Difference between city villa and single-family house

Hello everyone,

we are in the process of purchasing a plot of land in a new development area.
There is a legally binding development plan for the area with different "zones".
According to the development plan, the plots that are suitable for us can each be built up to 2 stories. However, the marketing company clearly distinguishes between the areas, stating that in one zone the permitted building typology is "town villa & single-family house" and in the other only "single-family house" is allowed.
On closer inspection, roof pitches between 20-45 degrees are permitted in both zones.

So where exactly is the difference between a town villa and a single-family house if both may be built with 2 stories, which we would basically like to do.
The marketer could (or would) not give me exact information and referred me "to the architect". This is probably basically right, but so far we do not have a concrete house plan or architect, which is why I first wanted to ask here if someone could generally explain the difference to me.

Edit: I just read that in one area the maximum eaves height is 7m, in the other 4m. Could this be the decisive difference?

Many thanks & best regards from Hannover
Christoph

I am also not a construction expert, but I can tell you what comes to mind.

First, the definitions also seem very vague to me, and actually the realtor or the municipality should be able to provide information about this. A townhouse villa is initially characterized by having two full stories. With an eaves height (height measured from a reference point to the eaves (below the roof along the facade)). Therefore, a townhouse villa with an eaves height of 4m is not possible, but one with 7m is.

In my opinion, with an eaves height of 4m, you cannot realize two full stories. Possibly, in the area "Only single-family houses," it is intended to build houses with 2 stories but the upper one not as a full story but with sloping roofs. Basically, a second habitable story is allowed, just not a full one.

On the other hand, in my opinion, a single-family house does not exclude the townhouse villa?!?

Everything is very vague, I would orient myself by the eaves height. In case of doubt, buy a plot from the category "Townhouse villa and single-family house" ;).

But if I were you, I would follow up again with the realtor or the municipality! The building authority can definitely help you.

Yes, the eaves height is the crucial point. At 4 meters, two full floors are also possible, but the upper one definitely has a sloping roof.

The difference probably lies in the [OG] as either a full story with full height or with sloping ceilings and (steep) gable roof or even mansard roof. Theoretically, it can also be a full story with sloping ceilings.

For the area, there is a legally valid development plan with different "zones."
According to the development plan, the plots that are relevant for us can each be built two stories high. However, the marketing company clearly distinguishes that in one area the permitted building typology is "town villa & single-family house," and in the other only "single-family house" is allowed.
On closer inspection, roof pitches between 20-45 degrees are permitted in both zones.

I am always amazed how people choose the field they know the least about for their professional practice. Maybe you could name the development plan (Attention: not as a link! - say for example "Posemuckel No. 234 Alte Kaserne"), then one can read into it. The legend or the text section will explain it in more detail.

Edit: I just read that in one area the maximum eaves height is 7m, in the other 4m. Could this be the decisive difference?

An eaves height of 4m practically excludes an upper floor as a vertical-wall floor, but not two stories in the legal sense (i.e., depending on the federal state, more than 2/3 or 3/4 of the ground floor area is also in the upper floor). The typology "town villa" vs. "single-family house" is nonsense, but unfortunately one encounters it increasingly often on house manufacturers' pages as well. Other providers call it a "country house," which the common parlance calls a "one-and-a-half-story." Meant are houses where you cannot entirely avoid sloping ceilings in the upper floor.

Hello everyone,

thank you for the answers. Since we are not construction experts, this helped us a lot.

Thank you very much!
Christoph