ᐅ Adding an Additional Floor to a Bungalow-Style House – Increase the Roof Pitch?!
Created on: 9 Feb 2023 10:15
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monty99
Hello,
In 2016, we built a single-story L-shaped house in bungalow style (KFW70 standard). The house has about 170sqm (1830 sq ft) of living space living area, features a reinforced concrete ceiling, and the roof is a hipped roof structure with an extension made of engineered solid timber with a 30-degree pitch. The attic was originally intended only as a storage area, which was sufficient for that purpose.
Now we want to convert the attic into a living area, which was not planned initially. Unfortunately, the ceiling height is insufficient for this. We have considered solutions like a hydraulic roof lift (which is not an option for us) or a knee wall increase (currently there is no knee wall at all). However, both options seem unfeasible for practical reasons (structural concerns and probably cost issues).
Currently, there is a foldable attic ladder, but we already created a larger opening in the reinforced concrete ceiling for a proper staircase, which is now covered.
I asked about the possible knee wall increase in another thread, but it seems unlikely because the structural integrity and substructure are considered too risky.
We want to use the attic as additional living space within the next 1-2 years (for a child), but in the current state, the space is too small and too low. The usable area is now about 65sqm (700 sq ft) and should ideally be around 90-120sqm (970-1300 sq ft). (The total ground floor living space in the L-shaped house is about 170sqm (1830 sq ft).)
The question is whether it would be generally feasible to remodel the roof by increasing the pitch from the current 30 degrees to 45-55 degrees. This would allow us to add multiple windows (currently there is only one) and possibly install a photovoltaic system at the same time. One idea would be to use the longer "L-section" as living space and keep the shorter section mainly for storage. Although it might look odd to alter only the longer section and leave the shorter one unchanged.
The current brine heat pump has sufficient capacity to cover the needs. The neighboring houses all have roof pitches up to 55 degrees.
General opinions without detailed floor plans or calculations would be appreciated.
Thank you very much!
In 2016, we built a single-story L-shaped house in bungalow style (KFW70 standard). The house has about 170sqm (1830 sq ft) of living space living area, features a reinforced concrete ceiling, and the roof is a hipped roof structure with an extension made of engineered solid timber with a 30-degree pitch. The attic was originally intended only as a storage area, which was sufficient for that purpose.
Now we want to convert the attic into a living area, which was not planned initially. Unfortunately, the ceiling height is insufficient for this. We have considered solutions like a hydraulic roof lift (which is not an option for us) or a knee wall increase (currently there is no knee wall at all). However, both options seem unfeasible for practical reasons (structural concerns and probably cost issues).
Currently, there is a foldable attic ladder, but we already created a larger opening in the reinforced concrete ceiling for a proper staircase, which is now covered.
I asked about the possible knee wall increase in another thread, but it seems unlikely because the structural integrity and substructure are considered too risky.
We want to use the attic as additional living space within the next 1-2 years (for a child), but in the current state, the space is too small and too low. The usable area is now about 65sqm (700 sq ft) and should ideally be around 90-120sqm (970-1300 sq ft). (The total ground floor living space in the L-shaped house is about 170sqm (1830 sq ft).)
The question is whether it would be generally feasible to remodel the roof by increasing the pitch from the current 30 degrees to 45-55 degrees. This would allow us to add multiple windows (currently there is only one) and possibly install a photovoltaic system at the same time. One idea would be to use the longer "L-section" as living space and keep the shorter section mainly for storage. Although it might look odd to alter only the longer section and leave the shorter one unchanged.
The current brine heat pump has sufficient capacity to cover the needs. The neighboring houses all have roof pitches up to 55 degrees.
General opinions without detailed floor plans or calculations would be appreciated.
