Development plan and the resulting house plan

You can build a gable roof with one very short and one very long roof side. That is then like a shed roof slanted on the higher side. The gables don’t have to be the same length. Then you have 2 purlins lying at different heights. Talk to the building authority about which of the purlins should be used for the roof height regulation (better the higher one on the short gable part). This way you can gain a very usable upper floor. Building very cheaply and complying with KFW40 somehow don’t fit well together.

Speak with the building authority about which of the purlins should be used for the roof height regulation

"The height of knee walls, measured from the top edge of the ceiling to the intersection of the outer edge of the masonry with the top edge of the purlin, must not exceed 0.5m."

I don’t read anything about "a purlin of your choice," so I also see both knee walls height-limited asymmetrically. At best, one eaves side could run set back along part of its length, but within the given framework, I don’t see that making much difference. At most, a bat dormer could be argued as "no roof structure." But the intent is clear here, and with that come corresponding chances to reject tricks.

I read nothing about "a purlin of your choice," so I see both knee walls height-limited asymmetrically.

With the proposed solution, it is possible to work with only one knee wall. It concerns the reference purlin in an asymmetrical construction of the gable roof. This is certainly something that can be discussed.

So, I was at the municipality earlier:

- I interpreted everything from the development plan and the statutes correctly.
- It will probably be a bungalow with a somewhat expandable attic, which, however, provides significantly less space than the ground floor.
- If I want to deviate from the development plan, I can submit a free building inquiry. If it's only about minor deviations, she said I might have a chance, but for larger ones probably not. And they also consider if there are already other deviations from the development plan in the building area. So maybe I can have the knee wall raised a bit or get a dormer approved, etc. But a large knee wall of 1 to 1.5m probably won’t be possible.

Now I know where I stand for the time being.

The next step will be to play around a bit with (Sweet Home 3D) and see how much usable space in the attic is possible with which floor area.

Tendentially, I currently like the idea of having complete living rooms on the ground floor and then the office, utility room + storage room in the attic. It would probably be a good compromise between space utilization and not needing too much floor area.

How the roof pitch will turn out still needs to be seen. A steeper roof pitch gives more space in the house, a lower roof pitch allows for a larger photovoltaic system because the north side can also be equipped.

Now it’s time to experiment.

When we have a few designs, we’ll get back here

The next step will be deciding which building material to use. Solid, timber frame, or possibly straw bale house ^^

Oh yes, even though almost everyone here sees it differently, for me only KFW40 comes into question. And I think the extra cost won’t be so wild anymore, since only a slightly thicker insulation is needed compared to KFW55, but in return 5000€ more funding is available. But I know most people here see it differently

Many thanks already for all your advice

Regards Specki

Thank you for the feedback and successful next steps.

It is about the reference purlin in an asymmetrical design of the gable roof.

There is no reference purlin, all purlins must adhere to the specification not to break the batten 50 cm with its upper edge. There is no "because Christmas is soon and the limit was obediently observed on one side, it may be ignored on the other side as a reward."

With the proposed solution, you can work with only one knee wall.

Yes, of course you can. Only: with a knee wall 50 on one side and none on the other, what advantage does that bring compared to "fully utilizing" knee wall 50 on both sides?

If it is only about minor deviations, she said I might have a chance,

If that were the only deviation on the wish list, a maximum of 35° pitch should be achievable. I would probably take a look at the existing buildings in the same development plan section and compare them with the specifications: the rougher the discrepancies, the more likely it was that there were problematic excesses that needed to be contained at these points. Other residential areas in the same municipality also give clues: there too restrictions can apply, for example because it was somewhat overdone there and the settlement is now colloquially called "Staffelgeschoßhausen."