Avenir Developments designs, rebuilds and builds houses in DHA Phase 2 Islamabad, from a 10 Marla plot between two occupied houses to a 2 Kanal rebuild in Sector B, E or H, and designs buildings for the phase's commercial plots.
Every design starts from DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi's schedule for your plot size, and every cost on this page comes from Avenir's Q4 2026 rates.
Founded in 2012 · Architecture, interiors and construction in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore · Islamabad office: 101 Luxus Mall, Gulberg Greens · Page reviewed 28 September 2026 against DHAI-R's byelaws and DHA's 16 to 30 September 2026 benchmark
DHA Phase 2 Islamabad is the established phase of DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi that lies between GT Road and the Islamabad Expressway, which DHA calls the Islamabad Highway. DHA's Phase 2 page puts its size at about 15,075 kanals and describes every sector as fully urbanized.
That changes the job for a plot owner. Most Phase 2 projects are not the first house on an empty street. They are new houses built between neighbours who already live there, older houses being replaced, and additions to houses that already hold a completion certificate.
A new house between built neighbours. Their floor levels, windows, boundary walls and foundations shape the design as much as the byelaws do, and DHA's rules for digging beside an occupied house apply from the first day on site.
An older house replaced by a new one. DHA does not permit demolition without its prior approval, and the new house is designed and approved to today's regulations, not to the rules the original house was built under.
A floor, rooms, a basement or a new interior in an occupied house. Any change to the approved building needs revised drawings approved by DHA first, and a completed house then needs a revised completion plan.
Phase 2 is not Phase 2 Extension. The former DHA Phase 2 Extension is now DHA Phase 6, with its own sectors, possession dates and page. Emaar Canyon Views is a developer-led community with its own approval process and is covered separately.
DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi applies one coverage and setback schedule to every residential plot in its phases, set out in its Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022 (updated 2023). DHA's September 2026 price benchmark lists four residential plot sizes in Phase 2. This is what the schedule allows on each, converted into floor areas. DHA measures plots in square yards: 1 Marla is 25 sq yd (225 sq ft) and 1 Kanal is 500 sq yd (4,500 sq ft).
DHA does not approve a house under 2,000 sq ft. Two full floors give about 1,912 sq ft, so the mumty, which counts as covered area, or a basement closes the gap.
The first floor may instead match the ground floor footprint less the porch.
The front setback can be relaxed by up to 2 ft on payment of DHA's charges.
At 1,000 sq yd the plot falls in DHA's 801 sq yd and above band, a different brief from a 1 Kanal.
Sources: DHAI-R Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022 (updated 2023), regs 8.54, 8.56, 8.56.10 and 8.67; DHA Property Exchange Price Valuation Benchmark, 16 to 30 September 2026 (plot values, not asking prices). Floor areas are Avenir's arithmetic from DHA's percentages. Confirm your plot's exact size and shape on its site plan.
DHA's Price Valuation Benchmark for 16 to 30 September 2026 lists Phase 2 residential plots in nine sectors: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J. The sector decides which plot sizes you will find, and with the street, much of what a plot is worth. The figures below are DHA's own valuations for plots, in PKR million. They are not asking prices.
| Sector | 1 Kanal plot | 10 Marla plot | Other residential sizes | Commercial plots listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 35 to 65 | 25 to 30 | None listed | 4 Marla 60 to 65; 8 Marla 140 to 160 |
| B | 35 to 65 | 25 to 30 | 2 Kanal 100 to 130 | None listed |
| C | 45 to 65 | 26 to 32 | None listed | None listed |
| D | 35 to 65 | 26 to 30 | None listed | 4 Marla 40 to 55; 8 Marla 80 to 90 |
| E | 45 to 70 | 32 to 35 | 2 Kanal 150 to 170 | 5 Marla 140 to 160 |
| F | 45 to 70 | 28 to 32 | None listed | None listed |
| G | 40 to 65 | 28 to 30 | None listed | 5.3 Marla 75 to 80 |
| H | 35 to 65 | 25 to 28 | 2 Kanal 100 to 150 | 5 Marla 35 to 40; 5.5 Marla 40 to 45 |
| J | 35 to 55 | 25 to 28 | 5 Marla 17 to 18 | 3.5 Marla 35 to 40; 4 Marla 45 to 50 |
Built houses, all sectors: 5 Marla PKR 40 to 45 million, 10 Marla 65 to 75, 1 Kanal 120 to 150, 2 Kanal 200 to 250. Apartments are benchmarked in Askari Tower 1 and Askari Tower 2. Source: DHA Property Exchange, 16 to 30 September 2026.
