Avenir Developments FAQs: Design, Approvals & Construction

Question 1

What does Avenir Developments do?

Accepted Answer

Avenir Developments designs houses, farmhouses, apartment buildings and commercial buildings across Pakistan, and builds houses, farmhouses and commercial buildings in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Its services are architecture and building design; construction from grey structure to turnkey; Design + Build, where one firm carries a project from brief to handover; interior design; project management and construction consultancy; property development; and 3D visualisation. It also prepares structural, MEP and submission drawings, and advises owners planning apartment and mixed-use buildings on feasibility. See all services.

Question 2

Where does Avenir design, and where does it build?

Accepted Answer

Avenir designs anywhere in Pakistan and builds only in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Architecture, interior design, visualisation and consultancy do not need Avenir on site every week, so they are delivered remotely to other cities and to clients living abroad. Construction is different: Avenir takes a construction contract only where its own team can supervise the site through the working week. An owner in Karachi or Multan, for example, can appoint Avenir for the design and a local contractor for the build.

Question 3

Where are Avenir's offices, and when are they open?

Accepted Answer

Avenir has two offices. The Lahore office is at 139, CCA, DHA Phase 5, Lahore 54000, and opens Monday to Friday. The Islamabad office is at 101, Luxus Mall, Gulberg Greens, Islamabad 44000, and opens Monday to Saturday. Both are open from 10:00 to 19:00 Pakistan time. Walk-ins are welcome, though a booked appointment means the right people are free to meet you. Phone and WhatsApp: +92 300 1101807. Email: email@avenirdevelopments.com. Directions are on the contact page.

Question 4

Who founded Avenir Developments?

Accepted Answer

Fahad Arif Khawaja founded Avenir Developments and leads it as Founder and CEO. Before Avenir he worked at Emaar in Dubai. The leadership team is introduced on the About Us page.

Question 5

Does Avenir work outside Pakistan?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in the UAE, through two associate companies in Dubai: Emirates Oasis Contracting (EOC) and ARCAN Project Management. They are separate companies, not Avenir offices; Avenir's own offices are in Lahore and Islamabad. For projects in Pakistan, about half of Avenir's clients are overseas Pakistanis living in the UK, the Gulf, North America and elsewhere.

Question 6

What kinds of projects does Avenir take on?

Accepted Answer

Avenir's residential work centres on 1 Kanal and 2 Kanal houses, and it takes on houses from 5 Marla up to 4 Kanal. Avenir also designs and builds farmhouses: completed farmhouses run from about 18,000 to 27,000 sq ft, and a 30,000 sq ft residence at Chak Shahzad, Islamabad is under construction. Avenir designs apartment, commercial and mixed-use buildings, builds commercial buildings on plots from 4 Marla upwards, and carried out the interior design of Park Central Apartments in Lahore, NORA Residences in Islamabad and AVANA in DHA Islamabad.

Question 7

What work does Avenir not take on?

Accepted Answer

Avenir does not take labour-only contracts, small renovations or repair work, and it does not take over a house that another contractor has already started. It builds only in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi; elsewhere it offers design, interiors and consultancy. These limits exist because Avenir's construction price and site checks depend on a full set of drawings, a verified BOQ and its own site team from the first day.

Question 8

Where can I see Avenir's work?

Accepted Answer

The projects portfolio shows Avenir's houses, farmhouses, interiors and commercial buildings. Two examples of different scopes: the 4 acre modern farmhouse on Raiwind Road, Lahore, which Avenir designed and built, and the 4 Kanal classical house in DHA Lahore, which it designed. The 2 Kanal houses shown in the portfolio were all designed and built by Avenir. At your first consultation, ask the team which projects match your plot size and scope.

Question 9

Should I appoint an architect and a contractor separately, or one Design + Build firm?