Thank you very much!
monty99 schrieb:
I had asked about the possible knee wall height increase in another thread – but that’s probably not feasible. The structural engineering and foundation there are too risky. The same unfortunately applies to the structural engineering and foundation of a discussion that shouldn’t be posted elsewhere – especially not without linking. Even with a change of direction, it’s still the same building we have already talked about here, and you should have continued that discussion here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/aufstockung-wohnhaus-im-bungalowstil-mit-30-grad-walmdach.44733/
monty99 schrieb:
Basic opinions without detailed floor plans and calculations would be nice. ... but unfortunately, they lack essential fundamentals. Then you end up with nothing but wild speculation without any real foundation. I can guarantee you from prison social work experience that burglars never orient themselves by the locations of safes in homeowners’ forums; that would be far too inefficient. But as you already touched on with the keyword “structural engineering,” without being able to assess that, a lot of things are unfortunately just useless chatter. Gravity is simply relevant.
monty99 schrieb:
The question is whether it would basically be an idea to “rebuild” the roof from the current 30-degree pitch to 45–55 degrees. [...]
One idea would be to use the longer “L-section” as living space and the shorter section more as storage. Although it would probably look odd to change only the longer section and leave the shorter one as is. Unfortunately, this is a naive layperson’s assumption that changing the roof pitch would be significantly less complicated than the originally intended knee wall addition. By the way, it would hardly change the nature of the hipped roof, and without floor plans, everything is basically off-topic. It would also look very unappealing. I believe I already suggested to you the idea of raising only one wing of the L-shape (and mentioned that economically, switching to a different property would be the more cost-effective route). However, I am no longer sure if I emphasized that it is the significantly more cost-effective option. Furthermore, I’m afraid that with your comment
monty99 schrieb:
It’s a pity that many other forum users either assume a lot of expertise or just drop a one-liner. you effectively ended the previous discussion.
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WilderSueden9 Feb 2023 11:37monty99 schrieb:
In the middle of the long L-section, the current height is about 2.2 meters (7 feet 3 inches). At the moment, there is only insulation laid on the reinforced concrete slab with OSB boards on top.
If we build a proper floor structure with underfloor heating there, we will lose height again.
Overall, the usable space will always remain quite small. The existing insulation and floor construction should roughly balance out. The thermal envelope is then shifted to the roof, and underfloor heating below an intermediate ceiling doesn’t necessarily require 10 centimeters (4 inches) of insulation.
2.20 meters (7 feet 3 inches) really isn’t much. I’m a bit surprised, though, since our house is definitely smaller in dimensions, and we should have about 2.30 meters (7 feet 7 inches) below the ridge beam.
Even with dormer windows, which we would add, the usable space would still be rather limited.
I do not want or expect detailed calculations, cost estimates, or feasibility studies here.
The simple question is whether this is fundamentally possible, and to what extent. There may well be people who choose not to sell their house but instead carry out such modifications.
We are fully aware that everything must be discussed with authorities, structural engineers, and architects.
I do not want or expect detailed calculations, cost estimates, or feasibility studies here.
The simple question is whether this is fundamentally possible, and to what extent. There may well be people who choose not to sell their house but instead carry out such modifications.
We are fully aware that everything must be discussed with authorities, structural engineers, and architects.
monty99 schrieb:
I do not want or expect detailed calculations, prices, or feasibility studies here.
The question is simply whether and to what extent it is basically conceivable. I don’t understand why the previous discussion focused so much on the foundation slab when looking at the bigger picture. Only the doubts regarding the financial foundation (in relation to the desired budget) seem valid to me—for both approaches (adding a story and rebuilding). So, in principle, I think it is doable.
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WilderSueden9 Feb 2023 12:05Basically, almost everything is technically feasible. There are also options for renovating foundations. However, all of this costs money.
In the other thread, you also mention your severely disabled daughter. Is the attic really the right place for her, or are you planning to move upstairs?
In the other thread, you also mention your severely disabled daughter. Is the attic really the right place for her, or are you planning to move upstairs?
WilderSueden schrieb:
Basically, almost everything is technically feasible. There are also options for renovating foundations, but all of that costs money.
In the other thread, you also mentioned your severely disabled daughter. Is the attic really the right place for her, or do you plan to move upstairs? No, our second daughter will move upstairs for at least 10 years. That’s why it involves a significant and costly effort. Our disabled daughter will have a completely separate living area downstairs. We do not want to place her in a care facility.
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