Hello everyone,
We planned our house with a developer. The knee wall was set at 1.50 m (5 feet) in the initial design, which was important to us so we could still place some cabinets or dressers there.
Now the financing is finalized, and the deposit paid, etc., and suddenly they say they overlooked something in the fine print of the building regulations, and the knee wall can only be up to 1 m (3 feet 3 inches) high. To compensate, they want to change the roof pitch from 38 to 45 degrees. This would increase the volume and give us a really big attic space.
That sounds great – but it doesn’t really add much usable living space. It actually reduces the living area quite a bit, or are we seeing this wrong?
Before I start complaining, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. I feel like they should at least add some square meters as compensation, shouldn’t they?
Thanks in advance!
We planned our house with a developer. The knee wall was set at 1.50 m (5 feet) in the initial design, which was important to us so we could still place some cabinets or dressers there.
Now the financing is finalized, and the deposit paid, etc., and suddenly they say they overlooked something in the fine print of the building regulations, and the knee wall can only be up to 1 m (3 feet 3 inches) high. To compensate, they want to change the roof pitch from 38 to 45 degrees. This would increase the volume and give us a really big attic space.
That sounds great – but it doesn’t really add much usable living space. It actually reduces the living area quite a bit, or are we seeing this wrong?
Before I start complaining, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. I feel like they should at least add some square meters as compensation, shouldn’t they?
Thanks in advance!
You’re not entirely wrong – try furnishing the rooms first, then you’ll see how much of an issue it really is for you.
We have a knee wall height of about 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches) and noticed that even the wall is only partially suitable for placing furniture. Children’s wardrobes and taller dressers fit there. Often, people put a dresser against the wall and the bed next to it, so there’s no real loss of space – play usually happens in the center of the room.
However, the overall impression does make a difference – we have often been complimented on how great the high knee wall is and that it allows for a lot of possibilities.
Are you planning to convert the attic? You could boldly ask the construction company if they would give you a discount or accommodation for finishing the attic space.
The typical attic storage is useless… we have 60 square meters (645 square feet) and only store one box and five tiles up there; in hindsight, I would throw the box away because it was such a hassle to maneuver it through the hatch.
We have a knee wall height of about 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches) and noticed that even the wall is only partially suitable for placing furniture. Children’s wardrobes and taller dressers fit there. Often, people put a dresser against the wall and the bed next to it, so there’s no real loss of space – play usually happens in the center of the room.
However, the overall impression does make a difference – we have often been complimented on how great the high knee wall is and that it allows for a lot of possibilities.
Are you planning to convert the attic? You could boldly ask the construction company if they would give you a discount or accommodation for finishing the attic space.
The typical attic storage is useless… we have 60 square meters (645 square feet) and only store one box and five tiles up there; in hindsight, I would throw the box away because it was such a hassle to maneuver it through the hatch.
B
Bauexperte10 Oct 2016 14:12BeHaElJa schrieb:
Are you planning to convert the attic? You could boldly ask if the construction company might accommodate you with the attic conversion. I can only really be astonished by this statement...
Of course, it’s frustrating that the draftsman made a mistake with the contract partner. On the other hand, the outcome is the same: more than 1.00 m (3.3 ft) knee wall height is not permitted by building regulations/planning permission.
Are any of you actually without errors...?
Regards, Bauexperte
Mistakes happen, now you have to make the best of it. The limitation exists and you could have read it from the development plan beforehand, so you can’t place the blame solely on the contractor here.
On the other hand, you should ask yourselves whether you like a 45° roof pitch and if you really need the attic space. Alternatively, a cost-neutral increase of the house footprint (compared to the currently lower knee wall) could be a solution. This would even result in more floor space. Would 45° even be permitted?
In the children’s and bedrooms, we have a knee wall of 90cm (35 inches), which is also useful. For example, the head of our bed is placed directly against that wall, as is the end of a dresser. By the way, we reduced the roof pitch again to 35° and left the attic completely open. With the knee wall, this creates a better sense of space, in my opinion.
On the other hand, you should ask yourselves whether you like a 45° roof pitch and if you really need the attic space. Alternatively, a cost-neutral increase of the house footprint (compared to the currently lower knee wall) could be a solution. This would even result in more floor space. Would 45° even be permitted?
In the children’s and bedrooms, we have a knee wall of 90cm (35 inches), which is also useful. For example, the head of our bed is placed directly against that wall, as is the end of a dresser. By the way, we reduced the roof pitch again to 35° and left the attic completely open. With the knee wall, this creates a better sense of space, in my opinion.
Well... if the construction companies charge 1500 € per 10cm (4 inches) of knee wall (for example, Viebrockhaus wanted this from us) and now 50cm (20 inches) are missing, then it’s not really about accuracy anymore... Of course, I don’t know what the contract says or how it was calculated.
Well, errors happen, whether flawless or not. The important thing is to find a solution.
However, I would classify this at least two categories above simple careless mistakes.
How many relevant restrictions does a zoning plan usually include? Maybe around 10?
I expect my building partner to properly take all of these into account.
However, I would classify this at least two categories above simple careless mistakes.
How many relevant restrictions does a zoning plan usually include? Maybe around 10?
I expect my building partner to properly take all of these into account.
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