ᐅ Building height of 8.5 meters with a basement and two full floors?
Created on: 4 Jan 2018 08:10
M
Marcello
Hello,
we have purchased a plot of land where the maximum building height is limited to 8.50 m (28 feet). Our currently self-designed dream house includes a basement and two full floors.
The development plan defines the building height as follows: "The maximum building height, measured from the top edge of the ground slab, must not exceed 8.5 m."
My question: Is my following calculation and reasoning correct, or am I making a (beginner) mistake here?
0 m ground slab of basement, as top edge of ground slab = 0 m
+ 2.60 m basement floor height = 2.60 m (8.5 feet)
+ 2.80 m ground floor height = 5.40 m (17.7 feet)
+ 2.80 m upper floor height = 8.20 m (26.9 feet)
+ 0.30 m flat roof = 8.50 m (28 feet)
I have one or two more ideas that I would like to discuss here, but first I need to know if the current calculation is correct at all or if I have already misunderstood something at this point.
[I]
we have purchased a plot of land where the maximum building height is limited to 8.50 m (28 feet). Our currently self-designed dream house includes a basement and two full floors.
The development plan defines the building height as follows: "The maximum building height, measured from the top edge of the ground slab, must not exceed 8.5 m."
My question: Is my following calculation and reasoning correct, or am I making a (beginner) mistake here?
0 m ground slab of basement, as top edge of ground slab = 0 m
+ 2.60 m basement floor height = 2.60 m (8.5 feet)
+ 2.80 m ground floor height = 5.40 m (17.7 feet)
+ 2.80 m upper floor height = 8.20 m (26.9 feet)
+ 0.30 m flat roof = 8.50 m (28 feet)
I have one or two more ideas that I would like to discuss here, but first I need to know if the current calculation is correct at all or if I have already misunderstood something at this point.
[I]
T
toxicmolotof4 Jan 2018 10:54Using the foundation slab as a reference point is somewhat illogical, unless the intention is to disadvantage buildings with a basement. Or does "top of foundation slab" perhaps mean "top of rough ground floor slab"? Phew... this definition is more for an architect. It’s not something to guess at for non-professionals (experts expressly excluded). It can only lead to confusion.
See Escroda.
See Escroda.
toxicmolotow schrieb:
That can only lead to nonsense.
See Escroda. Could you please explain that in more detail?
I shared the plans with Escroda via private message for review, and the conclusion was that the wording in the plans is unusual and somewhat unclear.
He maintains his opinion that "OK floor slab" refers to the ground floor. Just a brief summary for anyone reading this later.
With a ridge height of 8.5 meters (28 feet) above the "OK floor slab" (assuming the basement is meant in my case), I also assumed that the builders are faced with the choice of either a basement or two full stories without a basement. My challenge over the past few days was to design our house to allow a basement plus ground floor plus upper floor => Result: lower ceiling heights per story (still reasonable) plus a flat roof.
If urban planning regulations or the building code do not actually impose such restrictions on builders, that is very good news for me, and we can probably plan for a basement plus two full stories and a conventional roof. However, I’m open to further discussion, as I won’t have access to an expert (architect) until the end of the month, and until then I’d like to continue planning on my own.
Thank you all in advance for your quick help.
He maintains his opinion that "OK floor slab" refers to the ground floor. Just a brief summary for anyone reading this later.
With a ridge height of 8.5 meters (28 feet) above the "OK floor slab" (assuming the basement is meant in my case), I also assumed that the builders are faced with the choice of either a basement or two full stories without a basement. My challenge over the past few days was to design our house to allow a basement plus ground floor plus upper floor => Result: lower ceiling heights per story (still reasonable) plus a flat roof.
If urban planning regulations or the building code do not actually impose such restrictions on builders, that is very good news for me, and we can probably plan for a basement plus two full stories and a conventional roof. However, I’m open to further discussion, as I won’t have access to an expert (architect) until the end of the month, and until then I’d like to continue planning on my own.
Thank you all in advance for your quick help.
Addition: If I call the city planning office about this topic, could I be shooting myself in the foot? Like the saying "let sleeping dogs lie" and "without my pointing out the unusual wording in the development plan, the architect would have pushed his plan through the building authority after approval of the ground floor slab"?
I’m just asking to avoid making a mistake, since there are humans on the other end of the line as well. If Officer A writes such wording and the architect gets it approved by Officer B according to their interpretation, then that’s fine with me.
I’m just asking to avoid making a mistake, since there are humans on the other end of the line as well. If Officer A writes such wording and the architect gets it approved by Officer B according to their interpretation, then that’s fine with me.
Besides the text fragment, there should be a drawing that visually explains the eaves height again (which is probably provided separately), and the term "building height" then applies to the ridge height for pitched roofs. As I understand it, there are two reference points here: the slab on grade is relevant for the ridge height, and the street level for the eaves height.
The terminology could be used more clearly, as the municipality does not exactly excel in this regard. I assume that by "slab on grade," they mean houses built on concrete slabs. For houses with basements, the top edge of the basement ceiling should take this position; this should be formulated more clearly and understandably.
Clarity will come from the designer and a preliminary building inquiry or planning permission application. I would avoid phone calls (not because they are harmful, but because they rarely yield reliable information).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
The terminology could be used more clearly, as the municipality does not exactly excel in this regard. I assume that by "slab on grade," they mean houses built on concrete slabs. For houses with basements, the top edge of the basement ceiling should take this position; this should be formulated more clearly and understandably.
Clarity will come from the designer and a preliminary building inquiry or planning permission application. I would avoid phone calls (not because they are harmful, but because they rarely yield reliable information).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Thanks @11ant. There are various statements being made, even here in this thread. Since I am still in the preliminary planning stage and therefore do not yet have a planner, my question is: How can I get a reasonably reliable answer? Or is the local authority allowed to keep their decision open when the wording in the building application is unclear, for example saying, "For the Müller family, we approve the basement house foundation slab because the dog has nice fur," and "For the Schulz family, we approve the basement house foundation slab for the ground floor because the dog constantly barks, and thus force them to have a flat roof"?
I believe the local authority also has an obligation to provide clarity here, or do you just have to accept that decisions are interpreted in their own way? What do you think?
I believe the local authority also has an obligation to provide clarity here, or do you just have to accept that decisions are interpreted in their own way? What do you think?
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