City villa or classic gabled roof house? Advantages? Costs?

Jaydee - yes, I do realize that you can also put a gable roof on a two-story house. But then I also have two full stories and no small slopes for coziness in the upper floor. And the house then also looks significantly bulkier. And we want a basement, so we don't need any additional space under the roof.

That's why I mentioned the example of our acquaintances:

Acquaintances of ours have a knee wall of 2.10 m, so plenty of space for normal windows and placing options and still a gable roof. The attic is not developed, but has an exposed truss, which looks very cozy due to the wooden cladding.

With a room height of 2.10 m, one already speaks of a full story, even though it is not a complete floor. But that might be a compromise. No dormers or skylights would be needed because usually windows fit into the eaves side here as well.

In our house, we have a knee wall of 1.80 m; inside with floor coverings, we now have about 1.65 m. In hindsight, I find that too low because we really lose one side for placing furniture.

But we also have so-called "knee wall windows" in the upper floor, which give us some additional light. (see avatar)

Good evening Yvonne,


Sorry, this statement is not correct. In NRW, the OP is allowed to place garages up to a total length of 15.00 m on the boundary; unless the development plan explicitly provides otherwise. So 9.00 m on the left and 6.00 m on the right or 7.50 m on both sides or any other dimension totaling 15.00 m. It does not matter whether a single or a double garage is on one side; as long as the building envelope allows it.

Rhenish greetings

In Saarland, we are even allowed to build up to 12 m per property boundary. Therefore, a maximum of up to 24 m boundary construction.

In Saarland, we are even allowed to build up to 12m per property boundary. So a maximum of 24m boundary development.

Really? In the extreme case, even 48m boundary development (12m x 4 property sides)?

In our area in BW, the rule is a total of 15m, of which a maximum of 9m on one property side.

Hello Dirk,

Really? In extreme cases even 48m boundary construction (12m x 4 plot sides)?

Certainly not; only to the right and left of the single-family house

However, it should be the same to the responsible building authority whether 1 or 2 garages are placed on each side if the plot offers enough space; at least that is how it is regulated in NRW.

Rhineland regards

What is it with all of you and your floor space???? Does a large 3m wardrobe have to fit on all four sides of a room? I just can't understand that... Flexibility or not, but one big tall wall per room is enough... Depending on the knee wall and room, you can also put a bed, dresser, reading or cozy corner, or a couch under the slope. Good planning is everything. Besides, there are also completely different types of houses. Do you have no idea at all about the kind of house you would like? Haven't you seen anything you like? Usually, people have some idea of their own house, don't they?!

What is wrong with all of you and your floor space???? Does a large 3m wardrobe always have to fit on all four sides of a room?

Not on all four sides, but a wardrobe has to fit at all and also in such a way that I can still use the rest of the room sensibly. The larger the house, of course, the easier that is. It’s all a matter of budget.

Depending on the knee wall and the room, a bed, dresser, reading or cozy corner, or a couch can also be placed under the slope.

You already said it, it depends on the knee wall. My parents have been renting an attic apartment for many years, in which I also lived for a few more years. If I remember correctly, the interior measurement was 95 cm knee wall with about a 45° roof pitch. Although none of us are particularly tall, I personally found that much too little. After a while, you no longer bumped your head, but you lost space because the sofa, corner bench, bed, etc. could not be placed against the wall. The bedroom wardrobes and the kitchen were custom-made, which should also be considered in the budget planning if applicable.

Since I lived in the apartment with my parents for several years, I can understand the argument of “coziness,” but I also know all the disadvantages just as well.
Here are a few not mentioned:
For people who are light sleepers or have cleaning obsessions, I would not recommend roof windows, for example.
A lot of snowfall can mean that the roof windows are completely covered or need to be cleared of snow with effort.