Install a window afterwards?

Hello,

we are currently dealing with the kitchen renovation. The plan is to replace the existing kitchen in about 2 years and also to change the layout. We also want more daylight and a nice view of the front garden and garden. Our wish would therefore be an additional window above the kitchen counter, specifically above the sink.

Who has already done this or otherwise knows about it and can tell us how to proceed, what we need to clarify, and roughly how much it could cost? Then we could already include that in the budget planning.

I thought about it like this: go to the architect who helps me with the structural engineering, building authority application, etc., and then have it executed. How can I perhaps find out myself beforehand whether a) it is structurally possible and b) whether it needs to be approved? And what does the approval depend on? The distance from the desired window to the property boundary is about 10 meters, and the adjacent property is undeveloped.

How complicated is it, just put a hole in, put in the window, make it look nice again, done?

Just for your information: Our exterior wall consists of 30cm Ytong plus exterior plaster, the window should be about 1.20 meters wide, not a floor-to-ceiling window. Directly below the desired window there is water/sewage piping, which should not be a problem since the window is not floor-to-ceiling.

I am grateful for your tips and experiences before I fall so much in love with the potential window and then it might not be so easy after all.

By the way, we are in Lower Saxony.

How complicated is it, just make a hole, put in the window, finish it nicely, done?

Usually, yes.
Of course, a lintel with appropriate support on the remaining walls must be installed above the window, which is then clad externally with insulation material, and the exterior plaster must be properly applied to avoid weak points at the transition.

Whether there are electrical cables there should be clarified beforehand, but in the middle of the surface, unless there is an outlet directly below, this is usually not the case and can be easily determined.

You do not need a building permit or an architect for this.
Windows only need to be coordinated with neighbors if the boundary distance is low, but that is not the case here.
A structural engineer to check whether the exterior wall at the respective point can bear the load over the smaller area / how wide the lintel needs to be is not harmful and is recommended.
What you need is a bricklayer, a plasterer, and a carpenter / window fitter or skilled workers in these trades.

Thanks already for the answer!

There is an outlet under the desired window (for the dishwasher, at about 40 cm height near the water supply and drainage, which should also continue to be used), but that should rather come from below and not lead any higher, right?

Do you not have to involve the building authority at all? After all, it was quite a hassle for our double carport, I can hardly believe that :D That would be great...

So structural engineer, craftsmen, material. Would a few thousand euros be enough, or what should one realistically plan roughly? I know prices vary a lot, but I’d like to have a rough figure so we can include it in the savings plan.

So I also don't think you need the building authority for a window, but I would contact them in advance and ask, that's better. Otherwise just get the bricklayer for the lintel. I almost think the bricklayer does the statics himself, right? Yes, and then plaster it again. You don't have any additional insulation, just the Ytong? I would roughly estimate around 800€ for the window, though it can of course be significantly more. You can install the window yourself. No idea what the craftsman charges for that. Inside the connection to the plaster has to be made again. I would throw out something around 2500-3000€ in my imagination. A lot of money and dirt for a bit more light.

Do you not have to involve the building authority at all?

If it changes the exterior facade so significantly that it affects the visual appearance of the street. Something like that.
That would be the case, for example, if you live in a terraced house in the middle, where uniformity is required.
Or if you want to add 6sqm to a facade without windows facing the street. Then I would at least call the building authority.

Isn’t it a semi-detached house you have? Certainly built by a developer back then, who for simplicity’s sake and cost-effectiveness built a twin house?! However, that does not necessarily mean that uniformity is mandated. What does your development plan or design statute say?

Exactly, it is a semi-detached house. However, the entrance and the kitchen side are to the side, not at the front, and in our case (are at the very back) turned away from the street and the neighbors. The new window is practically invisible, certainly from the street, so it probably won't concern anyone at all. The semi-detached house appears twice here, so four halves, it is not a new development area, but set among existing buildings.

In the development plan, there are special design regulations only for an adjacent area; our area is explicitly excluded from this. Presumably, because we live anyway among the old buildings and there is no uniform appearance, here new buildings stand next to old farmhouses and 1960s constructions, mixed together in a colorful jumble in terms of shapes and colors.