Send the sector, the plot size and whether the plot is empty or built. We reply with what DHA's schedule allows on that plot and the first decisions its design will have to make.
In DHA Phase 2 Islamabad many owners start with a house rather than a plot. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi treats renovation, additions and rebuilding as three different approvals, and the choice between them usually comes down to the structure, the services and how much covered area today's schedule would allow on the plot.
| Route | What DHA requires | When it usually makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Renovate: interiors, finishes, kitchens, baths and services, with no change to structure or covered area | Approval for the renovation works and an undertaking on DHA's form (Annex O). The house is treated as an under-construction site while the work runs (reg. 8.44). | The frame is sound and the layout works; the problems are finishes, fittings, wiring or plumbing. |
| Extend or alter: a room, a first floor within the two-storey limit, a basement or a changed layout | Revised drawings approved before any change (regs 8.8 and 8.37). A completed house then needs a revised completion plan (reg. 8.35). The addition must fit today's coverage, setbacks and height. | The house is sound but short of space, and the plot still has allowable covered area left. |
| Demolish and rebuild | DHA's prior approval to demolish (reg. 8.21.2) and a new submission drawing to current regulations. No blasting (reg. 8.26), and the street may not be used or blocked without DHA's written permission (reg. 8.25). | The structure, levels or services cannot carry the house the family needs, or the plan cannot be made to work inside the existing frame. |
Avenir's project consultancy covers this assessment for Phase 2 owners, so the route is chosen on evidence before design fees are committed.
Because DHA Phase 2 Islamabad is built up, almost every new house or basement there is dug next to an occupied neighbour. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi's byelaws put the risk of that work on the plot owner and the supervising structural engineer, and they set out what has to happen before and during excavation.
A soil investigation and an excavation plan from the structural engineer, implemented on site (regs 8.21.1 and 8.51).
An MOU with the neighbours (Annex Q) or, failing that, an affidavit (Annex R) that proper engineering methods will be used under a qualified engineer (reg. 8.56.11.6).
Only manual excavation beside constructed buildings and DHA services (reg. 8.56.11.4), leaving a 5 ft safety distance from the neighbour's house (reg. 8.21.1).
An RCC retaining wall up to the plot line (reg. 8.56.11.7). Beyond 12 ft below road level, RCC piling on all four sides, designed from the soil report (reg. 8.51).
External walls of at least 9 in RCC, waterproofed (reg. 8.56.11.8), no more than 4.5 ft exposed above road level, 8 ft 6 in to 10 ft 6 in clear height and a 3 x 3 ft emergency exit (regs 8.56.11.9, 8.56.11.10, 8.56.11.13).
No excavation during the monsoon; DHA stops demarcation about a week before it starts, around 15 July (reg. 8.19).
House design in DHA Phase 2 Islamabad works inside three fixed conditions: a two-storey envelope that is the same across DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi, built neighbours on most sides, and a climate of hot summers, a July to September monsoon and cold winter nights. These are the decisions those conditions settle early.
First-floor windows and terraces look straight into the house next door. DHA limits setback levels to 2 ft above the reference level, with one raised landing of up to 3 ft 6 in only where the neighbour's privacy is protected (reg. 8.56.9), and a roof garden needs an undertaking on privacy (reg. 8.43). Side-facing glass is placed high or screened, and the living rooms open to the front and rear.