Accepted Answer

Both routes can work. Separate appointments suit an owner who already trusts a contractor and has time to settle every question between the drawings and the site. Design + Build puts design and construction under one firm, so one firm answers when a drawing and the site disagree. Under Avenir's Design + Build, the construction price is agreed from an itemised BOQ once the working drawings are finished, and you can stop after the drawings if that price does not suit you. The Design + Build page compares the two routes in full.

Question 10

Who can sign the drawings submitted to DHA, LDA, CDA or RDA?

Accepted Answer

Each authority decides who may sign. DHA Lahore requires an architect registered with both PCATP and DHA, and a structural stability certificate from a registered structural engineer. DHA Islamabad requires an architect and a structural engineer on its own panel. CDA requires an architect registered with PCATP and a structural engineer registered with PEC. LDA requires an architect registered with PCATP and enrolled on LDA's list of approved architects, and for buildings above 38 ft a structural stability certificate vetted by a structural engineer on LDA's panel. RDA plans are stamped by a registered architect with a certificate from an RDA-registered structural engineer. Avenir prepares the submission set to the byelaws of the authority or society concerned and handles the approval for you, from lodging the file to answering any objections. The DHA Lahore rules are on the DHA Lahore byelaws page, the CDA rules on the CDA and RDA approvals guide, and the DHA Islamabad and RDA rules on architects in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Question 11

What should I get in writing before I appoint a firm?

Accepted Answer

Ask for these in writing before you sign anything:

the drawing scope, the number of architect site visits, and whether the authority approval is included
for construction, an itemised BOQ and a written scope that names every exclusion
one price that includes the boundary walls, water tanks and other site items
a payment schedule tied to completed work
how changes and material price rises are handled
the construction programme and the defects liability period after handover

Avenir's guide to what to check before you hire a builder sets out how to test a builder's price, approvals, site checks, payments and handover.

Question 12

Can I appoint Avenir for design only, or for construction only?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Avenir can be appointed for design only or for construction only. It can prepare the drawings for a contractor you appoint, and it can build from another architect's drawings after reviewing them and preparing a BOQ from them. Construction only is available in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Question 13

How much does Avenir charge for architectural design?

Accepted Answer

Avenir quotes each design fee in writing, within two working days of the first meeting, after you complete a design brief. Five things set the fee: how complex the brief is, which authority approves the plan, whether approval work is in scope, how many architect site visits you want during construction, and how detailed the drawings must be. Plot size is only a starting point, which is why Avenir does not publish a design rate per square foot. The fee is paid in stages, each tied to a deliverable you receive. See how the design fee is set.

Question 14

What drawings will I receive?

Accepted Answer

Avenir offers three drawing scopes. Core drawings cover the layout plans, elevations and working drawings, with no site visits. Coordinated adds structural, electrical and plumbing drawings, and five architect site visits during construction. Full scope adds HVAC and fire-fighting drawings and interior drawings, with ten site visits in place of five. Submission drawings for the authority are added when you want them, with or without Avenir handling the approval. Your proposal states the number of concept options, 3D views and revision rounds before work starts.

Question 15

How long does the design take?

Accepted Answer

Avenir's published design plan is about 8 to 9 weeks from the brief to final working drawings: about 3 days for the consultation and site visit, 2 weeks for concept options, 3 to 4 weeks for the authority submission and 2 weeks for final working drawings. The authority's own review can run longer than the plan allows, and a resubmission starts its review period again, so the plan also depends on decisions coming on time. The stages are set out on the design process page.

Question 16

Does Avenir get the plan approved, and is that in the design fee?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Avenir prepares the submission drawings to the byelaws of your authority or society, handles the approval and answers any objections the authority raises, for DHA Lahore, DHA Islamabad, LDA, CDA, RDA and private societies such as Bahria Town. Approval work can be included in the design fee or left out, and your proposal states which. Authority scrutiny fees, NOCs and society charges are paid to the authority or society and sit outside Avenir's fee.

Question 17

How long do DHA, LDA, CDA and RDA take to approve a house plan?

