200 m² maisonette in an existing building, interior (almost) fully customizable

Quick question:
Do you actually want to use the front door on the upper floor as it is?
And how is the access to the roof terrace intended?

Very good question. We probably wouldn’t really use the door on the upper floor as an entrance door, but I can well imagine that in the teenage years of the children (who don’t even exist yet..) it could be used as a separate entrance, so you don’t always have to go through the living area. But yes, it’s not absolutely necessary (except maybe as an escape route, I don’t know the regulations for that, and as I said, so far we have always counted on the door being fixed). By the way, my parents have their apartment door opposite.

The roof terrace is still a big question mark. Less about the permit—my architect and his builder have already found out from the responsible office that it is basically possible, as long as no extension can be seen from the street at a 45-degree angle (something like that were his words). I’m attaching a photo that shows approximately where it could be (marked in blue). Green is my parents’ roof terrace (also attached a photo), but that one is set on top of the roof; for mine, I intended to open up the roof and redesign it. Red is a beam of the existing roof structure that cannot be removed. Dark blue is the area where there is currently a hatch to the attic with a folding ladder. The attic only has standing height in this area.

Otherwise, the roof is very flat and many things could actually be redesigned.

The question was also from me now, whether this door could simply be built into a room. But that does not change the escape route

I wouldn't have thought of that at all.. Would that be practical?

I'll sketch it out at home!

That would be really nice, thanks!

I would definitely keep the door to the stairwell on the upper floor: as an escape route and also to be able to bring things up via the elevator. Otherwise, you have to carry all the furniture / stuff etc. up the indoor stairs all the time.

Do your parents use the rooftop terrace? I wonder how often in real life one would use a rooftop terrace that requires climbing up two floors. Of course, it also depends on what kind of recreational opportunities there are nearby, like parks or something.

The question would also be whether the roof could be accessed via the stairwell? Or if the roof stairs could partially be placed over the stairwell opening of the indoor stairs.

That is of course true regarding carrying things. As a child, I grew up in this house and the elevator was natural to me because it was always there. At the moment, I live elsewhere on the 3rd floor without an elevator and you really learn to appreciate it.

My parents have two terraces, the "lower" one (on the ground level with the living room) and the "upper" one, which you reach from the lower one by stairs. The lower one has been there from the beginning and is actually used daily, the upper one was only built a few years later and is of course used, but less than the lower one because the distances to walk are not insignificant.

For me, there is no option from below and above; there is "only one" terrace and yes, it is also not ideally accessible, but I do not want to do without it. There are parks and such, but they are not a real alternative for me. Why not swap the basement and the top floor must be the next question. Well, the house originally had only three floors and the fourth floor was added during the renovation about 30 years ago. So the nice high rooms are on the 3rd floor and I don’t need a bedroom with a 3.50-meter ceiling height. Also, if now all the bathrooms move from the basement to the 3rd floor, it becomes more complicated because the ceiling height on the 2nd floor cannot be reduced and flexibility in our bathroom planning would suffer significantly. The office in the basement, where clients can also be received, fits better in the 3rd floor layout.

My dream would still be to design the roof terrace so that the access is covered, with a living space up there with a small kitchen and dining area for the essentials, and then an exit to the outside. That way it could be used all year round. Should I treat myself to this luxury..? Probably all "just" a matter of budget.. I don’t think much of a food lift, and it also costs a lot of money. Then you might as well expand a bit more upstairs..

The nice high rooms are therefore on the 3rd floor and I don't need a bedroom with 3.50 meter ceiling height....

Too bad, it would have been my suggestion to switch the use of the floors :)

About the stairs: I mean it like this because...

that in the children's teenage years (which don't even exist yet..) it can be used as a separate entrance, so you don't always have to go through the living area.

...when they are not even teenagers yet, running up and down a) could be annoying, but b) the privacy on the sofa underneath suffers if a living room, where you actually want to chill or enjoy your evening off, is misused as a passage room. The level does not need that. Besides, you can benefit from the room under the stairs in the living area.
The separate entrance will be locked anyway when children are around (no parent needs it when a toddler suddenly explores the world), and only reopened when both children have their high school diploma in their hands.

However, I don't know if this is the best solution. With such a plan (another staircase = redo everything) you would have to mentally live with the plan every day, from getting up to going to bed. This would now be the most obvious option if you shift a few rooms upstairs.

The office in the basement, where clients can also be received, fits the layout better on the 3rd floor.

I don't really like it if the family entrance also lets in business traffic, when you also have options upstairs. For example, you could separate the office upstairs with the front door, next to it the stairway to the roof terrace. In the basement instead fitness and utility rooms.
But maybe this is just complaining on a high level ;)
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