Dashboard
What are we building today?
Describe the house in your own words. BuildMe picks out the plot size, rooms and preferences, then designs layouts that fit the CDA bylaws.
Recent projects
Designs you saved in this browser
What each plot can hold
Maximum built area under CDA rules, in ft²
Start from a plot size
Typical answers are filled in — you can change everything
What size is your plot?
Choose a standard CDA plot, or enter your own width and depth. Width is the side facing the road.
How big should the house be?
Typical choices for this plot are filled in. Change anything you like.
Each bedroom comes with its own attached bathroom.
Useful for elderly parents or guests. The rest go upstairs.
The house always keeps the CDA minimum at the back (5' up to 5 marla, 7' below 1 kanal, 10' from 1 kanal).
Which other rooms do you want?
Every plan already has a TV lounge, kitchen, stairs and a car porch.
Check your answers
BuildMe will design layouts that fit these answers and the CDA bylaws for your plot.
My society has different bylaws
Plans use these numbers; the bylaw check still compares against CDA rules, so relaxed values show as "Fail".
Click a room to select it and open it in Customise.
3D model
Built live from the selected layout. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom.
Optional. Tick styles to get a picture of each from the current camera. They're also used in the PDF report.
Each circle is a room in its real position. Drag a circle onto another to swap them, or into another row to move it. Click a circle to resize, flip or remove it. Changes that would break a bylaw are refused.
CDA bylaw check
CDA Islamabad Residential Sectors Zoning (Building Control) Regulation 1993, with current rear-setback practice.
Rooms and sizes
Download
Downloads use the layout, style and finish level you've selected.
CAD files are DXF, which AutoCAD, BricsCAD and LibreCAD open directly — use "Save As → DWG" for a .dwg. CAD and 3D files arrive zipped. Units: inches.
Projects are saved in this browser on this device.
Every standard plot, one plan each
Best suggestion for each CDA plot with typical answers. Pick one to start designing.
Cost estimator
Quick budget for a house on an Islamabad plot, using 2026 market rates per ft² of covered area.
Excludes land, CDA approval fees, architect, boundary wall, furniture and solar. Rates: Islamabad 2026 market surveys (grey structure PKR 2,800–3,800/ft², standard turnkey 5,000–6,500, premium 6,500–9,000).
How BuildMe follows CDA bylaws
BuildMe is a rule-based assistant. Every plan is built from an editable scheme: the rooms in each row, front to back, and how deep each row is. The same scheme always gives the same plan. Suggestions come from searching many schemes and keeping the best; after that, you're in control.
Plot minus front, rear and side setbacks, then capped by maximum ground coverage.
Road side: porch, drawing room. Middle: lounge, kitchen, stair. Rear: bedrooms with baths, servant quarter.
Upstairs area is capped by FAR minus the ground floor; the rest becomes open roof terrace.
Porch limits, stair tower, servant room, minimum room sizes, every room reachable.
Schedule A — bulk & height
Rear open space follows current CDA practice: 5'-0" up to 5 marla, 7'-0" up to 1 kanal, 10'-0" for 1 kanal and above. All types: max 2 storeys and 30'-0" from the front road; parapet 3'-0". The whole structure, measured externally, counts as covered area.
Other rules applied
- Car porch (12.06): terraced single porch 180 ft² with at most 80 ft² in the setback; detached single 200 / 300 ft², double 300 / 400 ft². Min width 9'-0". Area within the limit is excluded from FAR. The porch roof is not a terrace.
- Stair tower (Schedule B): 150 ft² (terraced ≤ 200 yd²), 200 ft² (201–625 yd²), 250 ft² (detached).
- Servant room (cl. 10): required with a bath from 501 yd².
- Minimum spaces (Annex 1): habitable rooms 100 ft² and 8'-6" wide; kitchen 45 ft² and 5'-0"; bath 24 ft² and 3'-0"; powder 15 ft².
- Living units (cl. 16): one below 488 yd², two from 488 yd².
Limits
These are the CDA 1993 regulations as published on cda.gov.pk, plus current rear-setback practice. Later amendments and society bylaws (DHA, Bahria, B-17 and others) may differ: use "My society has different bylaws" on the review step. A licensed architect should prepare drawings for approval.
Source: CDA Residential Sectors Zoning (Building Control) Regulation 1993 (PDF)