DHA Phase 7 Lahore: Top Choice for Design + Build Services
Avenir Developments designs and builds houses on DHA Phase 7 plots: the drawing set DHA Building Control scrutinises, structural and MEP coordination, and construction from grey structure to handover. Phase VII is still being handed over. DHA listed eight Phase VII possession notices between March and September 2026, covering 317 plots, so many owners here are planning the first house on their street. This page is written for them.
Office at 139 CCA, DHA Phase 5, Lahore · Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00 PKT · Phase 7 portfolio: 1 Kanal modern houses of 5,670 and 5,800 sq ft
DHA Phase 7 Lahore, written Phase VII in DHA's own documents, is laid out in Sectors P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z, with the CCA-4 commercial area and an Overseas Enclave in Sector T. DHA publishes every possession opening as a notice on its possession page. On 28 September 2026 that page listed 68 Phase VII notices, dated 8 April 2021 to 11 September 2026.
Possession decides when design can start in earnest. Until DHA opens possession for your plot, there is no site plan in your name to design on, nothing to submit and nothing to build. The 2026 notices show where the handover is happening now.
Phase VII possession notices listed by DHA in 2026
| Listed on | Sectors | Plots released |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2026 | T, V, Z (residential); Z (commercial) | 7 × 1 Kanal; 30 commercial (one 2 Kanal, fifteen 8 Marla, fourteen 4 Marla) |
| 14 Jul 2026 | V | 1 × 1 Kanal |
| 6 Aug 2026 | U, W, Y | 32 × 10 Marla, 1 × 1 Kanal |
| 10 Aug 2026 | U, V, Y, Z | 149 × 1 Kanal, 26 × 10 Marla |
| 19 Aug 2026 | Z | 1 plot (No. 296) |
| 7 Sep 2026 | U, V, Y | 19 × 1 Kanal, 1 × 10 Marla |
| 8 Sep 2026 | P, Q, R, U, X | 38 × 1 Kanal |
| 11 Sep 2026 | V, Y | 6 × 1 Kanal, 6 × 10 Marla |
| 2026 so far | 8 notices | 317 plots: 222 × 1 Kanal, 65 × 10 Marla, 30 commercial |
Source: DHA Lahore possession page and the eight 2026 Phase VII notices it links, each read by Avenir Developments on 28 September 2026. Plot numbers are listed in each notice. The 19 August notice names one plot, No. 296 in Sector Z.
DHA revised the Phase VII master plan in July 2026. Your house is designed on the site plan DHA issues in your name, not on a dealer's map, because that is the document that fixes your plot's dimensions and service points.
Searching from Islamabad? DHA Phase 7 Lahore is not DHA Valley, which DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi numbers as its Phase 7, and it is not Phase VII of DHA Karachi. Each has its own authority and building rules.
The limits below are DHA Lahore's, from the Construction & Development Regulations 2014 as published in the Building Control 2026 edition. The areas are Avenir's arithmetic from those limits for a standard-shaped plot. The budgets come from Avenir's construction cost calculator for DHA Lahore at Standard specification and typical design complexity, with rates reviewed in Q4 2026. Use them to test a brief. They are planning figures, not a quotation.
Standard, above ground only: PKR 1.83 Cr
Standard, with a full basement (≈ 3,515 sq ft): PKR 2.89 Cr
Standard, above ground only: PKR 4.11 Cr
Standard, with a full basement (≈ 7,870 sq ft): PKR 6.54 Cr
Standard, above ground only: PKR 8.89 Cr
Standard, with a full basement (≈ 16,530 sq ft): PKR 14.38 Cr
Clear spaces: Regulation 22(a). First floor percentages: Regulation 27(a)(3). Mumtee: Regulation 33(a). Areas are gross, measured before wall thickness, porch, projections and sunken areas, with the mumtee at its maximum. Corner and irregular plots differ. Budgets: Avenir's construction cost calculator, DHA Lahore, 28 September 2026, each with a planning band of plus or minus 5%. The full rules for 5, 7, 8 and 9 Marla plots are on the DHA Lahore byelaws page.
In the sectors DHA is releasing now, the owner who builds first works around things that owners on finished streets never notice: levels taken from a road with no houses on it, boundary walls with nobody on the other side, and services that may not be connected yet. None of it is a reason to wait. All of it is cheaper to plan than to fix.
