DHA 9 Prism B, C, N, P: 14‑Day Build-Start Checklist

Day 0–2: Possession, File Checks, and Site Marking

Start by getting DHA on your side. Walk into the DHA Lahore Prism Office with your folder ready: original allotment/transfer letter, CNIC copies, and the latest dues clearance. As of 2026, expect possession/utility initiation and security deposits in the PKR 50,000–150,000 bracket—fees shift, so confirm at the counter on the day you go. While you’re there, apply for the official Site Plan (usually PKR 3,000–5,000, turnaround 2–3 working days). That stamped plan will be the reference document for every dimension you set on ground.

Demarcation is not guesswork. Book a DHA-approved surveyor to peg the plot accurately with a total station, strictly off DHA grid, not neighbour boundary walls. Ask for a signed demarcation sketch showing offsets from road centerline and services corridors. Take geo-tagged photos of pegs and the surveyor on site; save them with the date in your site log. In Prism, corner curves and service corridors can eat into apparent width—measure, don’t assume. If you’re double-checking your location and approach roads, open your plot on the DHA grid in our Plot Finder; it’s handy for cross-checking block access and nearby service lanes before a shovel hits the ground.

Now fix the level strategy. In B, C, N, and P, rainfall drains quickly toward the main spines, but houses that set low fight backflow for life. Shoot the road crown and side drains with a laser/dumpy level. Set your proposed plinth 2.0–2.5 ft above road and design a positive, even slope from porch to gate. A clean target: finished porch slab about 1.5–1.75 ft above road, with driveway ramping to avoid car belly scrape. Mark DPC at least 6–9 inches above final porch level. I’ve seen reverse slopes pour water into living rooms the first monsoon—this 30-minute level exercise saves a fortune later. If you need to sanity-check sizes and convert plans between marla/kanal and square feet, keep the Marla/kanal unit converter open while you plan.

Day 1–4: Architect Kick-off and DHA Pre-Approvals

Sit your architect down with the latest DHA Lahore residential bylaws. Setbacks, porch placement, height caps, and FAR details will govern everything from your beam spans to how much light reaches the lounge. For scale: a 1 Kanal (50×90) typically targets 5,000–5,500 sft covered over 2 floors; a 10 Marla (35×65) sits around 3,000–3,500 sft. Locking size early controls steel tonnage, cement burn, and future bills. If you’re testing different covered-area options for budget, run rough numbers through our Construction cost calculator before freezing layouts.

Have your architect fast-track a pre-approval bundle: Site Plan, preliminary floor plans, key elevations/sections, architect’s PEC stamp, owner CNIC, and undertakings. As of 2026, DHA scrutiny fees often land around PKR 2,000–3,500 per marla; still, verify at the counter—rules and rates change. DHA typically issues an acknowledgement/token before full approval. With that in hand you can fence, set a small site office, and prep the ground. Do not pour footings or slabs until your stamped structural drawings are cleared—fines aside, you risk a redesign mid-excavation.

Cashflow note: if you’re aligning bank disbursements with build milestones, line up your facility now. Our Home financing hub and the Mortgage calculator can help you time cash to planned pours.

Day 2–6: Utilities Applications (LESCO, SNGPL) in Parallel

Apply for power first. LESCO wants proof of ownership, CNIC, the Site Plan, a wiring contractor’s test report (WT form), and a load application—5–7 kW is a sensible domestic start. Expect a demand notice and security around PKR 25,000–60,000, with installations in 10–30 working days in new sectors—subject to transformer loads. Ask for a 1–2 kW temporary construction supply; it’s cheaper and quieter than running a diesel generator all day. Keep meter placement off the porch approach where concrete trucks will roll.

Gas is the long pole. SNGPL files in new sectors can take 90–180 days. Application plus security commonly falls around PKR 15,000–35,000. Keep DHA’s trenching/NOC letter ready so your file doesn’t bounce. In practice, you’ll build on electric geysers or LPG initially; plan hot-water and kitchen rough-ins to be dual-ready.

