ᐅ Single-story house initially, with the option to add a second floor later

Hello everyone,

I have the following question:

I own a plot of land and currently live alone.
A large house would be too big for me alone. Is it possible to first build the ground floor (similar to a bungalow) and then add the upper floor and roof after a few years? What type of roof would be suitable in this case? Is it possible to build a flat roof that can be removed when adding the upper floor?

I am allowed to build two storeys in total, but for me alone, it wouldn’t make sense or be financially feasible.

Thank you very much

I would assume that a small gable roof house would work best – everything within the thermal envelope, fully ventilated, fully heated but unfinished (e.g., no drywall partitions, no sanitary fixtures, no paint, no flooring).

Thanks for the quick reply.

This gable roof would be quite expensive initially.
Is it possible to build a flat roof first, with a 0-degree slope, and then remove it later to add an additional floor?

I have attached the building regulations/planning permission.

A pitched roof is not more expensive than a flat roof... the interior finishing, of course, is. But everything else is complicated... even if you install a lightweight ceiling and waterproof it, you face the problem that you can’t achieve a slope on top and have to insulate from above. Retrofitting wiring, stairs, etc., is not straightforward. If you finish with a wooden roof structure, you also need to insulate and seal it properly. The same challenges apply to the wiring. In the end, I don’t believe it will be significantly cheaper than a small pitched-roof house without knee walls.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I believe flat roofs never actually have a 0-degree slope. (According to Wikipedia, in Germany the official definition allows for a slope of up to 5°). However, I think there are different ways to create the slope. It can be achieved using specially designed external insulation boards with specific calculations. In other words, the concrete slab underneath is executed level.

Good morning,

it’s pointless to argue about floor drains and their slope (by the way, @Alex85 is right, a floor drain is never level), because in the building area of the original poster only shower drains with a maximum slope of 45° are permitted 😉

Regards, Bauexperte