DHA measures house height to the crown of the front road, and sets the plinth between 1′-6″ and 3′-6″ above it, up to 5′-6″ on 1 Kanal and larger plots. The top of the ramp may not sit more than 12 inches above the road crown. On a street with no houses yet, fix the road crown level in the survey before the section is drawn, because every floor level, the ramp and the 39 ft limit hang from it.
Regulations 23(a) and 28; Definition 49
A DHA boundary wall is 9 inches thick and uses 4½ inches of the neighbouring plot, and it becomes a common wall. When the plots beside you are empty, you build all of it and pay for all of it. DHA also requires the boundary wall to be checked at ground level before the main building starts.
Regulation 29
A basement can go 12 ft below the road crown, including foundation. Using an excavator needs DHA's prior permission, an undertaking and a refundable security of Rs 100,000. Your retaining walls will hold open ground now and a neighbour's excavation later, so design them for both.
Regulations 32(c), 42 and 68
Water and sewer connections are applied for through DHA, 21 working days under its regular service, and DHA has forms for temporary water and sewerage connections during construction. Some earlier Phase VII possessions were conditional on electrical works finishing within a year. Ask DHA which services are live on your street before fixing a start date.
DHA Building Control service chart; possession notice of 29 November 2022
DHA has an undertaking for stacking material and a temporary hut on site, and it treats a concrete mixer on the road berm, cutting or bending steel on the road and damaging the road surface as construction violations. On a quiet street it is tempting to spread out. It is also how early builders collect the first notice.
Regulation 46; DHA undertaking form
Side clear spaces on a 1 Kanal plot are 5′-4½″, so the house next door can eventually stand about 10′-9″ from yours. Windows and terraces that feel private on an empty street will face a wall later. DHA's privacy rules require a 7 ft purdah wall on a servant terrace and servant quarter window sills at no less than 7 ft.
Regulations 22(a) and 57
Points 3, 5 and 6 include Avenir's professional observations on how the regulations play out on unbuilt streets. The regulation numbers refer to DHA Lahore's Construction & Development Regulations 2014, Building Control 2026 edition.
Send the sector, plot number and size. We will confirm the clear spaces and envelope for that exact plot, flag anything unusual about its shape or corner, and give a budget bracket at two specifications.
Each of these is cheap to decide at concept and expensive to change after the structural drawings are issued. On a mostly 1 Kanal phase like Phase VII, they account for most of the difference between two houses on the same size of plot.
| Decision | Why it matters in Phase 7 | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Which side is the front on a corner plot | If you keep the frontage on the longer side, the front clear space applies on both road sides, which is 15′-9″ twice on a 1 Kanal plot. It changes the whole plan. A corner plot may also have two porches on the boundary wall where other plots have one. | Regulations 22(c) and 27(a)(8) |
| Basement or no basement | A basement fixes the plinth at 3′-6″ on plots up to 10 Marla, and with it the ramp and the entry steps. On a 1 Kanal house of about 7,870 sq ft at Standard specification, the calculator adds PKR 28.6 lakh for basement grey works over the same area above ground. | Regulations 32(c) and 35 |
| What happens to the unbuilt roof | The first floor limit leaves about 540 sq ft of ground floor roof unbuilt on a 1 Kanal plot and about 1,290 sq ft on 2 Kanal. No balcony may be made over clear spaces, so that roof becomes a terrace, a courtyard void or a double-height space, and each choice changes the ground floor below it. | Regulation 27(a) |
| Orientation and the afternoon sun | Orientation is decided plot by plot, not by phase. In Lahore the west and south faces carry the summer heat. The only projection allowed is a 2 ft sun or rain shade, and railings on shades are allowed only on the front or road-facing side, so a west-facing front needs its shading resolved in the plan and the elevation together. | Regulation 27(a)(4) |
| Where the tank, solar and generator go | The 39 ft cap includes the overhead tank, mumtee and parapet. Solar needs a PPIB-authorised installer and DHA approval before installation, with panel edges no more than 10 ft above the roof on 1 Kanal and larger houses. A standby generator is limited to 25 KVA and goes in the basement, on the front of the roof, or in the front lawn 5 ft from the common wall. | Regulations 23(a), 58 and 67 |
| Fire detection and CCTV wiring | DHA scrutinises a fire protection drawing with every submission, and detectors must be wired back to a panel in fire-resistant cable in separate conduits. Two CCTV cameras at both ends of the front boundary wall are compulsory, plus one more on a corner plot. Both are conduit decisions for the grey structure, not extras for handover. | Regulations 16(a) and 66; Annex-C |
These are Avenir's observations from DHA Lahore work, not DHA statements.
