Single-family house - Is a balcony on the 1st floor sensible?

Hello everyone,

I am currently searching the web for floor plans for a detached single-family house. I notice that there are very often balconies on the upper floor, either in front of the bedroom or the children's room.

I am now wondering whether that makes sense, or rather, what is such a balcony on the upper floor good for? Do people really use it from the bedroom? And if so, for what purpose? I think you would rather use the terrace on the ground floor if you want to sit outside? I can only imagine that it might be nice to open the door briefly in the morning to check how the temperature is outside, but would that really be worth the effort? And what would children use the balcony for? I think I would be more afraid that the kids would cause mischief there at some point?

Or is the whole thing often mainly intended to roof the terrace on the ground floor?

I think such a balcony involves considerable costs, so I’m just interested in that.

I am already looking forward to your experiences/opinions!

Expensive - yes, it is.
Roofing over the terrace/entrance - yes, that can be a reason. However, in many show home designs, that is not the case.
Use - many who have one hardly use it at all.
But it is a design element of the whole house, and often one thinks the balcony simply belongs there.

For us, there is also: from the upper floor to the east, we have a free view over a gentle ground swell into the valley - the next town is then just a few kilometers away. Especially in the evening, a brilliant view. To the west, from the upper floor, we have a free view over the neighboring houses and our district. Unobstructable. From the terrace, you can only see the neighbors' gardens.
For our house type, large roof overhangs also fit well – with them, both balconies are usable even in rain (except horizontally driven water). I am curious how it will be after completion. As a side effect, no entrance or terrace roofing is needed...

In my parents' house, the balcony at the bedroom has not been used for over 35 years. OK, sometimes in summer for the clothes rack... Meanwhile, the tiles are slowly coming off, concrete is flaking, the reinforcement is partially exposed. A renovation is due.

The terrace is directly below and thus provides a rain-protected area. Also, in summer during the midday heat, no direct sunlight hits the windows under the balcony.

Conclusion: balcony in this configuration is useless for us. A canopy/awning would probably be better.

Hello,

I am wondering now whether that makes sense, or what is such a balcony on the upper floor good for?

Looking back over the past years, only one logical answer comes to mind in the single-family house segment: it has little to do with sense, but with the desire to "have it". Just last week I came across one of these rare specimens, brand "want to have a balcony"; I accompanied my partner to the conversation. When asked why a balcony was desired, the answer was "to drink a coffee in the morning while my partner is still asleep". The fact that you first have to go down to the ground floor to make the coffee was ignored.

Anyone building a single-family house for their family usually has a garden included; even if it is only the size of a towel. This garden is mostly used extensively, then there is no need for a balcony on the top or upper floor. It looks different if a two-family house is to be built, the tenant of course also wants to get some fresh air undisturbed

Or is the whole thing often mainly intended to cover the terrace on the ground floor?

Then you rather build so-called loggias; that is, part of the ground-level area is recessed. This naturally results in a roof.

I think such a balcony is associated with considerable costs, that's why I'm simply interested.

That depends ... there are countless possibilities and sizes of design.

Rhenish regards

We are currently renovating our house and are demolishing the balcony because it was never used and represents a thermal bridge

We had two balconies in our old townhouse: both were cantilevered, one served as an entrance canopy, the other facing the garden was also the terrace roof. Our house was 20 years old when we bought it, both balconies were in need of renovation. Due to the internal brackets, there was even a damp wall in the living room. The only advantage: you could sunbathe naked up there in a townhouse complex. The drying rack was also shielded from view. I think: it simply doesn't pay off – you can spend the money on other nice details, maybe on a good awning/terrace roof or a stylish terrace setup.