DHA's internal streets are 40 ft wide and its boulevards 130 ft. On plots of 250 sq yd and above, porch columns stand at least 8 ft clear of the front boundary wall, the porch wall sits 20 ft from the plot line on 1 Kanal and above, and a porch ramp may rise no more than 1 ft 6 in (regs 8.56.10.3, 8.56.10.8, 8.56.10.20). Corner plots and plots with a 70 ft frontage can have two porches (reg. 8.56.10.4).
Orientation does more for comfort than facade style: deep shading on south and west glass, cross ventilation through the plan, and roof insulation. Porch roofs must drain inside the plot (reg. 8.56.10.11). A 1 Kanal needs a 1,200 gallon rainwater harvesting tank, and a 2 Kanal an 1,800 gallon tank, in the front setback 2 ft from the neighbour and 3 ft from the front wall (regs 8.67.4 and 8.67.5).
The overhead tank is capped at 900 gallons up to 1 Kanal and 1,200 above, no more than 8 ft above the roof (reg. 8.67.2). DHA's July 2026 visual byelaws show solar frames on the main roof with the lower edge up to 5 ft and the upper edge up to 10 ft, a structural stability certificate from a DHA-enlisted vendor and no capacity limit. A lift is allowed, with the lift well up to 40 ft from the reference point (reg. 8.56.17.3).
Islamabad lies in Seismic Zone 2B of the Building Code of Pakistan (Seismic Provisions 2007). DHA requires RCC columns at corners and wall junctions from foundation to top slab and concrete of at least 3,000 psi (reg. 8.53). The structural grid is fixed with the floor plan, so large openings and double-height spaces are engineered rather than improvised on site.
A generator may sit only in the basement, at the front of the roof or in the front lawn, 5 ft from the common boundary wall, never in the rear or side spaces (reg. 8.42.1.3). Water and electricity connections follow demarcation (reg. 8.16), and termite proofing is required during construction (reg. 8.24).
Avenir's architecture service resolves these points at concept stage and coordinates structure and building services before DHA submission. For plot-specific design, see 1 Kanal house design, 2 Kanal house design, 10 Marla house design and 5 Marla house design.
Send photos of the house, the approved drawings if you have them, and the plot size. We tell you which routes DHA's rules leave open and what each would involve.
DHA's September 2026 benchmark lists Phase 2 commercial plots in Sectors A, D, E, G, H and J, from 3.5 Marla to 8 Marla. Under DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi's commercial standards, a plot of 101 to 400 sq yd may be built on its full area. What rises above that depends on the plot's designation: basement, ground and three floors up to 60 ft for Sector Commercial, or basement, ground and five floors up to 82 ft for Main Commercial (regs 8.77 and 8.86).
Avenir designs commercial buildings from a commercial project brief and builds them through its commercial construction service. Discuss a Phase 2 commercial plot on WhatsApp.
At Standard specification, a complete house in DHA Islamabad plans at PKR 8,370 per sq ft of covered area on Avenir's Q4 2026 rates, and grey structure alone at PKR 3,710 per sq ft. The same specification elsewhere in Islamabad plans at PKR 7,900 and PKR 3,500. The difference covers building to DHA's approved drawings through its stage inspections. The planning cases below use the covered areas DHA's schedule allows on each Phase 2 plot size.