Accepted Answer

Each authority sets its own review period, counted from a complete file. Under its 2026 regulations, DHA Lahore scrutinises drawings within 21 working days, and a resubmission starts the 21 days again. DHA Islamabad decides within 15 working days, and a resubmission starts the 15 days again. CDA decides within three weeks for buildings up to 10,000 sq ft of covered area, and within six weeks above that. LDA, RDA and private societies such as Bahria Town set their own periods, which Avenir checks for your scheme during the plot and byelaw review. The detail is on the DHA Lahore byelaws page, the CDA and RDA approvals guide and the page on architects in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Question 18

Can Avenir guarantee approval or an approval date?

Accepted Answer

No. The decision and its timing belong to the authority. Avenir's part is to submit a complete set that complies with the byelaws in force and to answer every objection the authority raises. Be careful of any firm that promises approval or a fixed approval date.

Question 19

How much does it cost to build a house in Lahore or Islamabad?

Accepted Answer

At Standard specification, Avenir's Q4 2026 planning rate for a complete house is PKR 7,500 per sq ft of covered area in Lahore outside DHA, PKR 7,950 in DHA Lahore, PKR 7,900 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and PKR 8,370 in DHA Islamabad, within a planning band of plus or minus 5%. A basement has its own rate. On these rates a 1 Kanal house of 5,500 to 6,300 sq ft plans at PKR 4.13 to 4.73 crore in Lahore outside DHA. The rates price the building alone and are reviewed every quarter; they are not a quotation. An Avenir quotation adds the eight site items to the building in one lump sum. The house construction cost guide gives all four specification levels and a calculator.

Question 20

Why won't Avenir quote a construction price on the first call?

Accepted Answer

Avenir does not quote a construction price on the first call because a rate per square foot prices a house that has not been drawn. Many builders quote a headline rate before any drawings exist and add the excluded items and variations later, so two rates that look alike can end in very different totals. Avenir gives a dated planning range on the first call, and a quotation only once the architectural, structural and MEP drawings, the plot conditions and a verified bill of quantities (BOQ) exist. If you have drawings but no BOQ, Avenir can prepare one for a fee.

Question 21

What does an Avenir construction quotation include?

Accepted Answer

An Avenir construction quotation is one lump sum for the house and eight site items, each measured from your drawings:

boundary walls
main gate columns
parapet walls
underground and overhead water tanks
a septic tank, where the authority permits one
side passages in PCC or kacha flooring
garage and porch floors in PCC or kacha flooring
sun shades

Design fees, authority charges and utility connections sit outside the lump sum and are named before you sign. A swimming pool, lift, solar system or landscaping is priced as its own named line when you want one.

Question 22

What is the difference between grey structure, finishing and turnkey?

Accepted Answer

Grey structure is the building without finishes: excavation, foundations, the RCC frame, brick or block walls, plaster, the roof slab, water tanks and the conduits set into walls and slabs. Finishing is everything you see afterwards: flooring, tiles, paint, ceilings, doors, windows, kitchens and bathrooms, and the electrical and sanitary fittings. Turnkey, or a complete house, is the two together. In Lahore outside DHA at Standard specification, Avenir's Q4 2026 planning rates are PKR 3,300 per sq ft for grey structure and PKR 4,200 for finishing, which together make the PKR 7,500 complete rate. See grey structure construction.

Question 23

What happens if steel or cement prices rise during construction?

Accepted Answer

Avenir's construction agreement includes an escalation clause, and you see it before you sign. Avenir does not pass on every rise in steel, cement or other material prices, and absorbs them where it can. When a rise does have to be passed on, it applies only in the circumstances the clause sets out, and the adjustment is worked out openly under that clause.

Question 24

How long does construction take?

Accepted Answer

From site start to handover, Avenir plans:

5 Marla: 5 to 6 months
8 and 10 Marla: 6 to 7 months
1 Kanal: 11 to 12 months
2 Kanal: 15 to 16 months
4 Kanal: 18 to 24 months

Design and approval come before this. A basement, late decisions on finishes, authority inspections and the monsoon can each extend it, so your quotation comes with a programme for your own house.