These timelines and charges are DHA Lahore's own, as published on its Building Control pages and checked on 28 September 2026. They apply across DHA Lahore. What is particular to Phase VII is how many owners are starting this sequence right now. Applications can be made through DHA's e-services portal.
| Step | What DHA needs | Regular service | Executive service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Site plan in your name | Site plan application forms, allotment or transfer letter, CNIC | 7 days; Rs 5,250 | 2 working days |
| 2. Soil investigation | Original geotechnical report, valid for one year at submission | Commission it before the drawings are finished | Not applicable |
| 3. Drawing approval | Architectural, structural, MEP and fire protection drawings and 3D views, signed by a DHA-registered architect | 20 working days on DHA's service page; Regulation 16(a) states 21. Rs 10 per sq ft in total for a residential submission | 5 working days |
| 4. Demarcation | Demarcation form, approval letter copy, undertakings, work schedule | 7 working days (DHA's step guide says 5) | 2 working days |
| 5. Construction and stage checks | DHA verification at layout, DPC, first floor plus 1 ft, post grey structure and completion | Complete within 2 years of drawing approval | Not applicable |
| 6. Water and sewer connection | Application, paid challan, photographs, site plan copy | 21 working days | Not listed |
| 7. Completion certificate | Approved drawing copies, photographs, completion fee | 21 working days (DHA's step guide says 20) | 5 working days |
DHA's own documents differ by a day on some steps, and we show both rather than choose one. The executive service chart does not show its charges, so ask DHA before relying on it. A resubmission after observations is treated as a fresh application and the scrutiny period starts again (Regulation 16(d)), which is why a complete first submission is worth more than a fast one.
Sources: DHA Building Control service page (site plan and drawing charges), DHA's Regular and Executive Services chart (September 2026), DHA's step guide to building construction, and Regulations 14(p), 16, 17(b) and 18. The full approval route and the document list are on our DHA Lahore page.
Search for architects or builders in DHA Phase 7 and “DHA approved” appears in almost every advert. DHA Lahore's Building Control Directorate publishes specific lists, and each covers a different job. None of them is a general approval of a builder.
The regulations define a registered architect as one registered with the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) and also registered with the Authority. PCATP registration alone is not enough to sign a DHA Lahore submission (Regulation 15; Definition 76).
Lists published by DHA Lahore Building Control
| List | What it covers | On DHA's site, 28 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Approved architect firms | Firms whose architects may sign the building plans you submit | List updated up to 16 April 2026, 126 firms |
| Approved structural engineers | Who may issue the structural stability certificate | Posted February 2026 |
| Approved MEP engineering firms | MEP drawings and certificates | Posted February 2026 |
| Approved solar companies | Who may install solar on a DHA house | Posted April 2026 |
| Contractor enlistment | DHA's enlistment form for contractors | Form published; no list of enlisted contractors appears on the forms page |
Source: DHA Lahore Building Control forms and lists, read 28 September 2026. The full DHA approval route is on our DHA Lahore page.
A resubmission restarts DHA's scrutiny period. Send your plot details with your drawings, or the observation list if your file has come back, and we will tell you what needs to change before it goes to Building Control.
Avenir's planning rates for a complete house in DHA Lahore, grey structure plus finishing with materials and labour, are PKR 6,890 per sq ft at Essential, 7,950 at Standard, 10,600 at Premium and 14,260 at Luxury, reviewed in Q4 2026. Basement grey works are priced on their own rate, PKR 4,560 per sq ft of basement at Standard. These are the figures the construction cost calculator uses.
Phase 7 houses built to the DHA limit: complete house, typical design complexity
| Plot | Built to the limit, above ground | Standard | Premium | Standard, with a full basement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Marla | about 2,330 sq ft | PKR 1.83 Cr | PKR 2.45 Cr | PKR 2.89 Cr (about 3,515 sq ft) |
| 1 Kanal | about 5,170 sq ft | PKR 4.11 Cr | PKR 5.48 Cr | PKR 6.54 Cr (about 7,870 sq ft) |
| 2 Kanal, 75 × 120 | about 10,690 sq ft | PKR 8.89 Cr | PKR 11.86 Cr | PKR 14.38 Cr (about 16,530 sq ft) |
Avenir construction cost calculator, DHA Lahore, run on 28 September 2026. Each figure carries a planning band of plus or minus 5%. Excludes professional fees, DHA charges, utility connections, external works, taxes and contingency. On a 1 Kanal plot the same above-ground area plans at PKR 3.56 Cr at Essential and PKR 7.37 Cr at Luxury.
