Hello everyone,
I am currently planning our terrace but I’m not quite sure about the details yet, so maybe you can help me out :-)
At first, I was thinking of a southwest-facing terrace, but in the evening the sun on the west side doesn’t really reach us properly because of the neighbors, so we would only benefit from it in the morning when the sun is too strong. Now I’m considering skipping the west terrace and instead installing a retractable awning on the south side later on.
Attached are different concepts along with photos of the current situation.
For the surface, I’m thinking of using paving bricks to keep everything uniform with the driveway and pathways (dark, to match the facade).
There are six of us in the household, and we often have guests.
What do you think? Which concept would you prefer?









I am currently planning our terrace but I’m not quite sure about the details yet, so maybe you can help me out :-)
At first, I was thinking of a southwest-facing terrace, but in the evening the sun on the west side doesn’t really reach us properly because of the neighbors, so we would only benefit from it in the morning when the sun is too strong. Now I’m considering skipping the west terrace and instead installing a retractable awning on the south side later on.
Attached are different concepts along with photos of the current situation.
For the surface, I’m thinking of using paving bricks to keep everything uniform with the driveway and pathways (dark, to match the facade).
There are six of us in the household, and we often have guests.
What do you think? Which concept would you prefer?
motorradsilke schrieb:
Yes, in midsummer. How many days is that in Germany?
In Germany, there are definitely more days when people appreciate any warmth and heat storage than there are days that are too warm.
I wouldn’t really base it on that. That’s exactly what I thought too.
B
Benutzer20028 Apr 2022 15:14motorradsilke schrieb:
Yes, in the height of summer. How many days is that in Germany?On average, quite a lot. 600-800 hours of sunshine during the summer months (June-August) means about 6.5-9 hours of sun per day. That definitely gets warm...
M
motorradsilke28 Apr 2022 20:54Benutzer200 schrieb:
On average, quite a lot. 600-800 hours of sunshine in summer (June to August) means about 6.5 to 9 hours of sun each day. That definitely gets warm... Yes, on some days from June to August. But from March to June and in September and October, you appreciate every day when the stones still release some warmth, allowing you to sit outside.M
motorradsilke28 Apr 2022 20:56WilderSueden schrieb:
It depends on where you live (here, midsummer lasts 2.5 to 3 months) and (much more importantly!) when you want to use the terrace. If you only sit there in the evenings anyway, warm paving can be an advantage once the sun has already passed around the corner. But evening sun combined with heat is too much. Our balcony, facing west-northwest, is unusable for dinner at 6 or 7 p.m. without shading in midsummer because the sun beats down on it and the concrete radiates heat from below. However, a closed balcony is not comparable to an open terrace where wind can flow through.
W
WilderSueden28 Apr 2022 22:40Lake Constance is a calm spot, with hardly any breeze in midsummer. 😉
I definitely can’t agree with the statement "in Germany it's almost always cold." That might be true in northern Germany where the weather is usually gloomy. If there is still some wind on nice days, it’s probably comfortable even under direct sunlight. But if you are somewhere sheltered from the wind or simply no wind is blowing, it will quickly get warm in the sun. You can also create heat buildup with walls or dense building structures. In the photo, for example, I can see garages and a neighboring building that could block the wind. Or, if the wind direction is right, they could even channel it into a draft.
I definitely can’t agree with the statement "in Germany it's almost always cold." That might be true in northern Germany where the weather is usually gloomy. If there is still some wind on nice days, it’s probably comfortable even under direct sunlight. But if you are somewhere sheltered from the wind or simply no wind is blowing, it will quickly get warm in the sun. You can also create heat buildup with walls or dense building structures. In the photo, for example, I can see garages and a neighboring building that could block the wind. Or, if the wind direction is right, they could even channel it into a draft.
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