A one storey building is also referred to as a single-story building or a ”ranch” type home style. The height of a one storey building depends on multiple factors; the location, the type of the house, the design intended and the local bye-laws. People use several ways to stipulate the height of a one storey building, and one of those ways is using the thump rule. The height of a single storey house is measured from the finish floor to the ceiling level.
The standard height of a one storey building varies from one country to another. Regulations that have been set aside must be adhered to by all contractors and architectures. Failing to follow the building codes that have been put in place is a crime, and the guilty parties will be punished severely.
How Tall Is A 1 Story House? – In-depth Discussion
#Calculate The Average Height Of A One Story House
The average height of a building is calculated by taking the sum of the height of the floor from the road, the floor to ceiling height, the thickness of the Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) slab and the parapet wall extension. A parapet can be defined as a barrier that extends the wall at the edge of a roof of a house, the balcony, terrace and walkway.
However, this is quite different from how the average height of a two-storey building is calculated. For a two-storey building, the summation of the height of the first floor from the road, the ceiling height of the 2nd, the thickness of the 2nd floor RCC slab and the parapet wall extension gives the average height.
According to research done, the average height of a one story building is estimated to be 14.5 feet high, including a 2.5feet minimum extension.
#Location
There are a number of factors that have an enormous impact on the height parameters that will be used when building a house. For example, in a country like India, the normal height for a one-story building is kept around 14.5 feet which is a summation of 12feet from the road and a 2.5feet extension. This height is considered normal and a perfect one that gives an aesthetic result.
This height differs from that one of a single storey building in Australia, where the average height is 12 feet and is arrived at by taking; 1 foot (height of floor from the road) + 8 feet (floor to ceiling height) + 0.5 feet (thickness of RCC slab) + 2.5 feet (height of parapet).
From the above, it is quite evident that the height of a one storey building is different in each country. The height of the trusses or rafters, the roofing material thickness, the floor joists depth and the height of the interior walls also influence the height of a single-story building.
#Climatic conditions
In regions like the arid and semi-arid, where they experience extremely high temperatures throughout the year, the average height of one storey building ranges from 3.0-3.6 feet because many people quickly opt to go with a flat roof type of house. In cold and snowy regions, the height of a single-storey building ranges from 2.5-2.7 meters high.
#Ceiling height
The ceiling height also affects how tall a one storey is. The height of a typical ceiling is 8 feet, while the finest homes may have ceilings that are 9 feet, therefore, leading to a variance in heights. Some houses are built with a higher ceiling so as to comply with local restrictions or to offset the fact that there is only one story.
#The style and pitch of the roof
The style and pitch of the roof can also influence the height of a single-storey building. Steep roof peaks will add some additional footage to the height of the building makes building, while flat roofs don’t add to the overall height. Roof types such as gable roof, mansard roof and saltbox roof raise the height of one story by few feet.
Older and larger houses tend to have higher ceilings compared to the rest. During those old days, there were no actual building codes or standards. That’s why older homes in countries like the UK seem to have a less standard height than modern houses. In other countries like Australia, the preferable ceiling height is 3m.
#Type of the building
The overall height of a residential and commercial single storey building have different heights. In commercial buildings, the floor-floor height is 12feet where it ranges from a bare minimum of 9 feet for a residential building. In India, a typical residential building is usually 10feet tall. Commercial buildings could have a height of 12-14 feet or more since they tend to hide ventilation ducts in the ceiling.
#Foundation of the house
How tall a one-story building is also dependable on whether the house is built on a slab, a foundation with a basement or crawl space. A house with a very well laid foundation may be taller than a house that has an inferior foundation level.
#Houses with an attic
In the recent past, a one storey house with an attic has remained at the peak of popularity. This is because it has a wide variety of benefits, such as simple construction works and reduced heat loss. The exterior design of the house is also eye-catching. The complexity of the layout of this type of design makes it to be taller than the other one storey houses with no attics.
Multiple research studies have shown that the estimated average height of a one storey building ranges from 14.5-15 feet. However, there is a number determining of factors that influence the height of a single-story building.
These factors may include the location/country, the prevailing norms of the local and national authority, type and style of house design, the construction materials used like timber, steel, concrete, and some cultural norms. The best way to measure the height of a house is by measuring the height of every step through some surveyors who have come up with equipment to simplify that task.