5 Marla vs 10 Marla House: Space, Construction Cost, Rooms and Resale Compared

Five and ten marla are the two most common plot sizes in the housing societies around Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Choosing between them is mostly a trade-off between budget and space, but a few less obvious factors — parking, separate floors, running costs and who will buy it from you later — often decide it. Figures below use the 225 sq ft marla used by Twin Cities societies; see our marla and kanal guide if your documents use a different one.

Land and covered area

• 5 marla — 1,125 sq ft of land, commonly 25 × 45 ft. On two floors at about 85% coverage, roughly 1,912 sq ft of covered area.
• 10 marla — 2,250 sq ft of land, commonly around 35 × 65 ft. On two floors at about 80% coverage, roughly 3,600 sq ft of covered area.

A 10 marla house usually leaves more open space — a real lawn and a wider car porch — because larger plots have larger setbacks. Check the exact footprint with the Buildable Area calculator.

What fits inside

Layouts vary with the architect, but typical double-storey arrangements are:

5 marla

• 3 to 4 bedrooms with attached baths
• A drawing room and a lounge, sometimes combined on the ground floor
• One kitchen
• Parking for one car
• A small lawn or none

10 marla

• 5 to 6 bedrooms, often split so each floor works as a self-contained unit
• Separate drawing and dining, plus a lounge on each floor
• A kitchen on each floor if the family wants separate portions
• Parking for two cars
• A proper lawn

The ability to run the upper and lower floors as separate portions is often the deciding factor for joint families — and for rental income.

Construction cost

Construction is priced per square foot of covered area. At the indicative September 2026 standard rates in our Construction Cost calculator (about PKR 2,100 per sq ft grey structure and PKR 3,200 finishing):

• 5 marla: about PKR 40 lac grey structure + PKR 61 lac finishing = about PKR 1 crore
• 10 marla: about PKR 76 lac grey structure + PKR 1.15 crore finishing = about PKR 1.9 crore

Finishing choices move these a lot in both directions. Our detailed construction cost breakdown for Islamabad works through economy and luxury finishing too.

Running costs

A larger house costs more to keep: more rooms to cool and heat, larger electricity bills, more to paint and repair, and often higher society maintenance charges. Solar can offset a lot of the electricity cost — the Rooftop Solar Planner sizes a system for either house, and a 10 marla roof fits considerably more panels.

Rent and resale

• 5 marla houses sit in the most affordable price bracket for families, so the pool of buyers and tenants is wider, and they tend to sell and let faster.
• 10 marla houses attract fewer but better-funded buyers and tenants. Upper and lower portions can be let separately, which can improve the rental income per square foot.

Compare the numbers for a specific property with the Rental Yield calculator.

How to decide

Choose 5 marla if:

• Your family is four to five people.
• Budget is the main constraint, or you want to build without finance.
• You value easy resale and letting.

Choose 10 marla if:

• You have a larger or joint family who need separate floors.
• You need parking for two cars or a real lawn.
• You plan to let one portion and live in the other.

A middle path

Seven and eight marla plots sit between the two and are available in many societies. So is building a 5 marla house on three floors where byelaws allow — though stairs and structure take a bigger share of the space.

Whatever you choose, check the society’s approval and possession status first — our buyer’s guide to real estate in Islamabad lists the checks — and see our Faisal Hills construction rates for fixed block-wise prices.