ᐅ How much roof overhang is recommended for a wooden house?

Hello everyone,

We are in the process of finalizing our house plans and have now reached the topic of roof overhang. It is a wooden house with 1.5 stories. So far, the budget has been based on a 1m (3.3 ft) roof overhang (which is not shown in the drawing, as it only includes other dimensions). The builder said that reducing it to 30cm (12 inches) would lower the price by about 15,000€.

I definitely don’t want to cut corners on the structure, but I’m wondering how much added value the extra 70cm (28 inches) provides. Would 50cm (20 inches) possibly be enough?

Especially on the gable side, a 1m (3.3 ft) overhang won’t prevent the facade from getting wet. So, if one or two sides weather faster, I would still need to treat all four sides.

Of course, I understand that this is partly a matter of personal taste. I don’t really have a strong preference, and if it’s just about saving 15,000€, I’m definitely willing to make compromises.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi,

You will learn that the sun damages the facade more than the rain (at least as long as the wood can dry out repeatedly). When it comes to shading, a 70cm (28 inches) roof overhang already makes a big difference.

We have a standard 90cm (35 inches) roof overhang, which I think suits the house well.

Who are you building with? (I’m interested because I like the market for wooden house manufacturers).

I would go for 50. There are 15,000 strong reasons for that. Also, it lets more light into the house. Shading should be controllable.

Quick comment: We learned yesterday that if a roof overhang is more than 50cm (20 inches), the entire overhang counts as built-up area and is therefore included in the floor area ratio. This really limits us with our zoning plan. However, I can’t imagine reducing the overhang that much from both an aesthetic perspective and because of the shading and wood protection benefits, even though this design detail is crucial for us... It also depends on the climate. Ask the manufacturer if they have experience with how much more often you would need to repaint or treat the house compared to a one-meter (3.3 feet) overhang.

Who are you building with? (Just curious, we are in the final brainstorming stage trying to find a way to build with wood on our plot, but we will probably have to reluctantly switch to solid masonry in the planning soon… 🙁 )

neo-sciliar schrieb:

Hi,

you will learn that the sun damages the facade more than the rain (at least as long as wood can dry out repeatedly). Regarding shading, a 70cm (28 inches) roof overhang already makes a significant difference.

Our standard roof overhang is 90cm (35 inches), which I think suits the house well.

Who are you building with? (Just curious, because I like the market for wooden houses).

The point about protection from the sun is definitely valid, but as Tolentino said, it’s also true that this reduces the amount of light inside the house. I’m not sure if company names are allowed here on the forum. If not, please remove. We’re building with the company Fullwood.

-LotteS- schrieb:

Quick input: Yesterday we learned that if a roof overhang is larger than 50cm (20 inches), the entire overhang is counted as built-up area and therefore included in the floor area ratio. This really hurts us in our development plan, but I honestly can’t imagine cutting the overhang back so much for aesthetic reasons and also because of the mentioned shading and wood protection issues, even if this decision means the whole construction method depends on it... It also has to do with the local climate. Ask the manufacturer if they have experience with how much more often you’ll need to repaint or treat the house compared to having a 1 meter (39 inches) overhang.

Who are you building with? (Purely out of interest—we’re in the final considerations about somehow using wood on our plot but will likely have to switch planning to solid masonry soon... 🙁 )

The floor area ratio isn’t an issue for us; we still have plenty of room in that regard.

I also advocate for 50 cm (20 inches) and tag you in the discussion, @Holzhäuschen. Could you also mix it, for example 30 cm (12 inches) at the gable and 70 cm (28 inches) at the eaves?

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/