Advice on the size of the balcony overhang on the upper floor

We have a covered south-facing terrace measuring 8 meters wide and 4 meters deep! The clear height at the columns in front is 2.65 meters. We feel much more comfortable with this roof than before without it.. The rooms are definitely bright enough… no one has ever complained that it is too dark. The winter sun is so low that it shines deep into the room. In summer, the effect is undisputed anyway. We even removed our blinds because they are simply no longer necessary. Whether you want the balcony is then your decision. Here are a few impressions of the lighting situation..

I am happy to receive any picture of your beautiful house, and you always show great pictures where you can actually see something: for example here, that the snow even reaches two meters deep under the roof. How long has it been lying there in the picture? – and how did you get the decorative star under the ridge?

I would seriously put the topic of balconies back up for discussion. With a large garden or terrace, nobody sits there. And considering the thermal bridge and the additional work, it is quite expensive for that.

In multi-storey residential buildings, the projected balcony (no longer just a retrofit solution) is now the norm – even in buildings where every apartment has one. Alone because of the dilemma "structural engineering and thermal separation." In a single-family home, I would regularly subject the balcony to a "hostile inspection." But above all, I would not discuss such matters here (on the part of the original poster) without images. Unfortunately, many questioners forget that we cannot see into their heads. Talking about color as a blind person may be funny, but it is rather unhelpful.

I also think that the balcony should be reviewed for its usefulness, two meters deep anyway. How high would the costs be including railing etc? If you provide more details about your project, it would be easier to assess where/how you could perhaps better allocate this money elsewhere.

Because of our south-southeast orientation with large window areas, I also had problems with the sun, but at the same time, I wanted it to be as open as possible. Not least for this reason, we installed an air conditioner, which is what I would do instead of the balcony; you will definitely use that, whereas the balcony only maybe at some point. We ourselves have a balcony with a view of a small lake and the vineyards, where we sit occasionally depending on the sun’s position, but that was more like a gimmick for the two of us. With children or without a lake, I wouldn’t have done that.

Our glass surfaces facing the sun are equipped with external blinds, which I consider the best solution. During the day the slats are tilted so the room stays bright but the sun doesn’t glare. People are completely different in this respect and even the same person experiences light/sun one day one way and the next day differently, often depending on their mood or what they are doing or not doing. That’s why I don’t like automation here either, because no smart automation could know what mood I am currently in or which side of the table I’m sitting on.

For example, we don’t have any roof overhang, windows reach up to the gallery, and thanks to the external blind options, we never find the sun to be a problem, on the contrary. When the sun moves around in the summer and sets lower in the evening, it shines into the house from the west and heats it up quite a bit, then we darken the blinds in the bedroom. My worry that the house would heat up extremely strongly because of the large windows (also why we have an air conditioner) was not confirmed and it’s really pleasant and would be tolerable even without air conditioning.

A key factor surely lies in the particularly good insulation (especially the roof) of the house. We even covered the terrace area in front of the kitchen with a 4m deep roofing, so no direct sun ever gets into the house there, which isn’t a problem due to the other windows in the open plan area.

In short - it would be too simplistic to answer here with yes or no, because there is considerable context to consider, especially the personal perception of the residents.

Maybe you’ll provide more info; if you need, I can also illustrate my explanations.

I am happy about every picture of your beautiful house, and you always show really great pictures where you can actually see something: here, for example, that the snow still reaches two meters deep under the canopy. How long has it been lying there in the picture? - and how did you get the decorative star under the ridge?

Thank you very much for your comment. The snow only disappears again when it thaws.. until then we enjoy it. The table is just swept off occasionally. Snow is a very rare occurrence for us. The star only hangs there during the Christmas season. Installation on the terrace roof is no problem… by the way, there is also a star at the front.. :-))

The snow only disappears again when it thaws.. until then we enjoy it. Only the table is swept off. Snow is a very rare occurrence for us.

Snow that stays until it thaws is even rarer. Usually, here (RLP North, Rhine km 610) you have to go for a snow walk immediately because it already starts to thaw into slush the next day. For "continuous" snow, you have to drive east of the BAB3.

We have

Sorry for the off-topic: Dear Steffi, what kind of rugs do you have there in the kitchen? Where can I find something like that?