TL;DR — what a 5 marla house costs in Islamabad in 2026
A typical 5 marla G+1 house in Islamabad with around 2,000 sq ft of covered area costs between PKR 90 Lakh (basic A-grade turnkey) and PKR 1.80 Crore (premium / luxury) in April 2026. The honest mid-market band — where most owner-built 5 marla houses land — is PKR 1.10–1.40 Crore for a medium-premium turnkey at roughly PKR 5,500–7,000 per sq ft. A single-storey economy build (~1,100 sq ft) starts at around PKR 44–47 Lakh.
Material quantities for a 5 marla G+1 (~2,000 sq ft): 50,000–56,000 A-grade bricks · 600–650 cement bags · 3 tons of Grade-60 steel rebar · ~3,050 cft sand · ~1,720 cft crush. Working assumption: 2,000 sq ft G+1 is the dominant 5 marla layout in Islamabad — every cost figure below is anchored to that.
Quick facts
| Plot size | 5 Marla = 125 sq yd = 1,125 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Common plot dimensions | 25 × 45 ft (most common); 25 × 50 ft |
| Typical covered area (G+1) | 1,800–2,200 sq ft |
| Working assumption in this guide | G+1, 2,000 sq ft covered |
| Single-storey economy turnkey | PKR 44–47 Lakh |
| Standard G+1 turnkey total | PKR 90 Lakh – 1.10 Crore |
| Mid-premium G+1 turnkey total | PKR 1.10–1.40 Crore |
| Premium G+1 turnkey total | PKR 1.40–1.80 Crore |
| Time to complete | 4–12 months by tier and storey count |
All figures last reviewed April 2026. Material and labour prices change month to month — confirm against a current written quotation before commitment.
Covered area on a 5 marla plot
A 5 marla plot is 125 square yards = 1,125 square feet of land. CDA building bylaws allow roughly 60–65% ground coverage on residential plots, with mandatory front, rear, and side setbacks. After setbacks (typically 5 ft front + 4 ft rear + 2.5 ft sides on a 25×45 plot), you lose 25–30% of the plot footprint to mandatory open space before building anything. That puts ground-floor footprint at ~700–720 sq ft.
- Single storey (ground only): 1,000–1,200 sq ft covered. Industry-standard reference: 1,100 sq ft.
- Ground + 1 (most common): 1,800–2,200 sq ft total — industry-standard reference is 2,025 sq ft; real-world 5 marla projects typically come in around 1,975 sq ft (910 GF + 890 FF + 175 mumty).
- G + 2 with mumty: 2,500–2,800 sq ft total. Common when owners need 4 bedrooms plus a family lounge — three small floors win against two cramped ones.
Across the cost tables below, we anchor on a 2,000 sq ft G+1 layout, since that is the dominant build in DHA, Bahria, Park View City, and the F/G/I sectors today. For 10 marla equivalents, see our 10 Marla Construction Cost guide.
Per-sq-ft construction rates (April 2026)
April 2026 market ranges, verified across multiple Islamabad construction firms’ current rate cards. Where the market shows a spread, the broader range is shown so you can negotiate informed.
| Scope | Standard tier | Premium tier |
|---|---|---|
| Grey structure (with material + labour) | PKR 2,800 – 3,400 / sq ft | PKR 3,400 – 4,000 / sq ft |
| Turnkey 5 marla single-storey (economy) | PKR 4,200 – 5,000 / sq ft | PKR 5,000 – 6,000 / sq ft |
| Turnkey 5 marla G+1 (standard A-grade) | PKR 5,000 – 6,500 / sq ft | PKR 6,500 – 8,000 / sq ft |
| Turnkey 5 marla G+1/G+2 (premium / luxury) | PKR 8,000 – 9,000+ / sq ft | PKR 9,000 – 12,000+ / sq ft |
5 marla turnkey rates often run lower per-sq-ft than 10 marla because the finishing scope is thinner — but they are more sensitive to material upgrades, with finishing budgets blowing through 25–35% on small projects vs 15–20% on 10 marla.
Total budget by tier — 5 marla
Based on the working covered-area assumption per tier:
| Tier | Layout & area | Grey cost | Turnkey total | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy single-storey | G only, ~1,100 sq ft | PKR 30–37 Lakh | PKR 44–47 Lakh | 4–6 months |
| Standard A-grade G+1 | G+1, ~2,000 sq ft | PKR 55–65 Lakh | PKR 90 Lakh – 1.10 Cr | 6–9 months |
| Mid-Premium G+1 | G+1, ~2,000 sq ft | PKR 65–72 Lakh | PKR 1.10 – 1.40 Cr | 8–10 months |
| Premium / Luxury G+1 or G+2 | G+1 or G+2, 2,200–2,800 sq ft | PKR 75 Lakh – 1.10 Cr | PKR 1.40 – 1.80+ Cr | 10–12 months |
Industry anchor: a standard 5 marla double-storey turnkey of around 2,025 sq ft sits at approximately PKR 91 Lakh (about PKR 4,500/sq ft) — squarely in the standard tier. Premium 5 marla benchmarks reach PKR 1.80 Crore.
