ᐅ Single-family house, single-story, knee wall, upper floor windows
Created on: 27 May 2016 19:05
M
molchi
Hello, good evening!
I would like to thank all active members and moderators here once again, as I have already received some good advice just by quietly reading along. However, we are currently struggling with questions that cannot, at least for me, be clarified on the internet.
Here is the situation:
Planning a single-family house with very tight specifications
Maximum house footprint: 121m² (1300 ft²)
One story
Lower Saxony
We would like to have a dormer on one side and narrow windows in the knee wall on the other side, if possible. Unfortunately, we have encountered conflicting information from architects, so I would like to ask the following questions:
Which parameters are taken into account when calculating the upper floor, in order to make the best possible use of the knee wall height?
The Lower Saxony building code states that a full floor requires a clear height of at least 2.20m (7.2 ft) over two-thirds of the floor area.
I also know that the external thickness of the gable wall is not included in the calculation.
Are there other factors that should be considered to maximize the upper floor area, such as stair openings, interior walls, or similar?
From what knee wall height or under which conditions are narrow windows on the roof slope side allowed on the upper floor, or are they impossible in a single-story building?
If you need any additional information about our project, please let me know!
Sorry for my non-expert terminology!
Good luck
Tom
I would like to thank all active members and moderators here once again, as I have already received some good advice just by quietly reading along. However, we are currently struggling with questions that cannot, at least for me, be clarified on the internet.
Here is the situation:
Planning a single-family house with very tight specifications
Maximum house footprint: 121m² (1300 ft²)
One story
Lower Saxony
We would like to have a dormer on one side and narrow windows in the knee wall on the other side, if possible. Unfortunately, we have encountered conflicting information from architects, so I would like to ask the following questions:
Which parameters are taken into account when calculating the upper floor, in order to make the best possible use of the knee wall height?
The Lower Saxony building code states that a full floor requires a clear height of at least 2.20m (7.2 ft) over two-thirds of the floor area.
I also know that the external thickness of the gable wall is not included in the calculation.
Are there other factors that should be considered to maximize the upper floor area, such as stair openings, interior walls, or similar?
From what knee wall height or under which conditions are narrow windows on the roof slope side allowed on the upper floor, or are they impossible in a single-story building?
If you need any additional information about our project, please let me know!
Sorry for my non-expert terminology!
Good luck
Tom
Hello!
This is exactly what my question was about, because there seems to be a lot of room for interpretation in these calculations, and my architects are also arriving at different results.
I assume they have taken all possible 'tricks' into account to extend the 2.20m (7 feet 3 inches) as far outward as possible, right?
Assuming usable floor area above, subtracting wall thicknesses, and so on.
I’m hoping to get those “and so on” details from you!
Good luck
Tom
This is exactly what my question was about, because there seems to be a lot of room for interpretation in these calculations, and my architects are also arriving at different results.
I assume they have taken all possible 'tricks' into account to extend the 2.20m (7 feet 3 inches) as far outward as possible, right?
Assuming usable floor area above, subtracting wall thicknesses, and so on.
I’m hoping to get those “and so on” details from you!
Good luck
Tom
Is this a licensed architect or a planner from a home construction company? In my experience, they rarely want to move too far outside their product range (which is understandable).
As mentioned before: with a dormer and no fancy features on the ground floor, the knee wall height is limited for a pitched roof.
Mathematically, it would be possible to build an upper floor with a ceiling height of 2.19 m (7.2 feet) and a flat roof (though that makes little sense).
Alternatively, a Mediterranean-style villa with a stepped upper floor could work – perhaps not a bad solution in your case.
As mentioned before: with a dormer and no fancy features on the ground floor, the knee wall height is limited for a pitched roof.
Mathematically, it would be possible to build an upper floor with a ceiling height of 2.19 m (7.2 feet) and a flat roof (though that makes little sense).
Alternatively, a Mediterranean-style villa with a stepped upper floor could work – perhaps not a bad solution in your case.
Custom designed, with independent architects!
From drawings, I come to 1.60m (5 ft 3 in).
11 x 11 m (36 ft x 36 ft) floor area = 121 m² (1302 ft²) x 0.66666667 = 80.67 m² (869 ft²)
Assuming an exterior wall thickness of 0.5 m (20 inches), this leaves approximately 10 x 8.10 m (33 ft x 27 ft).
Dividing this, taking into account a dormer area of 3 m² (32 ft²), but subtracting interior walls also considered as 3 m² (32 ft²), results again in 81 m² (872 ft²).
Drawn and measured with an interior width of 10 m (33 ft), interior length of 10 m (33 ft),
The clear height of 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in), measured one meter (3 ft 3 in) from the interior wall along the house width, results in a measured knee wall height of 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in).
Is this correct?
Without posting the floor plan!
Now the question is whether additional areas can still be included in the calculation, and the architects don’t seem to know.
Maybe there isn’t anything more. One architect includes the interior walls in the calculation, while another does not!
From drawings, I come to 1.60m (5 ft 3 in).
11 x 11 m (36 ft x 36 ft) floor area = 121 m² (1302 ft²) x 0.66666667 = 80.67 m² (869 ft²)
Assuming an exterior wall thickness of 0.5 m (20 inches), this leaves approximately 10 x 8.10 m (33 ft x 27 ft).
Dividing this, taking into account a dormer area of 3 m² (32 ft²), but subtracting interior walls also considered as 3 m² (32 ft²), results again in 81 m² (872 ft²).
Drawn and measured with an interior width of 10 m (33 ft), interior length of 10 m (33 ft),
The clear height of 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in), measured one meter (3 ft 3 in) from the interior wall along the house width, results in a measured knee wall height of 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in).
Is this correct?
Without posting the floor plan!
Now the question is whether additional areas can still be included in the calculation, and the architects don’t seem to know.
Maybe there isn’t anything more. One architect includes the interior walls in the calculation, while another does not!
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