Water for construction is by tanker in Prism for now. Current working rates in Lahore sit around PKR 2,500–4,000 per 1,000 gallons (Sept 2026). One 1 Kanal footing cycle can drink 15–25 tankers depending on soil moisture and curing discipline. Tips that avoid chaos: - Book a reliable bowser vendor for early mornings to dodge traffic and get uninterrupted concrete cures. - Park a 1,000–2,000 gallon plastic tank inside the site to buffer supply. - Maintain a curing log—date, location, and gallons used—to catch areas crews “forget.”

Day 3–8: Soil, Structure, and BOQ—Lock Numbers Before Q4 Rush

Order your soil investigation immediately—two boreholes to refusal, typically 25–35 ft in Prism’s plains, SPT at intervals, and a geotech report with allowable bearing capacity. Budget PKR 25,000–45,000, 2–3 working days. I’ve seen foundations swing from isolated footings to a full raft after soil data landed—steel and concrete can move 8–15% on the back of this decision. Don’t wing it.

With soil data, your structural engineer can issue stamped drawings and a BOQ that breaks the big-ticket items into plain numbers: - Rebar (Grade 60) in tons, with bar diameters by element. - Concrete in cubic feet or cubic meters, with mix designs for lean (PCC), footings, columns, beams, and slabs. - Brick/block counts for foundation and superstructure, and mortar ratios.

Material benchmarks in Lahore as of 2026 (always confirm before you buy): - Cement: PKR 1,300–1,450 per bag - Rebar (60-grade): PKR 250,000–310,000 per ton - A‑grade bricks: PKR 14,000–18,000 per 1,000

Use the BOQ to time purchases before the usual year-end price creep. If you have storage and a watchman, consider locking 30–50% of rebar early—offload to raised wooden skids, tarped, never straight on soil. For pours, demand proper concrete QC: slump tests target 3–4" with admixture (not extra water), and concrete cubes for each major element (at least one set per slab or as your engineer specifies) with a local lab log. Put it in your contractor agreement; don’t rely on “ustaad ki aankh.”

Excavation planning: - Machine excavation for typical Prism soils: PKR 45–65 per cft (soft to medium). Manual work: PKR 120+ per cft. - Confirm final depth and safe side slopes from structural drawings; trench boxes or shoring if you’re going deeper or see seepage. - Allocate disposal runs. In B, C, N, P, haul distances vary. Use DHA-designated dumping only—unauthorised tipping triggers fines. Keep truck challans and geo-tagged photos of the disposal site in your file.

If you’re still aligning budgets to scope, run your BOQ quantities through our Construction cost calculator. For a broader market view while you decide how much to build now vs later, the Property price index and recent Sold prices can help ground your expectations about overbuilding or holding cash for finishes.

Day 6–11: Site Setup, Safety, and DHA NOCs to Break Ground

Get the site civilised before you dig. In Prism, open plots collect materials and curious passersby. Basic temporary works and their usual costs: - Site office container: PKR 120,000–180,000 to buy, or PKR 15,000–25,000/month to rent. A small desk with lockable drawers, plan hangers, and a whiteboard is enough. - Perimeter: GI sheet or chain-link fence at PKR 140–200 per running foot; set posts in lean concrete and tie the bottom so sheets don’t flap in windstorms. - Gate: PKR 25,000–45,000 for a lockable panel gate wide enough for dumpers. - Sanitation: One portable toilet or a lined pit with privacy screens; cheap, but it stops workers from using neighbours’ walls and avoids complaints. - Power and water: Hook the temporary meter and park your water tank where bowsers can reverse safely without crushing pegs. - First aid and PPE: Stock a proper kit; require helmets during excavation and slab formwork. It’s not overkill—one incident shuts a site for days.

DHA often takes refundable debris/road protection securities in the PKR 50,000–100,000 range. Get official receipts. The refund usually requires a clean site handover—no road cutting, no material encroachment, and waste removed. Understand the refund conditions now; don’t leave it to the final week.

Common mistakes in Prism that draw fines or create delays: - Excavating without the stamped demarcation sketch. - Parking bricks, sand, or crush on the carriageway instead of inside the plot. - Working past permitted hours; loaders at midnight are how you get neighbour complaints. - Trenching across footpaths for utilities without the written NOC.

