ᐅ Eave Height and Roof Design in New Construction Planning

Hello everyone,
after successfully applying for a building plot, I have now received the reservation confirmation.

Now the question arises regarding the planning of the single-family house.

In the textual regulations of the development plan, it states "The eaves height, measured from the top edge of the finished ground floor slab to the intersection of the outer edge of the rising external masonry with the roof covering, must not exceed 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)."

Two full stories are permitted, and the maximum ridge height is 8.50 m (28 ft).

As for roof types, shed, gable, and hipped roofs are allowed. The permitted roof pitch ranges from 28° to 35°.

I would like to build a "city villa," which usually has an eaves height above 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in), since the first upper floor is typically built without a roof slope, and there are two full stories with a hip or pyramid roof.

Now to my question:
A pyramid roof is a type of hipped roof. Is your pyramid roof automatically approved if a hipped roof is allowed in the development plan? And does the eaves height restriction always apply, regardless of whether you build one or two stories? In a neighboring development area, the regulation states:
"The building height at the eaves side, measured from the top edge of the finished ground floor slab to the intersection of the outer edge of the rising external masonry with the roof covering, must be between 3.0 and 3.8 m (9 ft 10 in and 12 ft 6 in) in the area designated for single-story construction."

This sounds as if the eaves height restriction only applies to single-story buildings and not to two-story buildings?!

So, if the 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in) eaves height limit is fixed, the dream of a "city villa" would probably be over :-(

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

Guido1980 schrieb:
A pyramid hip roof is a type of hip roof. Is your pyramid hip roof automatically permitted if a hip roof is specified in the development plan?

From my own experience, no, not automatically. I personally believe that a square is also a rectangle, but building authorities handle this differently. Our building department rejected the roof design in the initial building application and requested a deviation permit.

Guido1980 schrieb:
And does the eave height always apply, regardless of whether the building is one or two stories?

In principle, yes. But are you sure all the regulations apply cumulatively? I find it difficult to reconcile two full stories, an 8.5m (28 feet) ridge height, and a 3.80m (12.5 feet) eave height. The eave height always acts as a limit. What would a house look like with an 8.5m (28 feet) ridge and a 3.80m (12.5 feet) eave? Not to mention that the roof pitch is also restricted?

Guido1980 schrieb:
After successfully applying for a building plot, I have now received the reservation confirmation.

Have you also received an approval? A reservation confirmation only acknowledges the reservation itself, nothing more. Just as a note. Or did you make a mistake here?

The development plan you posted seems somewhat incomplete, so it’s unclear whether something is missing or if these passages refer to different plots. To me, it looks quite contradictory, but that doesn’t mean I’m right. It would be better to describe the residential area so that the development plan can be found online.

P.S. A pavilion roof belongs to the group of hipped roofs, but a hipped roof is not necessarily a pavilion roof. The building authority reserves the right to interpret the development plan literally.

Fuchur schrieb:
From my own experience, no, not automatically. While I personally believe that a square is also a rectangle, building authorities handle this differently. Our building department criticized the roof design in the initial application and requested a formal request for a deviation.

In principle, yes. But are you sure all the regulations apply cumulatively? Two full floors, an 8.5 m (28 feet) ridge height, and a 3.80 m (12.5 feet) eaves height are hard to reconcile. The eaves height always limits the design. What would a house look like with an 8.50 m (28 feet) ridge and 3.80 m (12.5 feet) eaves height? Not to mention that the roof pitch is also limited?

I see it the same way regarding the roof shape... but I’m not sure and haven’t found anything clear or suitable online.

No, I’m not certain if the eaves heights can be simply added up. I asked myself exactly the same question about the ridge and eaves height—whether the geometry even fits together or if it’s a contradiction in itself (two full floors, 3.50 m (11.5 feet) eaves height, 8.5 m (28 feet) ridge height, shed, hip, and gable roofs with a pitch of 28–35°). Everything fits, except the eaves height. That ruins the entire geometry. Because how am I supposed to reach an 8.50 m (28 feet) ridge height with a 3.50 m (11.5 feet) eaves height and a maximum roof pitch of 35°, if the floor space index is 0.4 and the plot size is 639 m2 (6,879 square feet)?

May I upload a screenshot of the development plan here or link to it for privacy reasons? Then you can have a look yourselves!

Otherwise, should I just contact someone directly? Do I need to reach out to the building authority or the developer?

I have a binding confirmation: “We are pleased to inform you today that we can offer you a building plot in the residential development area ... We hereby confirm the reservation of building plot no. ... with a size of 639 m2 (6,879 square feet). We will hold the plot for you until March 1, 2019. After the reservation period expires, we will contact you and send you a draft purchase agreement.”

A development plan is not a confidential document; you can take a photo of it. Otherwise, the contact point is the building authority, as they are the ones who created the plan.

Fuchur schrieb:
A zoning plan is not a confidential document; you can take a photo of it. Otherwise, the building authority is the contact point, as they created the plan.

Here are the key details from the zoning plan!