ᐅ Hallway windows – What options are available, and what are your experiences?

Dear homebuilding community,

We are currently in the design planning phase with our architect. Everything is going great. We are getting the house of our dreams. Unfortunately, the design has a small issue: the tricky window for the upper hallway.

The hallway is interior and can only be used via the stair railing. Our first idea was to interrupt the attic staircase at this spot and install a roof window. After a lot of back and forth, we discarded this idea and settled on fixed glazing in the stair railing measuring 1.50 m x 2.00 m (5 feet x 6.5 feet). Since our garage is located behind the stair railing on the north side, the window will start at about 3 m (10 feet) high, making it difficult to reach from the stair landing. Another downside is that the fixed glazing cannot be opened, so there is no way to ventilate the hallway in the evening. We are concerned that a normal window with a 3 m (10 feet) sill height (to keep it accessible) will let in too little light to the upper floor hallway.

Here are the key areas in the floor plan (oriented to north). I included both hallway areas with all lighting options:

Ground floor (higher resolution attached):

[IMG alt="EG.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/86/86408-9f4889e2807d7bd9501dd7c295f1cf15.jpg[/IMG]

Upper floor (higher resolution attached):

[IMG alt="OG.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/86/86409-6708da146d069b5eaf0674d4392a029d.jpg[/IMG]

Side view:

[IMG alt="Seite.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/86/86410-497e1b2f13add331e18a3b7e7e3f045b.jpg[/IMG]

Our question is quite simple: What alternatives do we have if we want:
A) A window that mainly provides good lighting for the upper floor hallway and stairs
B) To be accessible for cleaning
C) To be usable for ventilation

We look forward to your suggestions.

Windows with motorized operation. Otherwise, please show everything. There might be better solutions available.

If you want useful answers, you should also provide meaningful sketches. The most important aspects here are the exterior views and the floor heights. How many stories does the building have in total? Is there a half story included?

My first suggestion would be a divided window. For the upper part, you would then need a ladder for cleaning.

Thanks in advance for the tips. I’m deliberately not sharing the entire floor plan because it is a preliminary draft that I am not allowed or willing to publish here. Besides, the floor plan is mostly finalized (and might be shared here in the forum at some point). I’m happy to answer individual questions, of course.

K a t j a schrieb:

The key points here are the exterior views and the elevation levels. How many floors are there in total? Is there a half-floor included?

Two full floors. Ceiling height is expected to be 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in). The terrain is mostly flat. The exterior appearance is not a primary concern for us, but I’ve attached a section showing all the windows on the north side.

K a t j a schrieb:

My first tip would be a divided window. For cleaning the upper part, you’d need a ladder then.

The lower part is divided into two sections (see sketch), or can I have a fully opening window within 1.50 m (5 ft) as well?

roteweste_2 schrieb:


The lower part is then divided twice (see sketch), or can I also get it at 1.50 m (5 feet) with a full opening?

As far as I know, window manufacturers can build whatever you want.

K a t j a schrieb:

As far as I know, window manufacturers can make whatever you want.

I can confirm that – my hallway/staircase window is also rather unusual: 1.20 meters (4 feet) wide and 2.40 meters (8 feet) high, divided into three sections: the bottom is a fixed 80 centimeters (31.5 inches), the middle is a standard tilt-and-turn window 1.20 meters (4 feet) wide, and above that another fixed section. The amount of natural light is really great, very bright, and being able to ventilate is incredibly valuable!