Question 25

How are construction payments scheduled?

Accepted Answer

Avenir's construction payments are made in stages, each released against work that has been completed and checked, never against time passed. The stages and amounts are written into the construction agreement before work starts, and payments are made in Pakistani rupees through documented banking channels.

Question 26

How are changes handled once construction has started?

Accepted Answer

On an Avenir build, every change is written down, priced and agreed before the work is done, and recorded in a variation register. A change that touches the structure or the approved plan also needs revised drawings and, where the authority requires it, a revised approval.

Question 27

Who supervises the site, and how is the work checked?

Accepted Answer

On a house Avenir builds, its own site team runs the work through the working week, and an Avenir architect checks the work against the drawings at each stage: the setting out, every concrete pour before it is cast, the walls and services before plaster, the finishes, and the whole house at handover against a snag list. In DHA Lahore, Avenir also attends the authority's stage inspections on the houses it builds.

Question 28

How will I know how construction is going?

Accepted Answer

Avenir sends you a written progress record every week from the first week on site. It shows photographs, the current stage against the programme, the materials delivered and tested, any variation raised and any decision needed from you. Clients abroad receive the same record.

Question 29

Is there a defects liability period after handover?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Avenir's construction agreement sets a defects liability period of one year after handover, during which Avenir returns to correct defects in its own work. Installed equipment and fittings carry their makers' warranties, which are handed over in the completion file with the as-built drawings.

Question 30

Can I design and build a house in Pakistan while living abroad?

Accepted Answer

Yes. About half of Avenir's clients are overseas Pakistanis. Overseas enquiries are answered on WhatsApp first, as a priority. Avenir then sends a design brief form and sets up a video call on Google Meet or Zoom at a time that suits you, and the fee proposal follows within two working days of that call. Every design decision is recorded in writing, and during construction you receive the same weekly progress record as every other client. You do not need to travel to start. See building from abroad.

Question 31

Do I need to give someone in Pakistan power of attorney?

Accepted Answer

Usually, yes. Authorities and societies need a signature in Pakistan at several points, such as the submission, the demarcation and the completion certificate, and a special power of attorney limited to construction-related acts lets a person you trust sign for you. Overseas Pakistanis can apply through NADRA's online power of attorney service or at a Pakistan mission abroad, and DHA has its own special power of attorney. Have a lawyer review the wording before you sign it.

Question 32

How do I pay from abroad?

Accepted Answer

Avenir's clients abroad pay in stages, against completed work, through documented banking channels and in Pakistani rupees. Non-resident Pakistanis can also use the State Bank's Roshan Apna Ghar scheme, linked to the Roshan Digital Account, to build or renovate a house in Pakistan with their own funds or with bank financing over 3 to 25 years. Avenir does not give financial advice, so ask your bank which option suits you.

Question 33

Can family in Pakistan supervise the build for me?

Accepted Answer

They can help, and many owners want a relative to visit the site. Checking that the steel, concrete and services match the drawings before they are covered needs someone trained to read structural and MEP drawings. On an Avenir site, an Avenir architect makes and records those checks, and you can share the weekly progress record with your family.

Question 34

Is the first consultation free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Avenir's first consultation is free of charge and carries no obligation. It takes place at the Lahore or Islamabad office, or on Google Meet or Zoom. No drawings are produced at that meeting; it settles the brief and the scope that the fee proposal will cover.

Question 35

Do I need drawings before I contact Avenir?

Accepted Answer

No. Avenir does not need drawings to start; a plot and a brief are enough. If you already have a site plan, concept drawings or an approved set, send them, because they shorten the brief and show which stage your project has reached.

Question 36

What should I send in my first message?

Accepted Answer

These details let Avenir's team reply with something useful:

the city, and the society or sector with its phase
the plot size and its dimensions
what you need: design, construction, Design + Build or interiors
the stage you have reached and when you hope to start
if you live abroad, your country and time zone

A site plan or any drawings help. The residential and commercial brief forms cover the rest.