The geotechnical report decides the foundation. It is the largest variable that a rate per square foot cannot carry.
On a new street, the height between natural ground and your plinth decides how much fill, retaining and ramp you buy.
With empty plots beside you, the full boundary wall is yours to build, with no neighbour sharing the cost.
Excavation, retaining walls and waterproofing are priced separately. The basement also changes the plinth and the ramp.
Hard-wired fire detection, CCTV conduits and a solar-ready roof are DHA requirements. Ask for each as a named BOQ line.
At Premium and Luxury, glazing, kitchens, HVAC and joinery move the total more than the structure does.
Avenir's published durations from site start to handover are 6 to 7 months for a 10 Marla house, 11 to 12 months for 1 Kanal and 15 to 16 months for 2 Kanal, for houses without a basement. DHA's approval steps come first, and the regulations require completion within two years of drawing approval. Run your own figures in the house construction cost calculator, and see how design fees are structured on the architecture and design fee page.
Avenir Developments is an architecture, interior design and construction practice founded in 2012, with its Lahore office at 139 CCA, DHA Phase 5. We serve Phase 7 projects from there. We do not have an office in Phase 7.
Brief, concept, 3D elevation, working drawings, and the coordinated submission set: architectural, structural, MEP and fire protection.
Grey structure to turnkey: BOQ, procurement and material approvals, execution, DHA's five stage checks and completion.
Design, approvals, engineering, BOQ and construction under one agreement and one accountable team.
Space planning, kitchens, wardrobes, bathrooms, ceilings and lighting, material boards and BOQ.
For owners using their own contractor: drawing review, BOQ, quality checkpoints and progress reporting.
5,670 sq ft covered. The brief: privacy on a busy street, daylight without heat gain, separate guest and family circulation, and a facade that is practical to build.
5,800 sq ft covered. Layered facade planes and controlled openings, with guest areas kept apart from the private floors.
Regulation 45 makes construction supervision and quality assurance the responsibility of the owner and the architects and engineers the owner appoints. DHA inspects at five stages; it does not supervise. Under Design + Build, one party is answerable for the drawings and the site.
Labour-only contracts where the owner buys material, minor repair work, and plot buying or selling. If another kind of firm would serve your project better, we will say so.
DHA set aside an Overseas Enclave in Sector T of Phase VII. Its possession notice of 7 July 2023 released 100 plots there: 70 of 1 Kanal and 30 of 10 Marla.
You do not need to be in Lahore to have a house designed, approved and built. A registered person may give a special power of attorney issued by DHA to someone who submits applications, pays charges and undertakes construction on their behalf, and approved documents can be collected through that attorney (Regulations 63 and 16(e)). Several documents must be physical originals, so someone has to attend the counter at DHA's Main Office Complex in Sector A, Phase VI.
Distance is rarely what goes wrong on a remote build. Unrecorded decisions and unpriced changes are. Our guide for overseas Pakistanis building in Pakistan covers the power of attorney, payments from abroad and remote quality checks in detail.
Tell us your sector, plot size and where you live. We will set out how drawings, DHA approval, payments and site reporting would run for your house before you commit to anything.
Plan My Phase 7 House RemotelyDHA's Phase VII possession notices since 2021 list commercial plots in two places: CCA-4, which the notices place in Sector T, with notices from June 2022, and Sector Z, where DHA opened possession of 30 commercial plots on 19 March 2026: fourteen of 4 Marla, fifteen of 8 Marla and one of 2 Kanal.
Avenir designs and builds 4 and 8 Marla commercial buildings in DHA Lahore. On these plots, parking, vehicle access, floor-plate efficiency and signage decide both the approval and whether the building lets afterwards, and they are settled on the drawings, not at leasing.
| Item | Commercial requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standby generator, maximum | 100 KVA for sector shops; 150 KVA up to 6 Marla; 200 KVA up to 8 Marla | Regulation 58 |
| CCTV | At least four cameras covering entry and exit points and surroundings; one more on a corner plot | Regulation 66 |
| Drawing scrutiny charges | Rs 30 per sq ft for 4 Marla and Rs 38 per sq ft for 8 Marla, in total as DHA lists them | DHA Building Control page |
| Revised drawings | Rs 10 per sq ft for 4 and 8 Marla | DHA Building Control page |
Regulations 58 and 66, Building Control 2026 edition; DHA Building Control service page, read 28 September 2026. Have a commercial plot in Sector Z or CCA-4? Discuss it with us on WhatsApp.
