Demand for houses in Clifton, Karachi, has increased by nearly 25% in the last three years, and this prime residential area continues to attract investment from across Pakistan. Consequently, an increasing number of people are purchasing houses there and renovating or rebuilding them, either to live in, to rent or resell.
Before construction can begin, plans must be submitted for approval to the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC). This process usually takes between one to two months. Plans must follow colour codes. For example, red coloured plans are used to ask for permission to construct a new house, black is used for renovations and yellow for demolitions.
If you are thinking about renovating or rebuilding a house, factor in the following bylaws enforced by the CBC.
1. The height of rooms, boundary walls and other features.
●Basements: 8-12 feet
●Parapet walls (on roofs and balconies):4 feet (maximum)
●Rooms on the ground floor: 9.5-12 feet
●Rooms on the first floor: 9.5-10.5 feet
●Boundary walls: 6-8 feet.
2. The minimum sizes of rooms.
●Bedrooms, living rooms and lounges: 100 square feet
●Bathrooms: 24 square feet
●Car porches: 140 square feet
●Kitchens: 50 square feet.
●Rooms for guards: 65 square feet (maximum)
3. Other bylaws include:
●Passages and corridors must be at least 3.5 feet wide
●No residential unit can be more than two storeys.
●Plots measuring under 800 square yards cannot be sub-divided.
●Placing “billboards and antenna towers on houses and apartments is strictly prohibited.
By Uzma Nawaz. Information provided by Board, Clifton.