| Plot | Covered area assumed | Planning estimate | Planning range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Marla (Sector J) | 2,000 sq ft, DHA's minimum | PKR 1.62 crore | 1.53 to 1.70 crore |
| 10 Marla | 3,000 sq ft, two floors at full coverage | PKR 2.49 crore | 2.36 to 2.61 crore |
| 1 Kanal | 5,800 sq ft, two floors at full coverage | PKR 4.86 crore | 4.61 to 5.10 crore |
| 1 Kanal at Premium | 5,800 sq ft | PKR 6.39 crore | 6.07 to 6.71 crore |
| 1 Kanal with basement | 8,600 sq ft incl. a 2,800 sq ft basement on a 50 x 90 ft plot | PKR 7.50 crore | 7.12 to 7.87 crore |
| 2 Kanal (Sectors B, E, H) | 10,200 sq ft, two floors at full coverage | PKR 8.93 crore | 8.48 to 9.38 crore |
Avenir construction cost calculator, rates version 2026.Q4b: DHA, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, typical design complexity, Standard specification unless stated, materials and site labour. Planning range is plus or minus 5%. A planning figure is not a quotation.
Put your own covered area into the house construction cost calculator or read the grey structure rates. Avenir prices a project from the full drawing set, a soil report and a bill of quantities.
Avenir Developments provides architecture, interior design, construction and Design + Build for houses in DHA Phase 2 Islamabad, and architecture for its commercial plots. You can appoint Avenir for design only, for construction to an approved drawing set, or for both under one contract.
Concept, 3D, DHA submission drawings and working drawings, with structure and services coordinated.
Architecture servicesGrey structure or complete turnkey construction to DHA's approved drawings and stage inspections.
Construction servicesOne contract from brief to handover, so the team that draws the house is the team that builds it.
Design + BuildLayouts, ceilings, lighting, joinery and finishes for new houses and for renovations of occupied ones.
Interior designThere is no DHA list of approved design and build companies. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi requires the drawings to be prepared by a licensed architect and structural engineer on its panel (reg. 8.5), publishes its 2026 lists of architects, structural engineers, MEP engineers, soil test firms and solar firms, and requires every contractor building in DHA to be registered with it (regs 7.27 and 8.11). Before appointing anyone for a Phase 2 house, ask who signs your submission drawings, find that name on DHA's current list, and ask for the contractor's DHA registration.
Sector, plot size, site plan and possession papers; for an existing house, its approved and completion drawings. Owners abroad can act through a general or special power of attorney registered with DHA.
What DHA's schedule allows on the plot, the family's brief, and a budget from the calculator. For an existing house, the survey and the choice of route.
Plans, elevations and 3D, then structure and building services coordinated into one drawing set.
Drawings signed by an architect and structural engineer on DHA's lists. DHA returns non-conforming plans with reasons or releases approved drawings within 15 working days (reg. 8.7). Construction must start within three months or the drawing is revalidated (reg. 8.9).
Demarcation, then the boundary wall to damp-proof course before the house itself (reg. 7.19), with DHA's stage inspections and a DHA-registered contractor on site (regs 7.27 and 8.11).
Completion plan and certificate, and handover. DHA expects construction to finish within three years of approval (reg. 8.31).
Building from the UK, the Gulf, North America or Australia? Avenir's approach for owners abroad, with drawings priced before construction and payments tied to measured progress, is set out on the overseas Pakistanis page.
Avenir Developments was founded in 2012 by Fahad Arif Khawaja, whose earlier career in property development includes Emaar. Its Islamabad work runs from the office at 101 Luxus Mall, Gulberg Greens.
A 1 Kanal (4,500 sq ft) plot with a modern elevation in travertine, glass and wood-textured finishes, a double-height lobby, and screened terraces that give the first floor shade and privacy from the street. Avenir has shared the house's construction progress, from structure to brickwork, on its channels.
See the Sector F projectAn apartment community on GT Road beside DHA Islamabad, designed by Avenir Developments.
About NORA ResidencesHouses in Phases 3, 5 and 6 and in Naval Anchorage and Gulberg Greens, collected in the projects portfolio.
Projects portfolioSend the plot size, the covered area you have in mind and whether you want a basement. We check it against DHA's schedule and the Q4 2026 rates and send back a planning range with the assumptions behind it.
