ᐅ Knee wall not permitted according to the building regulations / planning permission.

Hello everyone,

We are currently interested in a plot of land of about 600m² (approximately 0.15 acres). According to the development plan, knee walls and dormer windows are listed as "prohibited structures."

Construction of a maximum of two full stories is permitted, with all roof types allowed and a roof pitch of 0 to 36 degrees.

Our original plan was to build a single-family house with a ground floor and an upper floor featuring knee walls about 1.40 to 1.60 m (4 ft 7 in to 5 ft 3 in) high and a gable roof. Since this appears to be prohibited here, I wonder if there’s any way to still make this work? From what point is a wall height no longer considered a knee wall in Bavaria? A two full-story house definitely has its advantages, but we don’t really like the bulky appearance.

We would be very grateful for any advice or assessments!

Best regards and a Happy New Year!

Smoothy schrieb:
is it somehow possible to achieve this anyway?

Yes. You build somewhat larger and create the effect of a knee wall inside by adding suitable sloped ceiling sections (knee wall areas).

Smoothy schrieb:
From when is a wall height in Bavaria no longer considered a knee wall?

When the roof structure no longer rests on the floor slab but on a wall that is higher than structurally necessary.

Escroda schrieb:
Yes. You build a bit larger and achieve the effect of a knee wall inside by adding corresponding side walls.

That was also our idea. So, from the outside, it would look like a house with a full floor plus an attic, and inside on the upper floor you would have to add knee walls to achieve a certain knee wall height (and thus provide space for beds, etc.), right?

Escroda schrieb:
If the roof structure no longer rests on the floor slab but on a wall of a height that is structurally not necessary.

What does that mean in plain language? I was hoping that if you build a floor above a certain height, it would count not as a knee wall but as a full floor.

Smoothy schrieb:
Correct?

Correct!

Smoothy schrieb:
What does that mean in standard German?

Maybe Wikipedia in standard German? Although I believe that here "Rohdecke" should actually be called "Rohfussboden" (raw subfloor):
A knee wall (also called a dwarf wall or knee stud wall) is the exterior wall built above the unfinished ceiling of the attic floor on the eave side of a house, on which the roof structure rests.

Smoothy schrieb:
I was hoping that if you build a full story above a certain height, it would no longer be called a knee wall but count as a full story.

Sorry, I don’t quite understand what you mean. As soon as you build the exterior walls above the ceiling of the ground floor, and the pitched roof structure rests on them, you create a knee wall. Only when your first upper floor is high enough to have a flat ceiling do you no longer have a knee wall.