ᐅ Which Roof Style Is Best for a Challenging Building Layout?

Hello everyone,

Our plot (Bavaria) has a very restrictive development plan from 1981. It allows a pitched roof with dormers (I+D), no knee wall, no dormers, gable or hip roof, with a pitch of 18-35°. We recently had a pre-consultation with the building authority and submitted a preliminary inquiry. The following was proposed:

Two full stories, maximum eaves height 6 m (20 feet), gable, hip, or flat roof.
BUT: maximum roof pitch 10 degrees. (I had requested 18 degrees, which would not have required a special exemption.)

Alternatively:
Still pitched roof with dormers (I+D), knee wall max. 1 m (3.3 feet), then the roof pitch can be increased to 42 degrees.

I understand that they want to limit the maximum building height. At first, I was very happy that they would actually approve two full stories, as I would prefer to avoid roof slopes. But the more I read, the more disappointed I become. A gable or hip roof with a 10-degree pitch doesn’t seem like such a great idea, both stylistically and because it would require an expensive, watertight subroof construction. We would least prefer a flat roof because we imagine a “nice, warm house with red tiles and yellow facade color.” At most, a flat roof with 10 degrees (which would be more like a single-pitch roof?) combined with tiles and roof overhang.

I am really confused. Could you share your thoughts on this? If anything is unclear, feel free to ask :-) Many thanks!!

Bauherrin2024 schrieb:

Hello everyone,

Our plot of land (Bavaria) has a very restrictive development plan from 1981. It allows a pitched roof with dormers, but no knee wall, no dormers, gable or hip roof, roof pitch between 18-35°. We attended a building consultation and submitted a preliminary inquiry. The following options were proposed:

2 full floors, maximum eaves height 6m (20 feet), gable, hip, or flat roof.
BUT: maximum roof pitch 10 degrees. (I had asked for 18 degrees, since in that case no exemption would have been needed here).

Alternatively:
Still pitched roof with dormers, knee wall max. 1m (3.3 feet), then the roof pitch can be increased to 42 degrees.

Okay, important, even if it seems pedantic:
Do you have this in writing as part of the preliminary building inquiry?

Or was this "just" an answer to an informal question?

The latter is not legally binding, and I wouldn’t rely on it. Having to redesign at short notice can lead to significant additional costs later.

If these were my options, I honestly don’t know what I would choose.

Either I would reflect and ask myself if I could live with a flat roof. (So, a hip or gable roof with 10° feels very... well, strange to me.)

More likely, I would go for about 50-75cm (20-30 inches) knee wall and a steep roof. Simply because I much prefer those houses. It’s also easier to install roof windows you can look out of. It creates a cozy atmosphere and provides storage space in the attic.

But that’s just my personal opinion.

Papierturm schrieb:

Okay, important, even if this seems pedantic:
Do you have it in writing as part of a building permit application / planning permission inquiry?

Or was it “just” a statement in response to a question?

The latter is not legally binding, and I wouldn’t rely on it. Having to change plans spontaneously later can lead to significant additional costs.

Thank you for your thoughts! Yes, we have received an official response to our preliminary inquiry.

Also, thank you for confirming my “overwhelm.” Basically, I would say I see my house more often from the inside than from the outside, and full storeys definitely increase living comfort significantly. At the same time, I really don’t find flat roofs appealing; a cube looks too cold, and I am also concerned that it might eventually leak (maybe unjustified).

Bauherrin2024 schrieb:

We would least prefer a flat roof because we envision a "nice, warm house with red bricks and yellow exterior walls." At most, a flat roof with a 10-degree pitch (which would then be more like a shed roof?) and tiles with an overhang.

Well, you have to make a choice. Either a flat roof or no building at all. Besides, it may be "nice to have a warm house with red bricks and yellow exterior walls." But honestly, out of 24 hours a day, from autumn to spring you hardly even look at the house, you just live inside it—and in summer, I don’t think you spend all your time looking at the house while sitting in the garden either.

Yes, from the outside it’s not what you want. So what. Build yourself a nice home where you feel comfortable ;-)

P.S. Nowadays, flat roofs are technically equivalent to pitched roofs in terms of durability and lifespan.

Bauherrin2024 schrieb:

Our plot (in Bavaria) is subject to a very restrictive development plan from 1981. Detached and semi-detached houses are allowed, no knee walls, no dormers, pitched or hipped roofs with a slope of 18–35°. We recently attended a building consultation and submitted a preliminary inquiry. This is what was proposed to us:
Two full floors, maximum eave height of 6m (20 feet), pitched, hipped, or flat roof.
BUT: maximum roof pitch of 10 degrees. (I had requested 18 degrees since then no exemption would have been necessary here.)
Alternatively:
Still detached and semi-detached houses, knee wall up to 1m (3 feet), then the roof pitch can be increased to 42 degrees.
I understand that they want to limit the maximum building height. At first, I was really happy that they would actually approve two full floors, because I want to avoid sloping ceilings.

The contrast between these alternatives seems unplanned / indecisive and above all arbitrary. What is supposed to be the common goal of these two roof types?
Abstractly, the alternative is “better”: solid roof pitch, sufficient knee wall. But isn’t a steep roof exactly why it is so undesirable? However, building planning is neither a game nor a wishlist: the space requirements for ground and upper floors are either comparable in size >> then the upper floor is below the roof space (a “townhouse”) or noticeably different in size >> then the upper floor is in the roof space as the attic of a one-and-a-half-story house. What have you done so far with my suggestion...

11ant schrieb:

The more you are (which is no shame) a complete layperson, the more you need a true professional by your side. So don’t go to a draftsman employed by a general contractor but to a self-commissioned independent architect.

... already two and a half years ago!? Please don’t tell me you’ve stuck in the same place all this time?
Your current, to put it mildly, “abstract” approach doesn’t bode well :-(

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Bauherrin2024 schrieb:

because we imagine a "nice, warm house with red bricks and yellow exterior paint."

Bauherrin2024 schrieb:

Also, R&D continues, knee wall max. 1 meter (3.3 feet), then the roof pitch can be increased to 42 degrees.

This can be realized very nicely together.
I wouldn’t say that a two-story house embodies the qualities „nice“ and „warm.“ The roof tiles are hardly visible from your own property anyway, and when you are on the terrace or beside the house, you face a 6-meter (20 feet) tall façade wall.
Ah, a gable roof house, meaning a single-story, is actually the epitome of „nice and warm.“