🗺️ Design rules for my area
The O.A.R. design guide for the Vaslui area: what it is and how it affects you when building in the countryside
This is a translation. The Romanian version of the article is the reference text.
⚠️ These guides apply only to buildings in Romania. The laws, standards, deadlines, fees and values quoted (Law 169/2026, P 118, CR 1-1-3, the O.A.R. guides) are Romanian; in your own country other rules apply.
If you want to build or extend a house in a village in Vaslui county, you have to comply with the law and also with the local character. In 2018 the Romanian Order of Architects published a guide that describes this character and gives design recommendations. The guide is also cited in the Planning Code (Law 169/2026), for houses of up to 150 sqm built on the basis of a notification (art. 294).
ℹ️ About the source
This article summarises the “Design guide for fitting new buildings into the local character of rural areas – Vaslui Zone”, prepared by the Romanian Order of Architects (O.A.R. Rural Group, coordinated by architect Doru-Florin Deacu, December 2018), available on the O.A.R. website. The guide contains recommendations, not legal rules: whether they are binding depends on whether they were adopted into the local urban planning regulations (PUG) or required by a funding programme. The Code mentions it in art. 294 for houses of up to 150 sqm built on the basis of a notification. We have not checked whether and where it was adopted into local regulations; ask at the town hall.
What it is and who it is for
The guide is aimed at village residents, local and regional administrations, public and private investors, EU-funding consultants and designers. It is intended for preparing projects for investments under the National Rural Development Programme, for private and public investments and as a basis for urban planning documents. It sets out a set of easy-to-apply rules, with “YES” and “NO” examples.
Which area it covers
The Vaslui Zone coincides with the territory of the county and has four sub-areas: Bârlad Plateau – West, Bârlad Plateau – East, Tutova Hills and Fălciu Hills. The guide applies to all villages of the listed localities. The Bârlad Plateau – West sub-area includes the town of Negrești (its villages) and the communes of Băcești, Dumești, Oșești, Rafaila, Rebricea, Todirești, Vulturești and others, including Bălteni, Bogdana, Ivănești, Lipovăț and Ștefan cel Mare.
What it contains
- the placement of buildings in the settlement and on the plot, plot coverage and heights;
- the refurbishment of existing buildings;
- building elements: roof, walls, foundations, windows and doors, gates, façade elements, household annexes and outdoor works;
- public space and energy performance.
The recommendations are grouped into three categories: new small (under 120 sqm), medium (120-250 sqm) and large (250-395 sqm) detached buildings; large new single-volume buildings (over 250 sqm); work on existing buildings.
Principles repeated throughout the guide
- preserving the spirit of the settlement and the landscape: new buildings should not stand out as dominant elements;
- reusing the existing building stock (houses, stables, sheds, barns) before building new;
- local, natural materials and techniques, and using local craftsmen where possible;
- departures from the local urban planning regulations through a detailed or zonal plan (PUD or PUZ) are not recommended; when made, they must include a site and visual integration study (Annex 1 of the guide);
- identifying risk areas (for example flooding or landslides) before choosing the location.
For extending an existing house, the guide gives four options: converting and extending the annexes (sheds, stables, barns); continuing the volume at the same or a lower height, keeping the roof shape; a new volume, similar in shape and proportion, linked to the existing one by a connecting space; converting the existing loft into an attic, without raising the whole roof structure on a knee wall.
The link with the Planning Code
Art. 294 of Law 169/2026 allows a simplified notification for a single single-family house with its own access and plot, with a ground floor or semi-basement and ground floor, without a basement, of at most 150 sqm gross floor area, in the rural built-up area, outside protected areas, built to a standard design or to an individual design prepared by specialist technical teams, in compliance with the O.A.R. design guide for fitting into the local character of rural areas; the designs are approved by the county chief architect. Details in the article on annexes and small works.
Read on: placement and heights, the roof and roofing, annexes, fences and outdoor works.
Informational article summarising the O.A.R. guide (2018). The guide dates from 2018, so it may refer to regulations that have since changed. It does not replace the local urban planning regulations, the specialist design or the required approvals, and it is not legal advice.
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