Use a daily site logbook: weather, labour headcount, deliveries (with volumes and supplier), tests done (slump, cubes), photos of progress, and any incidents. That record pays for itself when there’s a dispute.

If you want a single place to keep your planning tools handy, bookmark our Property tools hub alongside your drive folder.

Day 9–14: Contractor Lock-in and Mobilisation

Price the work like a grown-up: send your BOQ and drawings to 2–3 grey contractors and demand itemised quotes. In 2026 Lahore, labour-only rates commonly sit around: - 10 Marla grey labour: PKR 650–800 per sft - 1 Kanal grey labour: PKR 600–750 per sft

Rates trend lower for larger, simpler footprints and rise with basements, tight access, and complex spans. Resist the rock-bottom outlier; hidden recoveries show up as weak concrete, poor covers, and hurried curing.

If you’re going materials-managed (contractor supplies), be painfully specific in the contract: - Rebar: Grade 60, mill test certificates produced on delivery. - Cement: Shortlist acceptable brands; no swapping mid-project without approval. - Crush: Nominal sizes per element (e.g., 3/4" for structural concrete), clean and well-graded. - Bricks/blocks: A‑grade only for superstructure; foundation brick may differ as per engineer. - Concrete QC: Slump on every pour, and concrete cubes—minimum one set per slab or as per engineer. Name the lab up front. - BBS (Bar-bending schedule): Signed by structural engineer and contractor before first footing pour. - Curing: Minimum days and method (flooding/soaker hoses) in writing.

Contract mechanics that protect you: 1. Milestone payments: Pegged to plinth complete, DPC, ground slab cast, each slab cast, roof parapet, and grey completion. Avoid time-only triggers. 2. Retention: Hold 5% till grey completion plus 30 days. 3. Penalties: For out-of-spec concrete cover, improper laps, missing chairs, or rebar exposed to the elements (e.g., PKR 50,000 per non-conformance, rectification at contractor’s cost). Include a right to appoint a third-party engineer for random checks. 4. Safety and housekeeping: Non-negotiable—excavation barricades, night reflectors, safe access ladders, and garbage control.

Mobilise without drama: - Book the excavator with operator and fuel sorted; keep one spare dewatering pump on standby from June to September. - Peg the foundation grid afresh, then set batter boards outside excavation lines so you can re-pull strings after digging. - Arrange delivery of lean concrete (PCC 1:4:8, 3–4 inches thick) to cast the base of footings the same day as excavation—especially in wet or collapsible soils. It seals moisture and stabilises the bed. - Termite proofing plan ready (chemical, rates, and sequence) for post-excavation, pre-DPC. - Sleeves for future services (water, gas, power, drains) shown and installed early—punching later ruins concrete integrity.

Two more smart moves in Prism’s B, C, N, P blocks: - Keep a monsoon kit: tarps, sandbags, submersible pump, and diversion trenches to the road drain. A 30-minute storm can fill a footing trench. - Night security: a basic watchman plus one motion light. Rebar theft happens fast.

From Day 14 into your first concrete week, this is the rhythm that avoids rework: - Confirm cube moulds are on site; lab pickup arranged. - Re-verify bar cover with physical spacers: 1.5" in slabs, 2" in beams, 2.5–3" in footings (as your engineer specifies). - Photograph steel in each footing and label by grid (A1, A2…) before pour. - Cross-check mix tickets or on-site batch logs; reject watery mixes—ask for admixture, not extra water. - Start a curing roster the day of casting and assign names to zones.

If you’re matching scope to cash in real time, keep your numbers honest with the Construction cost calculator. And if a change in plan has you weighing hold vs sell after grey stage, study comparable outcomes via Sold prices before you commit to finishes.

Finally, stay a week ahead on procurement: order next-lift rebar, book shuttering sets, line up brick deliveries, and confirm bowser schedules. Grey structure moves fast when decisions are made one cycle earlier than the work—slow only when quality is at stake.