Knee wall and number of floors - Knee wall height?

Hello,

a quick (I hope not too stupid) question:

The following is stipulated in a building area:
1) The height of the knee wall is set to a maximum of 0.5 m above the top edge of the uppermost floor slab.
2) In the settlement areas, 2 full floors are permitted, the realization of recessed floors is possible.
3) The roof pitch for gable roofs must be within a range of 30° (minimum roof pitch) and 40° (maximum roof pitch for roof conversion).

My question: Do I have to build two full floors and then the roof (with knee wall up to 0.5 m), or is it also possible to build the 2nd floor with a knee wall of 1.5 m (or would only 0.5 m knee wall be allowed here too)? That would somehow be pointless... but you never know.

Thanks already for an answer.

We are currently facing this question as well.

2 full floors allowed (II) and a knee wall of max. 0.5m (without specifying in which floor).

We hope for expert knowledge in the architect meeting (prefabricated house) on 03.05.
So far, even the responsible employee at the town hall (small town; building department) has shaken his head in confusion and said we should please let the architect interpret it.

Since we want to build with a knee wall of 1.30m on the 2nd floor (attic with gable roof), we hope it will not be limited to a max knee wall of 0.5m on the 2nd floor (attic)...

Good evening,

The following is prescribed in a building area:
1) The height of the knee wall is set to a maximum of 0.5 m above the upper edge of the top floor ceiling.
2) In the residential areas, 2 full floors are permitted, the realization of recessed floors is possible.
3) The roof pitch for gable roofs must be within a range of 30° (minimum roof pitch) and 40° (maximum roof pitch for roof conversion).

My question: Do I have to build two full floors and then the roof (with knee wall up to 0.5 m) or is it also possible to build the 2nd floor with a knee wall of 1.5 m (or is only 0.5 m knee wall allowed here as well)? That would be somehow pointless... but you never know.

That is not difficult at all once it is explained

According to the development plan, 2 full floors are allowed. If the "2" is written in Roman numerals (II) and circled, you must build 2 full floors and may build a 50 cm knee wall; with the allowed roof pitch, this results in a nice attic floor.

If the "2" is Roman numerals but not circled, you may build a ground floor (full floor) and a maximum knee wall of 50 cm on top = ground floor + attic. In this case, a maximum of 2 full floors are allowed because you mathematically come to more than 75% of the ground floor area through dormers.

Since a recessed floor (setback floor) is not excluded according to the development plan, you may build a ground floor + on top a recessed floor (66% of the ground floor area) with a flat roof.

HTH

Rhenish greetings

Ahh thank you very much, construction expert!

What I still don't understand (in the case of the Roman II without a circle): Is it still allowed to build 2 full storeys + attic (not a full storey)? That wouldn’t contradict the condition "Max 2 full storeys"....?

Yes and no - that is only possible with SG, with the stipulation max. 66% of the EG area.

II full floors without a circle always refer to the calculated full floor level.

Construction expert on the go

Hello building expert,

we had kind of "tagged along" with the question as well.

I found your explanation comprehensible.

Now the following came out of the discussions with our architect:

Development plan floors = II (without circle)
Development plan max. knee wall = 0.50m

We want to build a house with a ground floor and an attic with a 1.30m knee wall. That also reaches the calculated full storey.

But according to the district building authority, we are not allowed to build it that way.

We would only be allowed to build:
- Single-storey (I) with a maximum knee wall in the attic of 50cm and without reaching the calculated full storey in the attic
- The same could also be built with reaching the full storey in the attic, that would be two-storey (II) but still without exceeding the 50cm knee wall. Calculatedly, however, in my opinion not achievable and also not helpful.
- Two-storey (II) without knee wall, i.e. room height walls a.k.a. city villa
- Two-storey (II) with room-high walls and above still 50cm knee wall without reaching the calculated full storey in the third floor.

Trying to escape the full storey status with the "75%" rule through bay windows etc. on the ground floor does not help according to the district building authority.
It is and remains a knee wall and may be max. 50cm.

Everything between 50cm and room height is a knee wall for the district building authority regardless of whether it is 1.30m or 1.80m or 2.15m. Regardless of whether there would still be windows or not.
As long as it is not room-high, it may not be over 50cm.

So they allow a "block of a house" aka city villa but no knee wall over 50cm.

Now we have to try the exemption route, but we were predicted little success there since the building area (it is an infill plot in an existing development from 1973) was apparently implemented very restrictively.

It's not as if I wouldn't take a city villa either. But we first have to digest the additional costs of certainly 20,000€ (+ VAT on the new walls) and see whether that would even be financially possible.