Plot area, carpet area and built-up area: what is the difference?
Plot area is the land your house stands on. Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls. Built-up area adds the walls and balconies, and super built-up area adds a share of a building's common areas. For a house, ask the plot area and the room sizes; at Lake Tree Avenue the plots are 703 to 1,050 sq ft.
Two homes advertised at the same "area" can differ by a third in what you can actually use. The words are the reason. This page explains them, shows how to compare a house with a flat, and sets out our own figures as the developer has issued them.
Written by Kinjal Mehta, civil engineer (MSU Baroda) and partner, TAM Developers.
Published: · Last reviewed:
We build townhouses on this road. Lake Tree Avenue is our project, so read this guide knowing who wrote it.
What does each area mean?
| Term | What it measures | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Plot area | The land: the plot of ground the house stands on, with its boundaries | Houses, bungalows, plots |
| Carpet area | The usable floor inside the outer walls, including internal partition walls, but not balconies, shafts or an open terrace | Flats and houses; the fairest figure to compare |
| Built-up area | Carpet area plus the walls, and usually balconies | Building permissions, some listings |
| Super built-up area | Built-up area plus a share of the building's lobbies, stairs, lifts and other common areas | Flats, especially in towers |
Carpet area is the one with a definition in law: the net usable floor area of a home, excluding the area covered by the outer walls, service shafts, exclusive balconies and an exclusive open terrace, but including internal partition walls. Built-up and super built-up area have no legal definition; each project decides what it counts, so ask.
Why do flats quote super built-up area?
Because it is the biggest number. In a tower, the stairs, lift lobbies and common corridors are shared out over all the flats and added to each one's area. The gap between super built-up and carpet area is often called the loading. The bigger the loading, the less of what you pay for is inside your front door.
When you compare flats, put every one on carpet area. If a price is quoted per sq ft, ask: per sq ft of which area?
How do you compare a house with a flat?
A house has no common corridor inside it, so there is no loading. Compare three things instead:
- The rooms: add up the floor area of the rooms from the room sizes, and compare it with the flat's carpet area.
- The land: a house comes with its own plot; a flat comes with an undivided share of the building's land.
- What is outside the rooms: a terrace, a front step, a wash area and parking that are yours, versus balconies and a basement bay.
Our houses, for example: adding up the living room, kitchen, both bedrooms and all three bathrooms from the drawings gives about 678 sq ft for Type A and 672 sq ft for Type B, before the store, wash area, staircase, balconies and walls, and with a private terrace on top. More on this in searching for a 2 BHK flat?.
How do square feet, square metres and square yards convert?
In Gujarat, land is often spoken of in square yards, called vaar. One vaar is 9 square feet, or about 0.836 square metres. One square metre is about 10.76 square feet.
| sq ft | sq m | sq yd (vaar) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest plot at Lake Tree Avenue | 703 | 65.3 | 78.1 |
| Largest plot at Lake Tree Avenue | 1,050 | 97.5 | 116.7 |
| Rooms added up, Type A | 678 | 63.0 | 75.3 |
| Rooms added up, Type B | 672 | 62.4 | 74.7 |
What are the plot areas at Lake Tree Avenue?
All 48 plots, as the developer has issued them, fall into three groups:
| Plot area (sq ft) | Number of plots | Plot numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 703 to 714 | 31 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 |
| 822 to 898 | 7 | 11, 24, 25, 36, 41, 42, 48 |
| 901 to 1,050 | 10 | 1, 6, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 30, 31, 35 |
The house built on each plot is the same plan (Type A on plots 1 to 6, Type B on plots 7 to 48). A bigger plot is a corner or the head of a row, and gives you more open land around the house, not more rooms. Every plot is on the site plan, where you can see which is which.
What should you ask any developer?
- Which area is the price based on: carpet, built-up or super built-up?
- What is the carpet area, in writing?
- For a house: what plot area will the sale deed state, and does it match the approved layout?
- What is counted in built-up area: balconies, the staircase, the terrace?
- Are the room sizes measured wall to wall, from the drawings?
Questions on this topic
What is the difference between carpet area and built-up area?
Carpet area is the usable floor inside the outer walls. Built-up area adds the walls and usually the balconies. Super built-up area also adds a share of the building's common areas.
How many square feet is one vaar?
One vaar, or square yard, is 9 square feet, about 0.836 square metres.
What is the plot area of a Lake Tree Avenue house?
From 703 to 1,050 sq ft, plot by plot. Type A plots (1 to 6) are 703 to 1,041 sq ft and Type B plots (7 to 48) are 707 to 1,050 sq ft. Every plot is on the site plan.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked on 12 October 2026. Rules and rates change; check them again before you sign.
More guides like this
- The cost of buying a home: Every cost on top of the price: GST, stamp duty, registration, developer charges, loan costs and upkeep.
- Documents to check: 7/12, 8-A, NA order, building permission, title, jantri and the agreement to sell, and what each one tells you.
- Questions to ask before booking: A first-time buyer's checklist, and the usual steps from booking to keys.
Come and stand in it.
A floor plan is a drawing. A picture is a picture. Neither tells you how the living room feels at four in the afternoon.
Tell us when you can come. We will keep the house open, keep an hour free, and walk the avenue with you. Site visits happen every day.