featured_mode: card | illustrationA 7 marla plot is about 1,575 sq ft on the 225 sq ft marla; LDA allows 75% ground coverage, three storeys and 38 ft, while DHA Lahore requires 7 ft front and 3 ft rear and side clear spaces with no second floor, so a typical two-storey 7 marla house has roughly 1,000–1,200 sq ft per floor.
A 7 marla house design sits on about 1,575 sq ft, using the 225 sq ft marla that Lahore societies apply to 5 marla and kanal plots (Avenir Developments). Under LDA, plots from 5 to under 10 marla may cover 75% of the ground, rise to 38 ft and three storeys, and need one car porch (LDA Building Regulations). In DHA Lahore, a 7 marla house must leave 7 ft at the front and 3 ft at the rear and sides, with no second floor (DHA Regulations).
That gives roughly 1,000 to 1,200 sq ft per floor, which is where 7 marla starts to feel like a family house rather than a compact one.
7 marla plot basics
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Plot area (225 sq ft marla) | 1,575 sq ft |
| Example dimensions | 35 × 45 ft (= 1,575 sq ft); check your allotment |
| Plot area on 272.25 sq ft marla | about 1,906 sq ft |
| Category under LDA | 5 marla to under 10 marla |
| Category under DHA | 7 marla (own clear-space row) |
Marla definitions from Wikipedia. Plot shapes vary by society, so confirm the width and depth on your plot documents. Width decides more than area: a wider frontage gives more light and a better porch.
Bye-law limits: LDA vs DHA
| Rule | LDA (5 to under 10 marla) | DHA Lahore (7 marla) |
|---|---|---|
| Ground coverage | Max 75% | Within clear spaces |
| Front clear space | Per scheme plan | 7 ft |
| Rear clear space | Per scheme plan | 3 ft |
| Side clear space | Per scheme plan | 3 ft |
| First floor | Within FAR | Up to 75% of permissible ground floor (2014 text); 82% for 7–10 marla (April 2026 summary) |
| Second floor | Allowed (3 storeys) | Not permitted |
| Max height | 38 ft | 35 ft from road crown (2014 text); 39 ft (April 2026 summary) |
| FAR | 1:2.3 | Not stated |
| Parking | 1 car porch | Porch at least 12 ft deep; max 18 ft if clear space is covered |
| Stair mumty | Within height | Max 175 sq ft |
| Basement | Counts in FAR | One storey, up to 100% of allowable covered area excluding porch |
Sources: LDA; DHA Regulations (updated copy posted April 2026); Avenir's summary of DHA's April 2026 edition.
The two DHA texts differ on height and first-floor coverage. Ask DHA's building control for the edition that applies on the day you submit.
How much space you actually get
| Scenario | Calculation | Ground floor | Two-storey total (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDA, 75% coverage | 1,575 × 0.75 | about 1,181 sq ft | about 2,360 sq ft |
| DHA, 35 × 45 plot, clear spaces | (35 − 6) × (45 − 10) | about 1,015 sq ft | about 1,850 sq ft at 82% first floor |
The DHA row assumes 7 ft front plus 3 ft rear on depth, and 3 ft on each side. LDA's FAR of 1:2.3 would allow up to about 3,620 sq ft across three storeys, but the 38 ft height and your budget usually decide first. Add a mumty and parapet on top.
Layout planning on 7 marla
We did not find a published 7 marla plan from an official or professional source that we could verify, so we describe principles here rather than present a model plan. Your architect's approved drawing is what you build.
Ground floor
Most families want guests kept apart from family space. Place the drawing room near the entrance and keep the lounge and kitchen behind it. LDA allows a car porch of up to 20 ft in the side space, and with at least a 5 ft side space a room of equal area may be built over it (LDA).
Upper floor
The upper floor holds most bedrooms. In DHA the first floor is capped at a share of the ground floor, so plan a terrace on the remaining roof, not wasted slab.
Room sizes
DHA sets a living room minimum of 100 sq ft with no side under 9 ft and a ceiling of 9.5 to 12 ft (DHA). LDA sets a 9 ft 6 in minimum clear storey height. Use these as the floor for comfort, not the target.
Light, air and heat
Lahore architects studied in a 2020 UET Taxila paper use courtyards, verandahs, brise-soleil shading, cavity walls, insulation and stack-effect ventilation, planned around the sun path and prevailing winds. On a 35 ft frontage, a small courtyard or double-height stair can do much of this work.
DHA allows 2 ft sun shades to project into clear spaces at ground and first floor, which helps shade south and west windows.
Services the rules require on 7 marla
| Requirement | Rule for 7 marla | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rooftop rainwater tank | 450 gallons (7 to 9 marla) | LDA 6.6.6 |
| Rainwater overflow | May go to sewer or street (under 15 marla) | LDA 6.6.6 |
| Underground water tank | 60 cu ft (up to 7 marla) or 124 cu ft (7 marla to 1 kanal) | LDA 6.6.1 |
| Overhead water tank | 30 cu ft (up to 7 marla) or 62 cu ft (above) | LDA 6.6.1 |
| Insulation | Outer walls, roofs, windows; sun-facing walls | LDA 2.6 |
| Fire alarm and CCTV | Wired fire alarm, at least two CCTV cameras at front wall | DHA (April 2026) |
Sources: LDA; Avenir. The 7 marla boundary falls between two tank bands in LDA's table, so confirm the size with your architect.
Pakistan's energy code sets a residential roof U-value of 0.44 W/m²K and a wall U-value of 0.57 W/m²K, according to the World Bank.
What a 7 marla house costs to build
No source we found gives a standard covered area for 7 marla, so this uses the space calculations above with Avenir's September 2026 Standard rates.
| Scenario | Covered area | Rate per sq ft | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHA, two storeys | about 1,850 sq ft | Rs7,950 (DHA Standard) | about Rs1.47 crore |
| LDA area, two storeys | about 2,360 sq ft | Rs7,500 (Lahore Standard) | about Rs1.77 crore |
| Grey structure only, LDA two storeys | about 2,360 sq ft | Rs3,300 | about Rs78 lakh |
Complete-house rates run from about Rs6,500 (Essential) to Rs13,450 (Luxury) per sq ft, so specification can move these figures a long way.
Common mistakes
- Reading a 10 marla plan onto 7 marla. Clear spaces and coverage differ.
- Ignoring the first-floor cap in DHA. Plan the terrace instead of fighting the rule.
- A porch that eats the frontage. Check the 12 ft minimum depth and plan the entrance beside it.
- West-facing glass without shading. Lahore summers punish it.
- Leaving tanks to the end. Rainwater and water tank sizes are part of approval.
- Building to an old bye-law edition. DHA's 2014 and 2026 texts differ.
Bye-laws change; confirm current limits with LDA, DHA or your society before your architect finalises drawings.
Sources
- LDA Building Regulations amendments — LDA — coverage, height, storeys, FAR, porch, tanks, insulation
- DHA Construction Regulations, updated — DHA Lahore — 7 marla clear spaces, first floor, height, porch, mumty, basement, room minimums
- House Construction in Lahore: A 2026 Guide — Avenir Developments, Sep 2026 — plot areas, April 2026 DHA summary, fire/CCTV, rates
- Marla (unit) — Wikipedia — marla definitions
- Redefined energy efficient strategies… contemporary houses in Lahore — UET Taxila Technical Journal, 2020 — passive design strategies
- Building Green: Pakistan — World Bank — roof and wall U-values