ᐅ Inspiration: Two-Story House with a Shed Roof (or Attic Level)

Hello everyone,
we have a plot with a south-facing orientation (16 x 26.3 m (52.5 x 86.3 ft)) and are currently gathering ideas for our future house. We have already visited new housing developments to get inspiration, but so far we have seen few houses that meet our expectations (two-story with a mono-pitched roof or a stepped floor). Now we are continuing to search online, and I would be happy to see some pictures of your houses that match our ideas.
We are allowed to build two stories with the following parameters:
Minimum building height: 5.5 m (18 ft)
Maximum building height: 7.5 m (25 ft)
Maximum ridge height: 12 m (39 ft)
I have attached an excerpt from the building regulations in case there are any specific questions.

How would you orient the mono-pitched roof? Facing south to install a photovoltaic system (disadvantage: the front facing the street might look very bulky due to the height)
Or facing north: no meaningful installation of a photovoltaic system possible

Is it practical to convert the attic space under a mono-pitched roof? Who has experience with this? What should be considered when building new?

Best regards

xstelas schrieb:

We have already walked through new housing developments to get inspiration, but so far we have seen few houses that match our ideas (two stories with a shed roof or a stepped floor).

Google returns a lot of photos:

xstelas schrieb:

How would you orient the shed roof? Facing south to be able to install a photovoltaic system (disadvantage: the street-facing side looks very “massive” due to the height)
Or face north: but then a photovoltaic system cannot be effectively installed

Orienting it: onto a plot, which is unknown here... Are you in the WA section 2-4? Or are you in WA 1?
Do the 25-degree rules also apply for shed roofs? I didn’t see that quickly… that is quite a steep pitch for a shed roof...

I would rather plan my house orientation from the inside out. Meaning: the floor plan would be more important to me than the efficiency of photovoltaic panels.

xstelas schrieb:

Is it practical to convert the attic space under a shed roof? Who has experience with this? What needs to be considered during new construction?

First, you can try to manage with two full stories. I would base that on personal needs. An older couple probably does not need a third floor, while a family with three children might plan a basement replacement room or a parent’s floor upstairs.
You can also draw sections of houses with shed roofs, just like with other houses. That gives a good idea of how much space is still available.
So first write down the room program and work from there. That would be my advice 🙂

We are WA II.
The orientation will not depend on photovoltaics. It just crossed my mind.
I’ve attached a screenshot of the site plan regarding the location.
X marks our plot. I have indicated north.

I am also actively searching through Google, but more inspiration is always welcome 🙂

For inspiration, it's definitely worth taking a look at Pinterest.

If a photovoltaic system is not planned right away, I would definitely avoid ruling it out and at least consider all the necessary preparations (cable routes, structural support, etc.) during the initial construction.

xstelas schrieb:

THmin: 5.5m (18 feet)

That is quite unusual, and I would like to look it up myself.

xstelas schrieb:

So far, we have seen few houses that meet our preferences (two-story with a shed roof or a recessed upper floor).

Who are you exactly, meaning what are your needs as a household, and where is the plot located?
I would never design a house solely based on its building shape, and I also don’t think it makes sense to place Frisian gables in the Alps.

---

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

11ant schrieb:

That is very unusual and I would like to read about it myself.

I have attached a screenshot of the regulation table. I only have the development plan as a PDF and cannot upload it.
The plot is located in the Rhineland region, in the Heinsberg district.

We have already given a lot of thought to the house – what we like and what we don’t (based on the questionnaire in the floor plan forum). Now, the architect’s requirement is that we create a collage of houses/elements we like before starting the detailed planning.