ᐅ First along the short side of the house

Hello everyone,

We are currently in the planning phase of our single-family home. We have a relatively compact plot. The design is already oriented according to the cardinal directions. We would like to position the ridge along the short side of the house so that the roof surfaces face south:

This naturally creates a somewhat unusual impression at first:

Do you have any experience with this? At first glance, the house looks like one half of a semi-detached house. However, we don’t want to miss out on the southern roof surface for photovoltaic panels.

Unfortunately, we do not yet know whether this will lead to increased structural requirements from the builder’s side. Unfortunately, this cannot be confirmed before the structural calculations are completed.

Best regards

The east/west orientation is not ideal. But still, consider whether you might prefer it.

At midday, there is slightly less photovoltaic power (which helps the grid). In the morning and evening, when you are at home, there is more. For self-consumption, east/west is usually better than south.

With your rotation at the top, you get good photovoltaic output at midday and evening but not in the morning.

This would need to be calculated (or have calculations done) with specific photovoltaic figures.

HamburgHaus25 schrieb:

Do you have any experience with this? At first glance, the house looks like one half of a semi-detached house. However, we don’t want to give up the southern roof surface because of the photovoltaic system.

It looks really ugly.
Your roof as it is normally is perfectly sufficient for photovoltaic panels and ideal for consistent power generation throughout the day.
When the sun rises in the east and moves toward the south, the photovoltaic modules capture a lot of sunlight.
From midday and especially early afternoon until sunset in the west, the other side of the roof takes over (the east-facing side still produces electricity, but less). Photovoltaic modules capture plenty of sunlight.

For me, the question is: Do I have the budget for both sides of the roof? Not: How is the ridge designed?

I would also recommend an east-west orientation for the photovoltaic system. Especially with the shutdown during midday overcurrent, the energy production in the morning and evening is more valuable.
I would build differently, as long as the building permit / planning permission allows it. Also consider a relatively flat roof (~25°), then the west-northwest side will perform well in terms of production.
We have a similar house nearby, and it doesn’t look good. In your case, it’s also not very practical.

HamburgHaus25 schrieb:

We have a relatively compact plot.

The planning documents show what looks like hatched markings, as if a neighboring building is adjacent. After a 1.15 m (3.8 feet) setback, you would normally expect a distance waiver in this case. Please clarify this for us.

HamburgHaus25 schrieb:

At first glance, the house appears to be one half of a semi-detached house. [...] Unfortunately, we do not yet know if this will result in additional structural engineering requirements from the house provider. Unfortunately, this cannot be communicated to us before the structural calculation.

Why should it be structurally complicated to orient the roof like this? This is common for many actual semi-detached houses, so I see no difference for what is only apparently a semi-detached house.

HamburgHaus25 schrieb:

However, we do not want to give up on the southern roof area for photovoltaics.

Aside from the fact that the roof appears to be steeper than ideal for photovoltaics: how much shading does this roof area actually have?

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11ant schrieb:

On the site plan to the right, it looks like there are hatching marks, indicating an adjacent neighboring building. After a 1.15 m (3.8 ft) building setback, you would normally expect a setback agreement there. Please clarify this for us.

The plot is next to a 4-meter (13 ft) wide private road. It is a large plot that was divided.

11ant schrieb:

Apart from the roof pitch appearing steeper than optimal for photovoltaic panels: how unshaded is this roof area actually?

We don’t know yet, as the entire new housing development has not been built. Only the southern house might cast shadows. However, we don’t know how close it is to the boundary. We are currently planning a 45-degree roof pitch.

GeraldG schrieb:

I would build differently, if allowed by the zoning plan. Also a rather shallow roof (~25°), then the west-northwest side would also get good solar production.

That is not possible, as we need a 45° roof pitch. We are planning to use the attic space and must keep the building single-story.