ᐅ Number and Placement of Exterior Lights for a Square House Approximately 9.40m x 9.40m

Pinkiponk schrieb:

...

Even on this point, reality caught up with us. ;-) Smarter forum members than I probably already knew. We received the electrical plan yesterday with all sorts of instructions. On the exterior walls of the house, as little as possible, preferably nothing at all. Flush-mounted installations are not possible, no switches/buttons, outdoor lights (the topic of this thread) can only be installed in certain spots due to production reasons, which unfortunately do not match my aesthetic preferences at all. If outdoor lights are installed, then absolutely no wall-mounted floodlights. No floodlights in the eaves or soffits, flush mounting of the door intercom is not possible, and so on...

With all these restrictions, I’m surprised that new houses are sold at such high prices. I can only recommend again, if you have the choice, to go for a solid, older existing house. When I think about everything we could do or leave as we wished in and around our previous house from the 1950s.

It’s a good thing that after all my experiences with house building, I will be satisfied in the end simply to have a roof over my head, electricity for my computers, and hot water. ;-) The house will be social housing; bitter, for so much money. Well, I suppose no one can take away the relatively many windows and patio doors anymore. 🙂

(I won’t go into the restrictions of the electrical plan inside the house in this thread, as it is off-topic.)

I’ll probably have to find self-expression in the garden. 🙂 But wait, surely there will be restrictions and uncertainties there too. ;-)

Pinkiponk schrieb:

We were also caught off guard by this issue. ;-) Smarter forum members than me might have already known. Yesterday, we received the electrical plan with all sorts of detailed instructions. As little as possible—ideally nothing at all—should be installed on the exterior walls of the house. Flush-mounted installations are not possible; no switches or buttons, and exterior lights (the main topic of this thread) can only be installed in certain locations due to production requirements, which unfortunately do not match my sense of aesthetics at all. If there are exterior lights, then definitely no wall-mounted floodlights. No floodlights under the roof eaves or soffits, flush mounting of the intercom system is not possible, and so on...

Given all these restrictions, I am surprised that new homes are sold at such high prices. I can only repeat my advice: if you have the choice, go for a solid, older existing property. When I think about what we were able to have done or leave as we wished in our previous house from the 1950s.

I guess, after all my experiences with home construction, I will be satisfied in the end if I simply have a roof over my head, electricity for my computers, and hot water. ;-) The house will be social housing; a bitter fact for such a price. Well, hopefully no one can take away the relatively many windows and patio doors. 🙂

(I won’t go into the electrical restrictions inside the house here as that is off-topic for this thread.)

I suppose I will have to express myself creatively in the garden. 🙂 But wait, surely there will be restrictions and uncertainties lurking there as well. ;-)

I understand your frustration, but at the same time, I think nowadays exterior lighting is often overdone. I just need a nice and functional lamp by the front door; otherwise, lights can be nicely arranged as pathway bollards, which is all we want and need anyway.
In our neighborhood, there are blinking and flashing lights on every corner—on, under, and over houses—so I see all those brightly lit and blinking extravagant buildings even at night... ours is pitch dark in the evening, and somehow I like it that way better.
By the way: lighting also wastes energy unnecessarily, just to touch on that topic, even if it’s not much.
A well-thought-out lighting plan—for example, for a beautiful villa in the countryside with lovely front gardens—is certainly something I would appreciate. But with my modest single-family home, I don’t feel any less comfortable if I have just a nice exterior light to prevent stumbling in or out of the house.
In my opinion, a good-quality light switch (which do exist) can be a visible feature, and there are wonderful surface-mounted exterior lights. We could integrate many things, but that is not our intention at all.
I don’t believe that the forum members you mentioned are necessarily wiser and that you will actually have to live in social housing.
Understandably, I see your disappointment, but the practical options for lighting a house appropriately and attractively do exist.
Here in the forum, probably due to the age group, there is a strong focus on technology. I never got involved in that trend because I prefer simplicity. I don’t have to get on every boat going down the river to feel good.
So—don’t be sad, at least not because of that!

Pinkiponk schrieb:

We were caught by reality on this point as well. ;-) Smarter forum members than I might have known already. Yesterday, we received the electrical plan with all kinds of instructions. On the exterior walls of the house, as little as possible—ideally nothing at all—should be installed. Flush-mounted installations are not possible, no switches/buttons. Exterior lights (the topic of this thread) can only be installed in certain locations due to production constraints, which unfortunately do not match my aesthetic preferences at all. If there are exterior lights, then definitely no floodlights. No floodlights in the eaves or soffits, flush-mounted installation of the intercom is not possible, and so on...

We also have a timber frame construction, and I don’t understand the restrictions regarding lighting. Heavy loads (for example, shutters, awnings, or similar) might be problematic, but exterior lights probably not. Whatever the case, I would plan very minimally anyway: one exterior light with a motion sensor at the front door, a second one at the carport, possibly a terrace light as well—really, that’s all you need. Exterior power outlets are practical. In our case, they are also flush-mounted, but of course, you need to seal them properly. I’m confident the builder can manage that. We don’t have an intercom at all—if someone rings, I just go to the door; the house isn’t that big.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

As little as possible, ideally nothing, should be attached to the exterior walls of the house. In-wall installations are not possible, no switches/buttons, exterior lights (the topic of this thread) can only be mounted in certain places due to production constraints,

Is the facade made of "Babbedeggel" so that nothing can be attached or will it hold?

Could you please explain why this is not possible?

driver55 schrieb:

Is the facade made of “Babbedeggel,” meaning nothing can be attached to it or will it hold?

Could you please explain why that wouldn’t be possible?

"Due to the multi-layered wall construction in timber frame building, special attention must be paid to the long-term airtightness of installations on the exterior." "... to minimize any impact on the well-insulated and sealed exterior wall of your house." "Because of structural requirements ..." The following doesn’t apply to us, but I wasn’t aware of it either: No installations in party walls, no installations in soundproof walls (for example, between different usage units ...). Some or all of this is probably reasonable, but it clearly conflicts with what I consider a 'normal' house, like our previous one. As mentioned, in our former house we could do whatever we wanted, and after about 70 years it still stands in great condition. Oh, if only it hadn’t been built in the wrong place. ;-)

Hangman schrieb:

We don’t have an intercom system at all – if someone rings, I just go to the door since the house isn’t that big.

This is a good example of our own limited perspective. Only now that you mention it, I realize we don’t actually need an intercom system either. In our previous house, we didn’t have one and never missed it. Thanks for pointing that out; I’ll discuss it with my husband later. For us, it would even be completely pointless: we stand right in front of the front door with clear glass and talk through the intercom to the person standing outside the transparent entrance door. :-) That would be downright silly. Thanks again.