ᐅ Knee wall determined by floor plan and bay window configuration.

Once again, we would like to hear your opinion. Due to the size of the floor plan and the existing bay window, we can build a knee wall of up to 87 cm (34 inches) at most. To have a higher knee wall, we would need to enlarge the house. What knee wall height do you have? Is 87 cm (34 inches) sufficient? We are tall people, 176 cm (5 ft 9 in) and 198 cm (6 ft 6 in), and the children probably won’t stay small either.

Your opinion is appreciated.

Thanks, Xinette

I would say it depends on the angle of the roof and how much space is available in the rooms with the knee wall.

You should have a 2-meter (6.5 feet) line on the plan that shows you where you can stand in the room and where you cannot.

It depends on where the 87cm (34 inches) is measured. Is it on the outside or inside, relative to the finished floor level? We have an exterior knee wall of 150cm (59 inches) plus a 36cm (14 inches) wall thickness, which results in an interior knee wall of 165cm (65 inches) with a 42-degree roof pitch.
In general, I would prefer a minimum knee wall height of at least 100cm (39 inches) on the inside. Even better is 120cm (47 inches), so that you can actually place something there.
If you have a low knee wall, a steeper roof pitch (42 degrees or more) is recommended.

It is stated in the building specifications. We will need to inquire about that in more detail. Because of the bay window, we are moving into a two-story design, and therefore we are not allowed to go any higher.

Lower roof pitch -> higher knee wall possible
Add a conservatory -> higher knee wall possible
Make the house narrower -> higher knee wall possible
There are already some options that can be done (certainly not everything is always possible or practical).

Inside, we have a knee wall height of 189cm (74 inches) with a roof pitch of 20°, and I find it great (I am 1.92m (6 ft 3 in) tall). A height of 150cm (59 inches) at 30° is also still comfortable, but significantly less is naturally associated with more compromises. In the end, it’s a matter of personal preference and how the space is furnished.