Building in Pakistan, step by step
These are working guides, not articles. Each one takes a single job, such as buying a plot, getting a map approved or inspecting a slab before it is poured, and goes through it in the order it happens: what to do, what to look at, what to ask for, and what to refuse to accept. They include checklists you can tick off on your phone at the site and calculators that do the arithmetic. Shorter reads on single topics are on the blog.
In the order a build happens
Start with the first guide for the whole picture, then open the one for the stage you are at.
- 1The whole journey
How to build a house in Pakistan, from plot to handover
The whole build in order: what happens at each stage, what you decide and by when, which documents you hold at the end of each, and which mistakes cost the most. Start here, then open the detailed guide for the stage you are at.
15 min read · 11 chapters · 4 checklists - 2Before you buy
How to buy a plot in Pakistan without being cheated
The sequence that protects you, from working out the real size of the plot and verifying the seller, through checking the scheme and the land itself, to paying in stages and completing the transfer.
16 min read · 7 chapters · 4 checklists - 3Before you build
House map approval in Pakistan: the complete process
Which body approves your plan, the rules you must design to, who prepares which drawing, the application step by step, why plans get sent back, and what to do after approval and at completion.
12 min read · 7 chapters · 3 checklists - 4Before you hire
How to budget a house build and use a BOQ
A method for building a budget that holds, working out quantities from the drawings, reading a BOQ for what is missing, comparing quotes fairly and controlling cost while the build is under way.
15 min read · 8 chapters · 2 checklists - 5Before and during construction
How to hire a contractor and pay without being burned
Choose the right type of contract, vet contractors properly, run a tender they all price the same way, write a contract that works, and pay by milestone so you always hold the leverage.
15 min read · 8 chapters · 4 checklists - 6While it is being built
How to inspect a house build, stage by stage
What to check, how to check it and when to say “stop” at every stage from setting out to snagging, with checklists you can tick off on site and a report format that gets defects fixed.
30 min read · 10 chapters · 16 checklists - 7While it is being built
Waterproofing a house: roofs, bathrooms, walls and damp
How to stop water entering a house: designing for it, building roof and wet-area waterproofing in the right order, testing it before it is covered, and tracing a leak in a house that already has one.
15 min read · 7 chapters · 6 checklists - 8Services and systems
Sizing a home solar system and comparing installer quotes
Work out what size system you need from your own bills and loads, choose between on-grid, hybrid and off-grid, write a solar BOQ every installer prices the same way, and check the quotes that come back.
9 min read · 6 chapters · 3 checklists - 9For overseas Pakistanis
Building a house in Pakistan from abroad
How to run a build from another country without relying on trust alone: who to appoint and how, what evidence to ask for each week, how to control the money, and when an independent engineer needs to be on site.
11 min read · 8 chapters · 3 checklists
How to use them
- Read the chapter for the stage you are at, then do what it says. Each chapter opens with what you will be able to do once you have read it.
- Tick the checklists as you go. Your ticks are kept in this browser, so you can come back to the same list on site.
- Use the print button on any guide to save it as a PDF or take it to site on paper.
- Rules, fees and taxes differ by city and change over time. Each guide says who sets them, so you can confirm the current figure with that body.