Bought a plot and wondering what you can build on it? Enter the plot size and your city’s setbacks, choose the number of floors, and see the building footprint, the built-up and carpet area per floor, which BHK fits (compact or comfortable), and whether a car fits in front. Part of our free home planning tools.
How to use the plot planner
- Enter the plot width along the road and its depth, or tap a common size such as 30 × 40.
- Enter the setbacks for your plot from your city’s bylaw: front, rear and both sides.
- Choose the number of floors, and tick stilt if the ground floor will be parking.
- Optionally enter the maximum ground coverage and FAR / FSI to check what is allowed.
- Choose whether one family uses all floors or there is a home on each floor, and read what fits.
- Open Room sizes we assume to see the room list, then download a PNG or share the result.
Plot & BHK Planner
What you can build on your plot: footprint, built-up and carpet area, and which BHK fits
What fits
Checks
Room sizes we assume
Planning estimate. Setbacks, coverage, FAR, height and parking rules come from your city's building bylaws and decide what is actually allowed. Carpet area assumes about 15% for walls and ducts and 90 sq ft per floor for a staircase. An architect must prepare the plans for approval.
How the planner works
Footprint = (plot width − left and right setbacks) × (plot depth − front and rear setbacks), reduced if it is more than your ground coverage limit. Built-up area is the footprint on every floor. Carpet area takes about 15% off for walls and ducts, and 90 sq ft per floor for an internal staircase when there is an upper floor. The carpet area is then compared with two room programmes:
| Rooms | Compact | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| Master bedroom | 10 × 11 ft | 12 × 12 ft |
| Other bedrooms | 10 × 10 ft | 10 × 12 ft |
| Toilet (one per bedroom) | 4 × 7 ft | 5 × 8 ft |
| Hall | 10 × 12 ft, dining in the hall | 12 × 15 ft + 10 × 10 ft dining |
| Kitchen | 7 × 8 ft | 8 × 10 ft + utility; pooja 4 × 5 ft |
| Carpet needed (with passages) | 1BHK 345 · 2BHK 530 · 3BHK 671 · 4BHK 812 sq ft | 1BHK 524 · 2BHK 838 · 3BHK 1017 · 4BHK 1196 sq ft |
What fits on common plot sizes
With example setbacks of 5 ft in front and 3 ft at the rear and sides, two floors (G+1):
| Plot | Footprint per floor | Carpet per floor | A home on each floor | One house over two floors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 × 30 ft (no side setbacks) | 440 sq ft | 284 sq ft | Smaller than a 1BHK | Comfortable 1BHK |
| 30 × 40 ft | 768 sq ft | 563 sq ft | Compact 2BHK or comfortable 1BHK | Comfortable 3BHK |
| 30 × 50 ft | 1,008 sq ft | 767 sq ft | Compact 3BHK or comfortable 1BHK | Comfortable 5BHK+ |
| 40 × 60 ft | 1,768 sq ft | 1,413 sq ft | 5BHK+ (or two flats) | Large house with spare rooms |
Your city’s setbacks can be larger or smaller than these, especially for bigger plots, wider roads and taller buildings. Change them in the tool to see your own numbers.
Plot area, built-up area and carpet area
Plot area is the whole land. Built-up area is the floor area of the building including its walls; on one floor it equals the footprint. Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls. FAR (or FSI) caps the total built-up area on all floors: plot area × FAR. Use our FAR calculator for the full FAR and coverage working, and our carpet vs built-up area guide for the definitions.
Next steps after the plot planner
Once you know what fits, sketch the rooms and their Vastu zones in the Vastu floor plan designer (it has ready 30 × 40 east- and north-facing layouts), size the staircase, the water tank and the septic tank, and estimate the budget with the construction cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many BHK can be built on a 30×40 plot?
A 30 × 40 ft plot (1200 sq ft) with setbacks of about 5 ft in front and 3 ft on the other sides leaves a footprint of about 24 × 32 ft (768 sq ft) per floor. After walls and an internal staircase that is roughly 560 sq ft of carpet: a compact 2BHK or a comfortable 1BHK on each floor, or a comfortable 3BHK as one house over two floors. Your city’s setbacks change this.
What is the difference between plot area, built-up area and carpet area?
Plot area is the whole land. Built-up area is the floor area of the building including its walls; on one floor it is the footprint left after setbacks. Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls, usually about 80 to 85 percent of built-up area in a house, less again for a staircase.
What are setbacks in house construction?
Setbacks are the open margins that must be left between the building and the plot boundary at the front, rear and sides. They depend on the plot size, road width and building height, and are set by each city’s building bylaws, so check the values for your plot before planning.
How much carpet area does a 2BHK need?
A compact 2BHK with 10 × 10 ft bedrooms, a 10 × 12 ft hall, a 7 × 8 ft kitchen and two small toilets needs about 530 sq ft of carpet area. A comfortable 2BHK with a 12 × 12 ft master bedroom, separate dining and larger kitchen needs about 840 sq ft.
Can I park a car in the front setback?
A car needs a space of about 2.5 × 5 m (8 × 16.5 ft). If the front setback is at least that deep, many plots park a car there; otherwise a stilt (parking) floor is used. Some cities do not allow parking or covered structures in setbacks, so check the rules.
How is the number of floors decided?
The FAR (or FSI) caps the total built-up area: plot area × FAR. Divide that by the built-up area of one floor to see how many floors are allowed. Height limits, road width and parking rules can lower it further.
Sources and limitations
The planner applies the setbacks, coverage and FAR you enter; it does not know your city’s rules. Room sizes are typical Indian sizes chosen for planning, and the carpet-area allowance for walls and stairs is an approximation. Report errors via our Corrections Policy; see our Editorial Policy and Methodology.
Disclaimer: Online educational publication only. Not a substitute for licensed architectural or legal services. Full disclaimer · contact@speakarch.com
Last updated: 8 November 2026