Floor plan of our dream house

Tip: You can do both. And even combine them quite excellently. I have a large terrace and a very big balcony above it. On the balcony, there is also partially a sun sail stretched outside.

I have thought about that too. But as I said, we would not use the balcony.

Unfortunately, I do not receive any profit sharing from installed balconies, so I couldn’t care less who builds a balcony and who doesn’t. I personally use my balcony not only by sitting on it but also by sitting on the terrace where I always have perfect sun and rain protection.

Whereas for sun and rain protection there are also dedicated systems aka [Terrassenüberdachung]. These also let the light into the rooms behind them if in doubt, whereas the balcony rather makes things dark.

Whereas there are also dedicated systems aka patio roofing for sun and rain protection. These allow light to enter the rooms behind them in case of doubt, the balcony rather darkens.

I am planning the patio roofing more like a pergola with a glass roof + shading if needed. This also allows the terrace to be used in the transitional seasons when there is less sun and every sunbeam is appreciated. But I understand, in that case you have the balcony.

However, for sun and rain protection there are also dedicated systems aka terrace roofing. They still let light into the rooms behind, if in doubt, whereas the balcony tends to make it darker.

In real use, exactly the hoped-for effect has been achieved: due to the different sun angles in summer and winter, it is wonderfully bright in winter, and in summer still more than sufficiently bright but without direct sun on the glass panes.

I absolutely cannot confirm "balcony makes dark."

As already mentioned, the balcony is often and gladly combined all around with additional shading elements that can be quickly and easily attached to the balcony railing fastenings. This is precisely why I mention it here, because for me it was the positive surprise how practical such a balcony can be.

In the initially presented self-made design, however, I do not see the absence of the balcony as the biggest problem :)

The principle is familiar to me. It can work, but must be planned very precisely according to the position of the sun and any neighboring buildings. How far does the balcony protrude? To make a usable roof out of it, we're talking about an area starting from 3m, where the sun has to be very low.