Things to Settle Before You Start a Building Design

Start with the land papers

Every approving authority asks for proof that the applicant owns the land, or has the right to build on it. That usually means the deed (dolil), the mutation record (namjari) and khatian in the current owner's name, and recent land tax receipts. If the land was inherited, bought in parts, or is being developed under an agreement with a developer, more documents are usually needed.

Problems with these papers are one of the most common reasons a project stalls. Sort them out first, or in parallel with the early design work. A good design cannot be approved on land whose ownership is in doubt.

Find out which authority controls the plot

Who approves the building depends on where the land is. In the Dhaka metropolitan area it is RAJUK. In its area of Gazipur it is GAUK, the Gazipur Development Authority. In many district towns, such as Fulbaria, it is the local Paurashava.

Each authority applies its own building rules: setbacks from the plot boundary, how much of the plot can be covered, the permitted floor area, and the maximum height. Under RAJUK's rules, for example, the width of the road in front of the plot affects how large and how tall the building can be. These limits shape the design from the first sketch, so they need to be known before anything is drawn. Our plan approval service starts with exactly this check.

Survey the plot before drawing on it

The dimensions on a deed are often different from the plot on the ground. Boundaries shift, neighbours build over the line, and roads get widened. A digital land survey records what is actually there:

• The boundary lines and the true plot area.
• Ground levels, which decide the plinth height and drainage.
• The width of the access road.
• Neighbouring buildings, drains, trees, and overhead lines close to the boundary.

The architectural layout and the approval drawings both depend on these measurements.

Test the soil early

Ground conditions in Bangladesh change sharply over short distances. Filled land, soft clay, loose silty sand, and high groundwater are all common, sometimes on neighbouring plots. The soil report decides whether the building can sit on shallow footings or needs a mat or piles, and that decision can change the foundation cost considerably.

A soil investigation done before the structural design starts means the foundation is designed from evidence, not from a guess or from the plot next door. Our guide to reading a soil report explains what the investigation involves.

Decide the final number of floors now

Many owners build two or three floors first and add more later. That is a sensible way to spread the cost, but only if the foundation and columns are designed for the final height from the beginning. A building designed for three floors cannot safely carry six just because its columns look strong.

Tell your engineer the final number of floors you want, even if it is years away. The structural design can then provide for it, and the drawings will record what the building was designed to carry.

Write down a simple brief

A brief does not need to be long. One page that answers these questions is enough to start:

• What will the building be used for: a family home, rented flats, shops, offices, or a factory?
• How many floors now, and how many in the end?
• How many units per floor, and roughly what size?
• Is parking, a lift, a generator room, or a roof garden needed?
• What is the approximate budget, and when do you want to start?

Clear answers early mean fewer changes once the drawings are under way, and changes are cheapest before the structure is designed.

Set a budget with a margin

Construction prices in Bangladesh move with the cost of rod (reinforcing steel), cement, bricks, and labour. A cost estimate prepared from the drawings gives a realistic figure for each stage of work. Keeping a contingency for price changes avoids having to stop half-way.

Keep the work connected

Survey, soil investigation, planning, structural design, and approval are often handled by different people who never speak to each other. Information gets lost between them: the survey is not used for the plan, or the structure is designed before the soil report arrives. Planning them as one sequence, with one team holding the information, is the simplest way to avoid redesign.