How much of your land can you actually build on? After setbacks, what’s left?

The setback reality: You can’t build all the way to the edge of your plot. There are rules. Front, back, left, right, you need to leave space. This calculator shows you what’s buildable.

How to use:

1. Enter your plot length in feet
2. Enter your plot width in feet
3. Select location/zone (residential, commercial, mixed use, or estate)
4. It auto-fills standard setbacks for that zone (but you can change them)
5. Get your results:
   • Total plot area
   • Buildable area
   • Coverage percentage
   • Recommendations based on your coverage

Those location presets are gold:

• Residential: 6ft front, 6ft rear, 3ft sides
• Commercial: 9ft front, 6ft rear, 3ft sides
• Estate/GRA: 10ft front, 9ft rear, 6ft sides

When you’ll need this:

You buy a 50ft × 100ft plot (5,000 sq ft) in a residential area. Standard setbacks: 6ft front, 6ft back (leaves 88ft length), 3ft left, 3ft right (leaves 44ft width). Buildable area: 88ft × 44ft = 3,872 sq ft. You can use 77.4% of your land.

Why this matters: Architects charge you based on buildable area. Contractors quote based on what can be built. This tells you the reality before you start dreaming too big.

That recommendations section: Based on your coverage percentage, it tells you if you have good space for outdoor areas, if you should consider going up (multiple floors), or if you’re maximizing the plot well.

Pro tip: Do this BEFORE buying land. If a plot has weird setback requirements that eat up most of the space, maybe look for a different plot.