Lot coverage calculator for a house
Enter your lot and see how much of it a house may cover under the National Building Code of the Philippines, how much a 2 m clearance from the property line leaves, and how far a window must stand from the neighbour. Each result names the law its figure comes from.
It is for a single house. The decree puts row houses and apartment buildings in Group B, which Section 708 does not cover. The 50 sqm house design guide works the calculation through for a 50 m² and a 100 m² lot, and the corner lot house design guide covers what the larger corner figure means for the design.
Result
Enter the lot area to see how much of it the house may cover. The result updates as you type.
The figures, and where each one comes from
Read from the text of the decree and the Civil Code as the Official Gazette publishes them. The reason beside each figure is the law's own condition.
| Rule | Figure | Source and condition |
|---|---|---|
| Most a house may cover, inside lot | 80 percent | PD 1096 Section 708(a), for a dwelling (Group A); row houses and apartment buildings are Group B (Section 701) |
| Most a house may cover, corner lot | 90 percent | PD 1096 Section 708(a), on the same condition; the decree does not define a corner lot |
| House to the property line | 2.00 m | PD 1096 Section 708(a), subject to the Civil Code on light and view |
| Eaves over required windows to the side and rear lines | 0.75 m | PD 1096 Section 704(a) |
| How coverage is measured | ground level | PD 1096 Section 802(a), leaving out courts, yards and light wells |
| Wall with windows or a balcony looking onto the next lot | 2.00 m | Civil Code Article 670, measured from the outer line of the wall, or of the balcony if it projects (Article 671). A window kept too close for years earns no right to stay: the Code says non-observance does not give rise to prescription |
| Side or oblique view onto the next lot | 0.60 m | Civil Code Article 670, measured from the dividing line (Article 671) |
| Openings allowed in a wall closer than that | 30 cm square | Civil Code Article 669: only in a wall that is not a party wall, at the ceiling joists or just under the ceiling, with an iron grating imbedded in the wall and a wire screen. The neighbour may still close them by acquiring part of the wall, or block them by building, unless an easement of light has been acquired |
| When the window distances do not apply | 3.00 m | Civil Code Article 672: buildings separated by a public way or alley at least this wide, subject to special regulations and local ordinances |
| Building near a view the neighbour has a right to | 3.00 m | Civil Code Article 673, once a right to direct views has been acquired by any title, such as a contract; a contract allowing less than Article 670 is void |
| Rainwater from the roof | own land | Civil Code Article 674: onto your own land or a street, never the neighbour's, and collected so that it does not damage the land next door |
| Tall tree to the boundary | 2.00 m | Civil Code Article 679, where no local ordinance or custom sets another distance. A neighbour may demand that a tree planted closer be uprooted, including one that grew by itself |
| Shrub or small tree to the boundary | 0.50 m | Civil Code Article 679, on the same condition |
The decree's own words
“The dwelling shall occupy not more than ninety percent of a corner lot and eighty percent of an inside lot, and subject to the provisions on Easement on Light and View of the Civil Code of the Philippines, shall be at least 2 meters from the property line.”
The section says “the property line” without saying which one. The calculator shows what a 2 m clearance on every side would leave, which is the literal reading. It is not necessarily the strictest: zoning or the implementing rules can set a deeper front setback, and for its own purposes Section 704 treats the centre line of an adjoining street as a property line. Whether a side may be built closer, for example against a wall on the boundary, is a question for the implementing rules and your building official.
“No windows, apertures, balconies, or other similar projections which afford a direct view upon or towards an adjoining land or tenement can be made, without leaving a distance of two meters between the wall in which they are made and such contiguous property.”
Sources: Presidential Decree No. 1096, the National Building Code of the Philippines, Sections 701, 704, 708, 802 and 803, and Republic Act No. 386, the Civil Code of the Philippines, Articles 669 to 674 and 679, as published by the Official Gazette: PD 1096 and the Civil Code.
What the calculator does not cover
- Zoning and the implementing rules. Section 803 of the decree says the maximum site occupancy depends on the use, type of construction and height of the building and on the site, “subject to the provisions of the local zoning requirements”. Your zone can allow less than Section 708 does, so check both.
- Row houses and apartments. Section 701 puts them in Group B, and Section 709 leaves their location on the lot to the implementing rules. The 80 and 90 percent figures are for a single dwelling.
- Subdivision restrictions. A subdivision's deed restrictions can set their own setbacks and coverage, stricter than the code. Read them before design starts.
- Floor area over several storeys. The calculator deals with the ground floor. Section 708 says nothing about total floor area; that comes from the implementing rules and your zoning.
- A lot you have not bought yet. A consultation for future home buyers checks the lot, its restrictions and what fits on it before you commit, and custom house design takes it from there.
- The rooms inside. The room size and ceiling height checker tests each room against the code's minimums, and the guide to choosing a lot covers what to check before you buy.
- Right of way, drainage and riverbanks. The guide to right of way and easements covers the rest of what the Civil Code and the Water Code say a lot owes its neighbours.
Want to know what fits on your lot?
Arktektura designs houses from the lot up across Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac and Olongapo, starting from the title, the zoning and the setbacks.