The approval itself always rests with the authority.
DHA Lahore building byelawsI live abroad. Can I use these resources and work with Avenir?
Yes. Clients outside Pakistan are answered on WhatsApp first, then by video call on Google Meet or Zoom at a time that suits them. Architecture and interior design are available across Pakistan. Construction is offered in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
How overseas clients work with AvenirWhat happens after I send a WhatsApp message?
The Business Development and Client Relations team replies within one working day. Once a meeting is set, we send a design brief so the meeting starts from your plot. The first consultation is free, at our Lahore or Islamabad office or by video call, and a written fee proposal follows within two working days of the meeting.
A plot size and a society are enough to start.
If you already have drawings, send them too, so the first reply can be about your house.
We reply within one working day.
Next step
Start with a message, or with the design brief.
Both reach the same team. A message gets a reply within one working day. The brief takes longer to fill in, and lets the first meeting start from your plot.
Message us on WhatsApp
Send these and the first reply can be specific to your project:
- The society, phase and city
- Plot size and dimensions, and whether it is a corner plot
- Floors, and a basement or none
- Any drawings you already have
Fill in the design brief
A short online form about your plot, rooms, floors and budget bracket. We read it before we meet.
Or write to email@avenirdevelopments.com
- Free first consultation
- Offices in DHA Phase 5, Lahore and Gulberg Greens, Islamabad
- Video calls on Google Meet or Zoom from abroad