Only once DHA has opened possession for your plot. DHA lists every Phase VII possession notice on its possession page, by sector and plot number; its 2026 notices covered plots in Sectors P, Q, R, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. After possession, the sequence is a site plan in your name, a soil report, drawing approval, demarcation and then construction.
Phase VII is mainly 1 Kanal. DHA's possession notices also list 10 Marla plots in several sectors, including P, T, U, X and Y, 2 Kanal plots in Sector Y, and commercial plots of 4 Marla, 8 Marla and 2 Kanal in CCA-4 and Sector Z. Of the 287 residential plots DHA released in 2026, 222 were 1 Kanal and 65 were 10 Marla.
Regulation 17(a) of DHA Lahore's Construction & Development Regulations requires construction to commence within three years of the date DHA opens the area for possession or construction, after which a non-construction penalty is payable. Purchasers and transferees have separate grace rules under Regulation 13. Once drawings are approved, the building must be completed within two years.
On a standard 50 by 90 ft plot, the clear spaces are 15′-9″ at the front and 5′-4½″ at the rear and each side, including boundary walls. That leaves a ground floor envelope of about 2,703 sq ft. The first floor may be 80% of the ground floor, about 2,163 sq ft, and the stair mumtee up to 300 sq ft, so about 5,170 sq ft above ground, plus one basement level of up to about 2,700 sq ft. Height is limited to 39 ft from the crown of the front road.
Built to the DHA limit of about 5,170 sq ft above ground, a 1 Kanal house plans at PKR 4.11 Cr at Standard specification and PKR 5.48 Cr at Premium, using Avenir's DHA Lahore rates reviewed in Q4 2026. With a full basement, about 7,870 sq ft in total, the Standard figure is PKR 6.54 Cr. These are planning estimates with a band of plus or minus 5%, not quotations.
A registered architect, which DHA's regulations define as an architect registered with PCATP and also registered with DHA Lahore. PCATP registration alone is not enough. The structural stability certificate must come from a registered structural engineer. DHA publishes its current lists of approved architect firms and structural engineers on its Building Control pages.
Regulation 16(a) gives DHA 21 working days to scrutinise the drawings and documents, and DHA's Building Control service page lists 20 working days for a residential submission. DHA also offers an executive service that lists 5 working days for drawing approval. If the file is returned with observations, the resubmission is treated as a fresh application and the period starts again.
Yes. DHA Lahore permits a single-storey basement in residential areas. On plots up to 10 Marla the ground floor plinth is then set at 3′-6″ above the crown of the front road, which can be relaxed where a sunken area is provided. Excavation may go no deeper than 12 ft from the road crown including foundation, and the basement ceiling must be between 9 and 14 ft.
Take levels from the road crown in the survey before the section is drawn, budget for building the full boundary wall yourself, get DHA's permission before using an excavator, and confirm which services are live on your street before a contractor mobilises. DHA's November 2022 Phase VII notice granted conditional possession, with electrical works to follow within a year of the possession letter.
Yes. DHA's Regulation 63 allows a registered person to give a special power of attorney issued by DHA to someone who submits applications, pays charges and undertakes construction on their behalf, and approved documents can be collected through the attorney. Some documents are physical originals, so the attorney holder has to attend DHA's counter. Design reviews and approvals of drawings can run remotely.
No. Avenir Developments' Lahore office is at 139 CCA, DHA Phase 5, open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00 PKT. We design and build Phase 7 projects from there, and DHA's Building Control counter is at the Main Office Complex in Sector A, Phase VI.
No. DHA Phase 7 Lahore is part of Defence Housing Authority Lahore and follows DHA Lahore's regulations. In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Phase 7 is DHA Valley, which is run by DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi under its own byelaws. DHA Karachi also has a Phase VII. Always include the city when checking rules or prices.
The clear spaces and envelope for that plot, the DHA steps from where you stand, a budget bracket, and a fee structure for design, for construction, or for both. If we are not the right firm for your project, we will tell you.
Avenir Developments · 139 CCA, DHA Phase 5, Lahore 54000 · WhatsApp +92 300 1101807 · Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00 PKT