Who among you has built with Gallery and...

... several disadvantages such as heating, noise, and odor nuisance have to be accepted,...

I want to address these points again:

I think that in very few cases is a completely enclosed stairwell still built. Heat, sound, and odors also spread in a normal stairway without a gallery, although not as strongly—I admit that.

Regarding heating: in well-insulated houses with underfloor heating, the entire building is heated. If one insists on keeping the bedrooms always very cool, i.e., not heating them, eventually mold problems will occur. Of course, you can reduce heating a bit upstairs at the gallery. Whether any heat loss from the gallery is noticeable in your wallet is something I doubt. What about the raised rooms that are now often built on the ground floor: I read here about 2.80 to 3 meters, so that the large room does not appear squashed. If you calculate the extra cubic meters you build, does that not compensate for normal room height (2.50 m) plus a small gallery section?!

Regarding noise: I think it’s a matter of upbringing. Those who use the open gallery for communication would also shout across floors without a gallery. The call: "Child, dinner is ready" is probably shouted anyway—whether the friend is sitting in the kitchen having tea or not. By the way, we have our utility room with washing machine and dryer next to the gallery upstairs: with the door closed, nothing can be heard downstairs in the open living area.

Anyone who considers delicious food a nuisance of odor will build with a closed kitchen anyway. Fried fish can be smelled even with closed rooms.

I see it the same way, even though I lack the experience...whether an open staircase (which we have anyway) or a gallery probably makes little difference. I'm looking forward to it

Nice discussion. But honestly: It is completely useless to weigh the rational pros and cons of a gallery against each other. There is no practical or factual reason for a gallery. At least I can’t think of any. So what? When I come home, I want to come through the door with a grin, feel comfortable, and be happy that I get to live here. Done! Whether the place has energy efficiency class xy-ungelöst or is more rational and ergonomically planned than any open-plan office is, at least to me, completely irrelevant.

Nice discussion. But honestly: It is completely useless to weigh the rational pros and cons of a gallery against each other. There is no practical or factual reason for a gallery. At least I can't think of any. So what? When I come home, I want to come in with a grin, feel comfortable, and be happy that I get to live here. That's it! Whether the house has efficiency class xy-unresolved or is more rational and ergonomic in design than any open-plan office is, at least to me, so irrelevant.

I mostly agree with you. What I do care about, however, is when the children can't sleep upstairs while someone is sitting at the dining table downstairs. But maybe this problem can be solved with an additional door to the hallway of the sleeping area?!

Best regards

I would definitely build without a gallery. We very often had the pleasure at friends' houses. It somehow always seems a bit "cold" and uncomfortable to me. And when the children were in bed, we always had to be "quiet"... that annoyed me and also my friends. We were still renting at the time. I always had to be considerate of others. So it was immediately clear to us: an open, large living/dining room and kitchen. But no gallery.

Good evening,

The impression of a gallery is exactly the opposite for me: open, spacious, free, cozy. However, the volume is a quite significant and decisive argument for me. Unfortunately...

Regards