193 sqm urban villa with north orientation, is it sensible?

By the "cat table" I didn't mean the dining table, but the seating area that, compared to the kitchen island and dining table, looks like a little cat table in the relatively remaining space. And even if you mix up my name, has already correctly figured out the cardinal directions (and in my opinion is right that the garage would be better placed in the east). Moving lanterns is at least cheaper than regretting later when reselling that you pushed the house to the wrong side. A border garage is also limited to an average height of three meters for the neighbor. I use the term "substitute villa" for the products of modern "social villa construction," which try to imitate fully-fledged houses with cheap bait-and-switch tricks at a nine-and-a-half meter edge length. This concept includes a certain floor plan layout, which, to put it kindly, is implemented in a "slim fit" way. Although you are using a comfortably sufficient size here, you don't grant the house a more skillful layout but unnecessarily adopt the standard layout concept of the substitute villa, just in king size. In your kitchen, the poor housewife wears out a set of soles weekly along the single row. Even I notice that, despite being largely uninterested in kitchen planning. You have now probably explained your peculiarities sufficiently for the time being, and that was all I intended. However, I still don't follow the reinforced concrete columns but at least understand another line of thought from you through the explanation: namely what I call the "logic" that if you put windows on a (directly) less sunny side, they have to be correspondingly huge. But even that is ultimately just one more argument, not "to build the whole house upside down because you place it upside down so that the lamppost doesn't have to be moved." Free yourselves from the dogma of almost square two full stories and the garden behind the house despite the south street; then the path is already clear, and you only have to walk it with an architect instead of a draftsman. Maybe @Würfel will also craft you something nice—just post more info (development plan—caution: no links!), and alternatives will surely be found.

The garage must not be extended further to the back. Moving it forward is not possible because we need the parking spaces.

What do you think about the gardening potential with the current smaller south-facing terrace? Maybe someone can share their own gardening experiences (with similar conditions).

Maybe @Würfel will craft something nice for you too

Maybe later, but first one should really reconsider the placement and orientation of the house and garage. I would place it as long as possible into the building envelope (so at the 5 m line in front and the 8 m line at the back and then make it as narrow as possible). It would then be about 12.5 m long. I also tend to leave more space on the west side and push the house to the east boundary. Whether there are 3 m or 3.50 m left (for a wider garage) I don't really care. Well then, if you prefer the driveway on the west, I would still push the garage forward to the street.

That way we at least have the option to set up a table with a bench in the driveway on the west to enjoy the last evening hours. A fence will then go in front. Besides, the neighbor’s house and hedge in the west are so tall (higher than our garage) that we would get even less west sun

If that is taller than the garage, then you won’t be able to enjoy the evening sun in the driveway, will you?

The place where you can enjoy the most evening sun is rather in the northeast corner of your property. You can best enjoy the south sun along the northern property boundary or beside the house. The sun would also easily come over your own garage in spring and autumn if it stood in front by the street and not in the middle of the garden.



For comparison, the 3.5 m wide garage in the east and front door in the south: Leaves more contiguous garden. A small south terrace in the front garden area would also be conceivable there.



With such a plot, you should definitely plan at least 2 seating areas and not just one terrace.

Regarding the orientation of the rooms: I would orient living rooms + kitchen more to the west and not just to the north, possibly as an L-shape. Possibly even the kitchen with a south-facing window.

Regarding the upper floor: If you want the "all-room bedroom" like that, fine. But keep in mind that people like to work and get dressed in the warm and sleep in the cold. I notice this again in winter: bedroom 17 degrees, dressing room and office 23 degrees. If I imagine my desk standing in the bedroom – brrrr. Whoever has the space to separate all that, I would recommend doing so. Not to mention sleeping on while the other one is already up.

Free yourselves from the dogma of the almost square two full stories and the garden behind the house despite the south-facing street

If 8m have to remain behind the house (building boundary), you simply won't get a decent garden in the front. But with children, we find the front garden really important. You can't pave everything over with little ones. Oh, tricky... And the noisy street is in front as well.

And at the front is also the loud street.

Then I wouldn’t know why a mega garden is supposed to grow there now... it also contradicts the argument of not going too far back with the house.

1. On the east side, directly in our driveway, there is a lamppost (expensive to remove). 2. We want the driveway to be as wide as possible

Then I would simply place the driveway fairly centrally on the property and make a bend with the car. It’s not exotic or unfeasible. This way you have a nice courtyard that you can enclose with shrubs. That also secures the little ones playing in the courtyard.

The dining table should be square, 1.60 m (with extension option). I actually don’t think that’s a tiny table. We want a large dining table with plenty of space in the middle. I personally don’t like those narrow 90 cm tables.

The good thing about “narrow” tables is that you can still pass the butter ;) At 1.60 it’s already very awkward – you can’t even play games at the table :(

Along the long hallway wall, a 2-3 m long coat cabinet is planned.

Then your guest room corner will hurt in the back, because there will only be about 75-80 cm left once the cabinet is there. And the whole hallway will get dirty because the cabinet stands at the back of the corridor.

Every family member should also be allowed to have their privacy. Points a) to c) are not in order of priority by the way. But as I said, we know that many recommend too small bedrooms. We just don’t see this room only as a bedroom.

Well, privacy may depend on square meters for you, but there is a 10-15 sqm difference between bedrooms that are too small and your holy hall... and what you are planning is a storage room in your private room. I would rather make that accessible to everyone and separate it. I think you have a problem grasping areas and distances ;)

--> Would you dimension the house differently (i.e., plan it more elongated or wider)?
--> Would you plan the garden and terrace as well as the driveway, garage, and entrance elsewhere to achieve more of a south or west orientation?

I would think about the house three-dimensionally – with sightlines and lighting conditions. Presumably, the result would be a house with staggered floors that allows for "outdoor" space not only on the ground floor but also a sun terrace on E+1 or even E+2.
I would consider beforehand:

[*]Who stays where and when, what does this person like, and how does this change in the coming years (children becoming teenagers...)?
[*]What activities and types of togetherness mean quality of life?
[*]What are the daily routes that require especially good ergonomics?
[*]What do I really need in the house – people think of tables, sofas, chairs, beds, wardrobes, and TVs. What about light, acoustics, proportions, and aesthetics... You are already addressing this if you ask about the amount of light, desire a square dining table, and consider more than just one terrace. Great.
[*]How do I bring the truly important factors to the people in the house and on the property?

You will quickly move 90% away from a square city villa – unless you love the aesthetics of exactly this type of house (and then that is absolutely right). Often consultations are conducted according to current trends – and in the back of the minds of developer architects are always grids, procedural models, repetition, as these later secure return on investment.
The house has to answer your questions. The shown city villa does not do that – no matter how much the developer’s architect listened to what she understood as requirements or where she skillfully guided you.
Your "main questions" show that you have already recognized this.
The location and shape of the plot are difficult. A creative professional needs to handle it.