5 marla house design: which layout works, and what the bylaws let you build

A good 5 marla house design starts with the bylaws: on a 25 x 45 ft plot in an LDA-approved Lahore scheme, you may cover up to 844 sq ft on each floor, after leaving 5 ft at the front and 5 ft at the rear. In DHA Lahore it is about 814 sq ft. Published plans fit 2 bedrooms on a single storey and 3 or 4 bedrooms on a double storey.

The rules below come from LDA’s and DHA Lahore’s own regulation files, read on 24 October 2026. Footprints are our sums from them. We don’t publish floor plans; your architect draws those for your plot.

How big is a 5 marla plot?

Under LDA and DHA Lahore, a marla is 225 sq ft, so 5 marla is 1,125 sq ft. DHA Lahore’s standard 5 marla plot is 25 x 45 ft. In housing schemes in other Punjab districts a marla is 272 sq ft, and CDA uses 272.25 sq ft, so “5 marla” there is about 1,361 sq ft. Check yours with the marla to square feet converter.

Many plots sold as 5 marla measure 25 x 50 ft (1,250 sq ft), the size Zameen’s 2023 plan guide uses. Measure your plot before you pick a design: 5 ft of extra depth adds about 94 sq ft to an LDA ground floor.

How much of a 5 marla plot can you build?

Sources: LDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2019, clauses 2.2.1 and 2.2.3 (LDA’s file dated February 2026); DHA Construction & Development Regulations 2014, regulations 22 to 24 (DHA’s updated file, April 2026); CDA regulations (Gazette, August 2023), Schedule-1, terraced houses up to 150 sq yd with a 20 to 29 ft frontage. Footprints are our calculation.

In an LDA scheme the 75% cap is what limits a 25 x 45 ft plot: the open spaces alone would leave 875 sq ft. Two floors give about 1,688 sq ft and three about 2,531 sq ft. For every plot size, see covered area and setbacks in Lahore.

In DHA Lahore, the first floor may cover 100% of the ground floor on 5 marla, and a second floor isn’t allowed. A stair room on the roof (mumty) of up to 175 sq ft brings the total to about 1,803 sq ft. In Islamabad, CDA’s private-scheme table differs from its sector table, and a full 1,361 sq ft plot can fall in a band with 6 ft front and rear spaces: see CDA building bylaws.

How many rooms fit in a 5 marla house?

Sources: Zameen floor plan guide (6 Jan 2023), Zameen construction cost calculator (prices updated 16 Oct 2026), Avenir Developments (undated page).

Avenir warns that forcing too many bedrooms into 5 marla makes dark rooms. The bylaws set the floor: under LDA’s rules, every room you live or sleep in needs at least 100 sq ft and 8 ft of width, and a kitchen at least 50 sq ft and 6 ft wide. DHA Lahore asks for 100 sq ft with no side under 9 ft. Every floor needs a clear height of at least 9 ft 6 in under LDA.

Single storey or double storey on 5 marla?

A single storey gives you 814 to 844 sq ft on a 25 x 45 ft plot in Lahore schemes. That suits a small household and has no stairs. Zameen’s single-storey plan is aimed at a small family or elderly relatives.

A double storey roughly doubles the space, but the stair takes part of each floor. If you might let the upper floor later, plan its own entrance and kitchen now: the Power Division says a second electricity meter needs a separate portion with its own circuit, entrance and kitchen. See building a house to rent out.

Of these three authorities, only LDA allows a third storey, and the mumty must stay within its 38 ft limit. A basement is allowed in LDA schemes (counted in floor area) and in DHA Lahore (one storey).

Where do the stairs go?

LDA sets the minimum for houses up to three storeys: 3 ft 6 in clear width, risers of no more than 7.5 in, treads of at least 10 in, and no more than 15 risers between landings. Landings must be at least 3 ft 6 in deep, and turning steps (winders) are allowed in houses.

On a 25 ft wide plot that width comes out of one side of the house. Zameen’s plans put the stair beside or inside the lounge; one runs an outdoor stair from the garage so the upper floor has its own entrance. DHA Lahore allows no construction in its clear spaces, except a spiral steel stair to the roof at the rear when there is no inside stair.

How do you get light and air into a 5 marla house?

With no side space under LDA, light comes from the front, the back and any air well. LDA’s rules:

• Windows. Every room except a store needs glazing of at least 8% of its floor area, and half of it must open. A 100 sq ft bedroom needs at least 8 sq ft of glass.
• Bathrooms. At least 2 sq ft of opening in an outside wall for each toilet or bathroom.
• Air well. Kitchens and bathrooms may take light and air from an internal air well instead. For a house up to 2 storeys it must be at least 50 sq ft and 6 ft wide, and 100 sq ft and 8 ft wide from 3 storeys. It may not be roofed except with fibreglass or similar.

These lighting rules don’t apply where permanent air-conditioning is planned. DHA Lahore’s rule is shorter: all rooms must be well lit and well ventilated, and the drawing must show every door, window and ventilator. Zameen also suggests placing windows with privacy in mind, since neighbours are close.

Can you fit 2 car parking on 5 marla?

The bylaws don’t promise it. LDA makes parking optional for 5 marla. Its porch rule allows a car porch of up to 20 ft in a side space, which 5 marla plots in LDA schemes don’t have.

DHA Lahore allows one car porch resting on the boundary wall for plots of 10 marla or less, 12 to 18 ft deep if it covers clear space. A folding shelter may extend it by 6 ft. Zameen’s 2023 plans each show a single garage 8 to 11 ft wide; we found no source that sizes a two-car front on a 25 ft plot.

What else must the design include?

Under LDA’s rules, a 5 marla house must also make room for:

• an underground water tank of at least 3 x 3 x 2 ft and an overhead tank of 3 x 4 x 2.5 ft (200 gallons)
• a 300 gallon rainwater tank above ground, mandatory from 5 marla
• a septic tank of at least 8 x 4 ft, 4 ft 3 in deep

One toilet of up to 40 sq ft and 8 ft high may go in the rear corner against the back wall. No pergola may go in the open spaces, and sun shades may stick out no more than 1 ft 6 in.

How do you choose and approve a 5 marla design?

LDA asks for drawings by a registered architect, and its rules say plans in approved schemes should be approved within 21 days. Its scrutiny fee is Rs 15 a sq ft of covered area, so a 1,688 sq ft house pays about Rs 25,320 plus a Rs 10,000 processing fee (our calculation). Steps and documents are in LDA map approval.

DHA Lahore charges Rs 10 a sq ft and quotes 20 working days. CDA charges Rs 6 a sq ft, at least Rs 10,000. In Karachi, SBCA approves its own pre-approved designs for 60, 80, 120 and 240 sq yd plots within 5 days: see SBCA building plan approval.

Ready-made designs exist but were hard to use when we checked. RDA lists six designs for 25 x 50 ft plots on its website, but every file returned an error on 24 October 2026. Avenir says its design fees start from Rs 1.5 lakh and run to about Rs 3 lakh.

What will the design cost to build?

Budget from the covered area on your drawing. For current rates and totals, see 5 marla house construction cost, and put your floor areas into the construction material calculator for cement, steel and bricks.

More guides: house construction stages, covered area and setbacks in Lahore, Property.