The O.A.R. guide for the Tutova Hills area (Bacău and Neamț): plot coverage, heights, roofs and fences

The Tutova Hills are also a sub-area of Vaslui county, but the 2020 O.A.R. guide for the “Tutova Hills” covers communes in Bacău and Neamț counties. For Vaslui, see the guide for the Vaslui area. Below are the recommendations of the guide for Bacău and Neamț; if you are in one of these communes, the values differ from those for Vaslui.

Which area it covers

The guide applies to communes in Bacău county (for example Dealu Morii, Filipeni, Giceana, Lipova, Plopana, Podu Turcului, Secuieni, Ungureni, Vultureni) and in Neamț county (for example Bârgăuani and Ion Creangă). The geographic area of the Tutova Hills is bounded to the north by the Racova valley, to the east and south-east by the Bârlad valley and to the west by the boundary between the Moldavian Plateau and the Subcarpathians.

Plot coverage, floor area ratio and heights

For new small, medium or large detached buildings (up to 500 sqm), depending on the density of the village:

• maximum plot coverage (POT) 20% in scattered villages and 30% in clustered villages;
• maximum floor area ratio (CUT) 1.00 (the cellar and the technical space in the basement or semi-basement are not counted; the semi-basement rises at most 1.2 m above ground);
• maximum height: semi-basement + ground floor + upper floor, semi-basement/basement + ground floor + upper floor + attic, or semi-basement/basement + ground floor + attic;
• measured from the ground-floor level: eaves at most 6 m; ridge at most 8 m (roofs pitched at 45-60 degrees) or 12 m (61-70 degrees, timber shingles or beaver-tail tiles).

Large single-volume buildings (250-500 sqm) have the same plot coverage, a height of semi-basement + ground floor + upper floor or semi-basement/basement + ground floor + attic, eaves at 6 m and ridge at 12 m. For plots resulting from a subdivision, plot coverage and floor area ratio are calculated on the area of the original plot, from the historic plot layout.

The roof

• as simple as possible, hipped with equal slopes, with horizontal eaves and ridges; shapes and pitches from other climate zones, unjustified breaks in the slope and gables are not allowed;
• eaves as wide as possible, 80-150 cm;
• a low pitch, of at least 2%, only with a green roof layer and where the terrain allows; flat (terrace) roofs over more than 10% of the roof area facing the street are prohibited, unless they blend into the household landscape and volumes;
• a pitch of at least 30 degrees for ceramic roofing (beaver-tail tiles, clay barrel tiles) or timber roofing (shingles);
• roofing of timber shingles, ceramic tiles or clay barrel tiles, without combining several types or colours on the same roof; natural colours;
• skylights, roof windows and installations (solar and photovoltaic panels, chimneys) cover at most 10% of the roof slope, and dormers at most 15%;
• the space under the roof is used functionally, not as a storage loft, for reasons of safety in use and in case of fire.

Fences and yard

• fences no higher than 1.60 m;
• towards the street, a semi-transparent fence; the base up to 60 cm can be solid;
• towards neighbours, preferably semi-transparent; it can be solid for privacy, backed by a green fence or fruit shrubs;
• inside the plot, transparent and preferably planted;
• local natural materials: stone, timber, wattle, earth;
• predominantly green space: at least 60% of the plot for scattered plots and 50% for clustered or linear plots.