Material quantities for a 5 marla G+1 grey structure
These quantities reflect real-world 5 marla BOQsfrom completed Islamabad projects — not scaled-down 10 marla figures. Use them to sanity-check any contractor’s material schedule before signing.
| Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bricks (A-grade Awwal) | 50,000 – 56,000 nos |
| Cement bags (50 kg) | 600 – 650 bags |
| Steel rebar (Grade 60) | ~3 tons (3,000 kg) |
| Sand (Ravi / Chenab) | ~3,050 cft |
| Crush (Margalla / Sargodha) | ~1,720 cft |
Brick range reflects wall-thickness variation (4.5″ vs 9″ walls) and boundary-wall length. Single-storey 5 marla uses roughly half these quantities — typically 300–350 cement bags and 1.5–1.8 tons of steel.
Brand-level material prices (April 2026)
Headline figures for the materials that drive 80% of a 5 marla budget:
- Cement (50 kg, Islamabad / north zone): Maple Leaf PKR 1,425–1,440; DG Khan 1,415–1,430; Bestway 1,405–1,420; Lucky 1,390–1,410. Northern retail spike up to 1,490–1,530.
- Steel rebar (per kg): Mughal Steel 229; Amreli Steels 230; Agha Steel 225; premium Mughal Supreme 264–269.
- Brick (per 1,000): A-grade (Awwal) 13,500–15,000 ex-kiln; Islamabad/Rawalpindi delivered typically +5–10%.
- Tiles: Master 24×24 PKR 180–350/sq ft; Sonex 35–350/sq ft.
- Sanitary: Sonex commodes 4,500–30,000; Master 6,000–40,000; Porta 5,500–50,000; imported Kohler / Toto 60,000–300,000+ per fixture.
- Premium emulsion paint: ICI Dulux Velvet Touch / Happilac Easy Clean 4,500–8,500/gallon; standard matt 1,800–3,200.
For full brand-by-brand pricing, marble / wood / aluminium / electrical tier ranges, and price trend analysis from 2024 onward, see our 10 marla cost guide’s material section.
Design trade-offs unique to 5 marla
On 10 marla and above, design is a series of preferences. On 5 marla, every design decision is a trade-off — the constraints are real, and ignoring them costs both money and usable space.
Why G+2 with mumty is the most common 5 marla layout
A 700 sq ft ground floor cannot deliver a comfortable 3-bedroom-plus-drawing-plus-lounge plan. To fit four bedrooms with a family lounge, owners stack vertically: ground floor for drawing, lounge, and kitchen; first floor for two bedrooms; second floor for two more bedrooms plus a small terrace and the mumty. The cost premium is real — an additional storey of grey structure adds roughly 30–35% over a comparable G+1 — but the usable space delta is decisive.
The stairwell penalty
A standard 4×12 ft staircase eats ~50 sq ft per floor — on a 700 sq ft 5 marla floorplate, that is roughly 7%of the entire floor (versus ~3% on a 10 marla plate). Architects often draw a “comfortable” 4′6″ × 13′ staircase that consumes 60+ sq ft per floor — effectively losing a small bedroom across a G+2 build. In our 5 marla design reviews, we typically push for a 3′6″ × 11′ staircase: less generous, but the space recovery is decisive on a 5 marla floor and our clients consistently prefer the trade.
Setbacks compress the buildable area more than you expect
Standard CDA setbacks (5 ft front + 4 ft rear + 2.5 ft sides) on a 25 × 45 ft plot strip away roughly 25–30% of the plot footprint before construction begins. On 10 marla the same setbacks are absorbed without much pain; on 5 marla they directly constrain layout possibilities.
Basement on 5 marla — usually not worth it
A basement adds 20–30% to grey structure cost, requires CDA / society approval, demands soil testing and waterproofing, and on a 5 marla footprint of ~700 sq ft the resulting space is small and often poorly lit. The vertical G+2 alternative gives more usable space at a lower cost premium. The exception: rocky-strata sectors (E, F) where a basement provides earthquake-resilient foundations — a soil test before any decision is non-negotiable.
Labour and government fees
Labour rates (April 2026)
- Mason / mistri (skilled): PKR 2,500–3,500/day
- Skilled craftsman (carpenter, electrician, plumber): PKR 2,000–3,000/day
- Helper (unskilled): PKR 800–1,200/day
Labour accounts for roughly 40–50% of total construction cost; materials are 50–60%. Older online guides quoting PKR 1,200–1,800/day for skilled labour are out of date — the 2025–26 wage shift is real.
Government fees for 5 marla in Islamabad
- CDA fast-track surcharge: +PKR 20,000 (5 marla = 125 sq yd falls in the up-to-356 sq yd bracket). Map approval base fee scales with covered area, so a 5 marla map costs roughly half what a 10 marla map costs.
- DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi: standard 5 marla map fee in the PKR 30,000–50,000 range plus scrutiny — DHA-IR fees scale linearly with covered area with no 5-marla-specific differential.
