Many builders and designers shy
away from roof designs that use halfhigh,
second-story walls, because
they are worried about the structural
problems. Actually solving those
problems is not very difficult, and
worth the effort, since story-and-ahalf
houses have so many design
advantages.
Outside, such a building looks
like a tall, elegant, one-story house,
while inside, for all practical purposes,
it has two full stories.
Assuming the half-high wall is 4
feet and the roof is pitched at
12/12, there is room for closets or
stairs under the eaves, and dormers
rise gracefully along the plane of
the outside walls. The second story
costs less than in a full two-story
design, and its slanted ceilings add
an interesting architectural detail.
The design's classic