ᐅ Single-family detached house, urban villa style with a hipped roof – visually single-story appearance
Created on: 17 May 2019 11:21
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Momarx89Hello everyone,
I am not an architect and only have limited knowledge on this topic.
My family and I want to build a single-family house in 38108 Braunschweig, but we have already faced several setbacks.
We have now planned and signed a contract twice with a developer for a single-family house in the style of an urban villa with a hipped roof (two stories).
Unfortunately, the local building authority has rejected the building permit / planning permission because the building does not fit the surroundings, where only single-story houses with gable roofs are present. The development plan from 1954 does not specify anything except a building envelope of 10m x 10m (33ft x 33ft).
We have spoken with the official responsible at the building authority, and he said it would be sufficient if the house appears to be single-story from the outside, while still being classified as two stories in calculations.
This is the question I’m struggling with—I can’t quite understand what he means and he did not provide any further explanation. Our architect is now working on how to adjust the design, but I thought the wealth of knowledge and experience in this forum might be able to help us.
I am familiar with the definition of number of stories according to Lower Saxony’s (NDS) regulations: two-thirds of the ground floor must have a ceiling height below 2.20 m (7.2 ft).
I hope this explanation makes sense.
I look forward to answers that I can understand, as I am a layperson.
Many thanks,
Marc
I am not an architect and only have limited knowledge on this topic.
My family and I want to build a single-family house in 38108 Braunschweig, but we have already faced several setbacks.
We have now planned and signed a contract twice with a developer for a single-family house in the style of an urban villa with a hipped roof (two stories).
Unfortunately, the local building authority has rejected the building permit / planning permission because the building does not fit the surroundings, where only single-story houses with gable roofs are present. The development plan from 1954 does not specify anything except a building envelope of 10m x 10m (33ft x 33ft).
We have spoken with the official responsible at the building authority, and he said it would be sufficient if the house appears to be single-story from the outside, while still being classified as two stories in calculations.
This is the question I’m struggling with—I can’t quite understand what he means and he did not provide any further explanation. Our architect is now working on how to adjust the design, but I thought the wealth of knowledge and experience in this forum might be able to help us.
I am familiar with the definition of number of stories according to Lower Saxony’s (NDS) regulations: two-thirds of the ground floor must have a ceiling height below 2.20 m (7.2 ft).
I hope this explanation makes sense.
I look forward to answers that I can understand, as I am a layperson.
Many thanks,
Marc
Hello,
I’m not an expert in building regulations or planning, so you’ll probably receive more technically detailed answers... From what I understand and based on your description, the official from the building authority doesn’t care about the calculated basis (two-thirds of the ground floor, etc.). You might actually meet those requirements, but it must simply not appear from the outside as a two-story building.
There are probably different approaches to this (whether they are elegant, practical, cost-effective, or otherwise is another matter). For example, you could have a low knee wall, choose the roof pitch and shape so it visually remains single-story, or work with dormers...
I’m not an expert in building regulations or planning, so you’ll probably receive more technically detailed answers... From what I understand and based on your description, the official from the building authority doesn’t care about the calculated basis (two-thirds of the ground floor, etc.). You might actually meet those requirements, but it must simply not appear from the outside as a two-story building.
There are probably different approaches to this (whether they are elegant, practical, cost-effective, or otherwise is another matter). For example, you could have a low knee wall, choose the roof pitch and shape so it visually remains single-story, or work with dormers...
Section 34 is very open to interpretation – find a skilled architect who is also willing to take on the building authorities. Then you can definitely achieve more. Although I’m not personally a fan of these townhouse-style buildings, it always frustrates me how obstacles are put in front of homebuilders.
Momarx89 schrieb:
Exactly, he just wants the visual impression that it is not a two-story house, but I don’t understand how that could look and what options we have to achieve this?You hit the nail on the head—how is that supposed to work with an urban villa? If you don’t want to go through legal channels, the only real option is to switch to a house with a pitched roof. Since the building permit / planning permission has apparently already been denied, there’s actually little chance otherwise.
I have spoken personally with the case officer; he was very kind but, as mentioned, he has concerns regarding §34, which I can understand from his point of view.
The building application was not officially rejected; we were only informed that the two-story design does not fit into the surrounding area according to §34.
Our house was originally supposed to be completed by November 2018, which means we have already been paying the bank for a long time without having a house or even seeing any progress in construction. This means that from a financial perspective, there is no time left to take legal action.
However, I do not want to burden the building authority officer unnecessarily by complaining about the impact this has on our family if he refers to §34 and rejects the two-story house.
The building application was not officially rejected; we were only informed that the two-story design does not fit into the surrounding area according to §34.
Our house was originally supposed to be completed by November 2018, which means we have already been paying the bank for a long time without having a house or even seeing any progress in construction. This means that from a financial perspective, there is no time left to take legal action.
However, I do not want to burden the building authority officer unnecessarily by complaining about the impact this has on our family if he refers to §34 and rejects the two-story house.
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