The O.A.R. guide for the Brăila-Galați-Buzău plain: plot coverage, heights, roofs and fences

Galați county borders Vaslui county to the north, and the O.A.R. guide for this area covers almost all of Galați county. The plain is very different from the Vaslui hills, and so are the recommendations. For Vaslui, see the guide for the Vaslui area.

Which area it covers

The study area covers Galați and Brăila counties and part of Buzău county (west of the city of Buzău, the lowland area): 91.6% of Galați county, 98.7% of Brăila and 41.4% of Buzău, i.e. about 4.9% of Romania's territory. The character of the area comes from the Romanian Plain, the Danube and the Prut, Siret, Buzău and Călmățui rivers, with clay, timber, reed and straw as traditional materials.

Plot coverage and heights

Plot coverage (POT) depends on the location in the village: 35% in the centre, 25% in areas outside the centre next to the main roads, 15% at the edge of the village. For new detached buildings:

• recommended maximum plot coverage of 15% to 35%, depending on the position relative to the village centre;
• the footprint fits within an 8 x 12 m rectangle for each building (a gazebo, at most 3 x 4 m);
• recommended heights: ground floor; semi-basement + ground floor; ground floor + attic; basement + ground floor + attic (flat land); basement + ground floor + upper floor on sloping land (north and north-west of Galați county);
• eaves at most 5 m and ridge at most 11 m high, depending on the number of storeys, measured from the lowest point of the ground.

The roof

• as simple as possible, gabled or hipped with equal slopes, with horizontal eaves and ridges;
• short eaves: 15-50 cm at the cornice and 10-30 cm where they meet the gable;
• flat (terrace) roofs are not allowed; green, grassed roofs with a low pitch are allowed on secondary buildings;
• depending on the roofing material, the pitch is at most 70% (at most 100% for ceramic tiles, in villages where this angle is typical);
• dormers are prohibited, as are “turrets” and changes of level in the roof;
• if functional needs require it, an additional storey, possibly an attic, is allowed over at most 50% of the ground-floor area;
• between the main building (the one on the street) and the annexes, a setback of at least 20 cm is recommended; annexes are no taller than the main building and do not have different roof pitches.

Fences and yard

• fences and gates made of local natural materials: timber, wattle, reed;
• the height towards the street follows the character of the settlement, but is at most 1.60 m; fences inside the plot and towards neighbours are no higher than the street fence;
• green space of at least 70% of the plot for scattered plots or plots larger than 1,000 sqm, and at least 60% for clustered or linear plots or plots under 1,000 sqm.