New construction: Attic expandable or not

Insulation of the upper floor ceiling is omitted, the roof is insulated -> warm roof (insulation of the outer shell)

I would install a fixed staircase if the room is permanently planned.

Best regards in brief

38° instead of 35° pitch angle (DN) provide 40.5 (36.5) cm more height at the ridge with a house depth of 10 (9) m (Attention: not only for standing, but also for the house!). The 2m line moves approximately 30 cm closer to the house wall. With a 1.20 m knee wall, the 2m line at 38° DN is about 1.02 m from the house wall. For a 10 m house depth, this already means a 7.95 m deep two-meter area and thus: full-story alarm!

That already tempts me to calculate whether the attic could not simply be taken as the upper floor (OG) right away (with 40° DN).

Underfloor heating in an area where a few dumbbells and workout clothes for the next New Year's resolution are lying around seems dispensable to me.

At least if you want a knee wall for more usable space, a roof construction with head height-restricting effect does not seem appropriate to me.

Depending on the heights permitted on the property, I would first clarify how much of it is "used up" for adapting the building to the terrain. The knee wall often then becomes a small knee wall.

The more uses for the attic beyond just Christmas ornament storage you have, the more advisable it is to lead a "full-grown" staircase up there. If this is to be done by continuing the staircase to the upper floor (OG) and you do not want the stair position dictated by the attic (DG), the head height can, if necessary, also be provided by a dormer; you don’t immediately need to give the whole roof a knee wall for that.

Non-living spaces have a lot of potential for DIY work – drywall panels, insulation wedges & co. are loved by home improvers.

In the development area, there are no height restrictions. Only the number of floors is limited to 3, with the third floor having to be in the roof.

From a purely residential perspective, 2 full floors are sufficient for us. We want to use the attic on the third floor as a more comfortable storage space and possibly a hobby room. (We do not have a basement)

: Do I understand you correctly - in our situation, you would go from a 35-degree roof pitch to 38 degrees? (We have already discarded the additional effort of a knee wall)

We are a bit hesitant about the fixed staircase to the attic because we would then have to build a small hallway including a climate door on the top floor. The pull-down attic ladder is probably a bit cheaper.

We are a bit reluctant about the fixed staircase to the attic because we would then have to create a small hallway including a climate door on the top floor. The retractable attic ladder is probably somewhat cheaper.

A retractable attic ladder is absolutely great for a cold roof – but you plan to insulate the storage room in the attic to convert it into a living space (radiator). I think your advisor is working from wrong or outdated assumptions, or you might be mixing things up (or my general logic is failing me). I’m not an expert, but a hallway is really not necessary if the room is heated. However, you intend to do it later, so a closed staircase going up wouldn’t be wrong?! [emoji848] ... I’m not an expert!

It would just be really annoying if the room is used and the retractable attic ladder is in the way in the upstairs hallway. People don’t like using it... before something is moved upstairs, it is placed in the hallway. Whether the room is even used as a living space then is questionable.

Best regards, Yvonne

About the costs. For 38 instead of 25 degree roof pitch, studio trusses, fixed beech wood stairs plus no front corridor, one Velux at the top, attic with nailed boarding but uninsulated, we have 9,000 euros net more for a 13.5 by 10 floor area. That is quite bearable and you really get a lot of storage space. So feel free to ask what the stair solution costs. If it’s only about storage space, studio trusses are then okay. I skip insulating the attic. I once thought about what would go in there. The cushions from the boat. The ropes and sails in winter. Garden furniture possibly plus cushions. Christmas decorations. In summer the winter jackets. All sorts of things like that. It just needs to stay dry. Cold or warm wouldn’t matter. And when the DIY urge hits me, I’ll insulate it myself, one day. Karsten