DHA Phase 2 is part of DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi (DHAI-R), which runs its phases in both cities under one set of byelaws. DHA describes Phase 2 as lying between GT Road and the Islamabad Highway, and it is addressed as DHA Phase 2 Islamabad. For building approval the city makes no difference: DHAI-R's Building Control Directorate approves the drawings under its Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022 (updated 2023).
Yes. DHA describes every Phase 2 sector as fully urbanized, and its September 2026 benchmark still lists plots in all nine residential sectors, A to J. Most new houses in Phase 2 are built on a remaining plot between occupied houses or in place of an older house, so excavation and neighbour rules apply from the start.
On a 1 Kanal (500 sq yd) plot DHA allows 68% ground coverage including the porch, about 3,060 sq ft, and a first floor of up to 90% of that, about 2,754 sq ft. Setbacks are 15 ft front and 5 ft on the rear and both sides, the house may have two storeys and must stay within 37 ft of the reference point. A basement can be added across the plot once the setbacks are left clear.
2 Kanal plots in Phase 2 are listed only in Sectors B, E and H. At 1,000 sq yd they fall in DHA's 801 sq yd and above band: 60% ground coverage including the porch, about 5,400 sq ft, setbacks of 20 ft front and 5 ft rear and sides, a porch of up to 32 x 35 ft and a mandatory 1,800 gallon rainwater harvesting tank.
Yes, with conditions. DHA requires a soil-based excavation plan, an MOU with the neighbours or an affidavit, manual digging beside built houses with a 5 ft safety distance, an RCC retaining wall up to the plot line and, beyond 12 ft below road level, RCC piling on all four sides. The owner and the supervising engineer are jointly liable for any damage next door.
Yes. DHA does not permit demolition without its prior approval (reg. 8.21.2), and the new house needs a fresh submission drawing approved under the current regulations. Blasting is not allowed, and the street may not be used or blocked without DHA's written permission.
Only within DHA's limits of two storeys, 37 ft and the coverage for your plot size. Revised drawings must be approved before any change is made (regs 8.8 and 8.37), and a house that already has a completion certificate needs a revised completion plan afterwards (reg. 8.35).
On Avenir's Q4 2026 rates, a complete 1 Kanal house of 5,800 sq ft at Standard specification plans at PKR 4.86 crore, within a range of 4.61 to 5.10 crore. At Premium specification the same house plans at PKR 6.39 crore, and with a 2,800 sq ft basement at Standard it plans at PKR 7.50 crore. These are planning figures, not quotations.
DHA returns non-conforming plans or releases approved drawings within 15 working days of submission, and construction must start within three months of approval. Avenir plans a Standard house at about 6 to 7 months from site start to handover for 10 Marla, 11 to 12 months for 1 Kanal and 15 to 16 months for 2 Kanal, before any basement or monsoon stoppage. DHA allows three years to complete.
Drawings must be prepared by a licensed architect and structural engineer on DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi's panel, whose current lists are published on DHA's website, and the construction must be carried out by a contractor registered with DHA, unless the owner has DHA's permission to self-construct. There is no separate DHA list of approved design and build companies.
For plots of 1 Kanal and above, yes: an RCC tank of 1,200 gallons for 1 Kanal and 1,800 gallons for 2 Kanal, in the front setback at least 2 ft from the neighbour and 3 ft from the front wall, shown on the submission drawing. For 5 and 10 Marla plots DHA asks for one where space permits.
No. The former DHA Phase 2 Extension is now DHA Phase 6, a separate phase with its own sectors and possession dates. DHA's price benchmark lists it as 'Phase VI (Ex Ph-II Ext)'.
Yes. Owners abroad can act through a power of attorney registered with DHA, approve drawings remotely and follow construction through documented reports. Avenir prices construction only from a complete drawing set and ties payments to measured progress, as set out on its overseas Pakistanis page.
Send your sector, your plot size and what is on the plot today: nothing, an older house, or a house you want to extend. Avenir's Islamabad team replies on WhatsApp with what DHA's schedule allows and the next step.
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