Question 37

What happens after I get in touch?

Accepted Answer

Avenir replies within one working day. Once a meeting is booked, it sends the design brief form so the first consultation is useful. The written fee proposal follows within two working days of that meeting. Design then runs stage by stage, and if you want Avenir to build, the construction quotation follows once the drawings and the BOQ are complete.

Services	Architecture and building design; construction from grey structure to turnkey; Design + Build; interior design; project management and construction consultancy; property development; 3D visualisation
Design	Anywhere in Pakistan, and for clients living abroad
Construction	Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi only
Lahore office	139, CCA, DHA Phase 5, Lahore 54000. Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00 PKT
Islamabad office	101, Luxus Mall, Gulberg Greens, Islamabad 44000. Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00 PKT
Phone and WhatsApp	+92 300 1101807
Email	email@avenirdevelopments.com
First consultation	Free of charge, at the Lahore or Islamabad office, or on Google Meet or Zoom
Reply to an enquiry	Within one working day
Design fee	Quoted in writing within two working days of the first meeting
Construction price	One lump sum, quoted once the drawings and a verified BOQ exist, with eight site items included
Approvals	Submission drawings prepared to the byelaws of each authority and society, with the approval handled for you
Defects liability period	One year after handover
Founder	Fahad Arif Khawaja, Founder and CEO, formerly at Emaar in Dubai
Outside Pakistan	Projects in the UAE through two associate companies in Dubai, which are not Avenir offices

Service	Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi	Elsewhere in Pakistan
Architecture and building design	Yes	Yes
Interior design	Yes	Yes
Structural, MEP and submission drawings	Yes	Yes
3D visualisation	Yes	Yes
Project and development consultancy	Yes	Yes
Construction, grey structure to turnkey	Yes	No
Design + Build	Yes	No
Site supervision	Yes	No

Frequently asked questions about Avenir Developments

Avenir Developments in brief.

About Avenir Developments.

What does Avenir Developments do?

Where does Avenir design, and where does it build?

Where are Avenir's offices, and when are they open?

Who founded Avenir Developments?

Does Avenir work outside Pakistan?

What kinds of projects does Avenir take on?

What work does Avenir not take on?

Where can I see Avenir's work?

How long will your project take?

See every layer of the building.

Choosing who designs and builds your house.

Separate appointments

Design + Build with Avenir

Should I appoint an architect and a contractor separately, or one Design + Build firm?

Who can sign the drawings submitted to DHA, LDA, CDA or RDA?

What should I get in writing before I appoint a firm?

Can I appoint Avenir for design only, or for construction only?

Design, fees and approvals.

How much does Avenir charge for architectural design?

What drawings will I receive?

How long does the design take?

Does Avenir get the plan approved, and is that in the design fee?

How long do DHA, LDA, CDA and RDA take to approve a house plan?

Can Avenir guarantee approval or an approval date?

Construction cost and the quotation.

How much does it cost to build a house in Lahore or Islamabad?

Why won't Avenir quote a construction price on the first call?

What does an Avenir construction quotation include?

What is the difference between grey structure, finishing and turnkey?

What happens if steel or cement prices rise during construction?

Send us your plot details.

On site: time, checks and payments.

Setting out

Every concrete pour

Walls and services

Finishes

Handover

How long does construction take?

How are construction payments scheduled?

How are changes handled once construction has started?

Who supervises the site, and how is the work checked?

How will I know how construction is going?

Is there a defects liability period after handover?

Designing and building from abroad.

Can I design and build a house in Pakistan while living abroad?

Do I need to give someone in Pakistan power of attorney?

How do I pay from abroad?

Can family in Pakistan supervise the build for me?

Starting a project with Avenir.

Send your plot details

Reply within one working day

Free first consultation

Written fee proposal

Is the first consultation free?

Do I need drawings before I contact Avenir?

What should I send in my first message?

What happens after I get in touch?

Ask the people who will design and build it.