- Bahria Town map approval: 5 marla typically PKR 25,000–35,000 plus refundable security deposit released on completion.
- Sui gas (SNGPL — RLNG only on new connections): standard domestic PKR 21,500–22,725 plus refundable security PKR 6,000–10,000.
- Electricity (IESCO): service line up to 20 m PKR 8,500; security PKR 620/kW.
- Architectural drawings + BOQ + soil test: PKR 30,000–80,000 for a typical 5 marla design package.
Realistic pre-construction overhead for a 5 marla project is PKR 80,000–1.5 Lakh before the first foundation is poured.
Where 5 marla budgets actually blow up
Some overruns are universal across all house sizes; others are specific to small plots. The 5 marla-specific ones:
- 1. Brand creep on finishing.With only ~2,000 sq ft to finish, “small upgrades” feel affordable per item but compound rapidly. On 5 marla, finishing budgets blow through by 25–35% on average — versus 15–20% on 10 marla. The marginal cost of upgrading from Master to Porta sanitary feels negligible when the bathroom is small; multiply across three bathrooms and a kitchen and the total is real.
- 2. Stairwell creep.The architect draws a “comfortable” staircase that eats 60+ sq ft per floor. On a G+2 5 marla build that is 180 sq ft of dead circulation space — roughly the area of a small bedroom. Insist on a tighter stair at the design stage, not after the slab is poured.
- 3. Mumty over-build.Owners specify a “small” mumty that becomes a 175 sq ft enclosed room. At premium turnkey rates that is PKR 6–8 Lakh of construction cost with zero bedroom-equivalent benefit.
- 4. Lobby and passage waste. A 3 ft passage running 25 ft consumes 75 sq ft of dead floor space — about 6–7% of total covered area on a 5 marla floor. This is a layout-design issue, not a cost issue, but it directly reduces usable bedroom size in a plot already short on bedrooms.
- 5. Setback encroachment penalties. Tempted to push the rear wall out by 2 ft to fit a kitchen island? CDA rear-space composition charges run PKR 5,000/sq ft of encroachment plus map rejection risk. A 50 sq ft encroachment costs PKR 2.5 Lakh in fines, often more in map-revision delays.
- 6. Corner-plot premium pricing. 5 marla corner plots tempt owners to add windows and a side entrance. The result: PKR 3–5 Lakh in extra wall length, additional setback restrictions, and extra finishing per running foot.
- 7. Single-contractor over-reach on finishing. A small contractor who is fine for grey often falters on finishing — 5 marla owners who don’t split contracts report 6–10 week delays at the finishing stage. See the next section.
Contract models — and why split contracts work on 5 marla
Industry split for 5 marla projects in Islamabad is roughly: 60% per-sq-ft fixed-rate turnkey, 25% labour-only with owner buying material, and 15% grey + finishing split across two contractors.
- Per-sq-ft fixed-rate turnkey (most common): one contractor, fixed PKR/sq ft × covered area. Best for owners abroad or busy professionals who need a single accountable party. Premium of 8–12% over labour-only, but predictable.
- Labour-only contracts: owner buys all material, contractor supplies labour. Cheaper headline (10–20%) but only viable if the owner can be on site daily. Risk of rework, theft, and wastage often eats the saving.
- Split grey + finishing (the 5-marla-specific edge case): 5 marla owners are noticeably more likely than 10 marla owners to split because the finishing portion is where they want brand-control on a tight budget. Splitting protects the finishing budget from grey-side cost overruns and lets you change finishing contractor if the grey one underperforms. Trade-off: requires two contracts, two warranties, and tighter project management at the handover stage.
Typical 5 marla turnkey payment milestones
- 1. Mobilisation advance — 10–15%
- 2. Foundation to DPC — 15%
- 3. Ground floor RCC slab — 15%
- 4. First floor RCC slab + mumty — 15%
- 5. Plaster + brickwork complete — 10%
- 6. Finishing tranche 1 (flooring + plumbing rough-in) — 10%
- 7. Finishing tranche 2 (paint + electrical fittings) — 10%
- 8. Handover & snagging — 10–15% (with 5% retained 3 months)
How Amanah quotes a 5 marla project
Our 5 marla quotation process is designed around the constraints unique to small plots:
- Brand and grade of every key material specified in writing — especially important on 5 marla where finishing-brand creep is the #1 overrun source.
- Both grey-only and turnkey numbers quoted, with split- contract option flagged for owners who want finishing- brand control.
- Layout review with our architects to identify stairwell, mumty, and lobby waste before the slab is poured.
- Material wastage allowance and site overheads (security, labour shed, equipment rental) included in the headline rate, not as surprise add-ons.
- Weekly photo updates and a monthly progress summary — valuable especially for overseas owners. See our overseas owner workflow.
- Full scope coverage on grey structure, finishing, turnkey, and architectural / map design.
Get a real number for your 5 marla
Run our calculator for an indicative range, then request a scope-clear written quotation against a real layout and material brand-list. No commitment, no obligation.