Architectural house floor plan with staggered floor

I don't find the storage room on the outer wall facing the garden without a window very successful.

That caught my attention immediately as well and for me it's a no-go if it blocks a wall. (no window) The garage access is also out of place. Nobody will walk in there with shoes on, especially since you are already in the middle of the house there. Small "walk" from the kitchen to the bathroom/bedroom. The long stretch of hallway is lit, it gets dark around the corner. The floor plan has potential, but also many "construction sites". The budget should be fixed in advance, otherwise it will go wrong.

Thank you all very much - I will address the most important points:

Size: Yes, I also find it a bit large. Originally, it was planned to do without a basement, as the soil surveyor advised against it due to the floodplain area. The architect now says that building a basement would not be a problem and would make sense here since you don’t have to dig out that much. Technically, the basement would then be a white tank and would have no windows (as controlled residential ventilation is planned). Since we assumed we wouldn't build a basement, we initially included the recessed floor in the planning. The architect has now added the basement - which is okay for now and perhaps meant more as a suggestion. I will discuss this again - especially with my wife, who really likes the recessed floor.

Costs: The architect almost exclusively builds single-family homes; besides the office owner, there are a few other employees, so I assume he builds a decent number of houses per year and is not a “lone fighter” who only builds a house occasionally. I have asked him several times about the costs (also with reference to recently increased material prices, etc.), but he currently assumes that the costs are realistic. The cost estimate is based on enclosed space and area.

Study: The small study on the upper floor is intended for me and was desired in this size. I work almost exclusively "digitally" and try to avoid paper notes, printouts, etc., so only a desk with a monitor would really be there. But I will reflect again on whether this makes sense. I also don’t like the south orientation and will address that.

Orientation of the rooms: Thank you very much for the tips - especially regarding the cardinal directions.

Costs: The architect builds almost exclusively single-family houses, besides the office owner there are a few other employees, i.e. I assume that he builds a decent number of houses per year and is not a "lone fighter" who only builds a house occasionally. I have asked him several times about the costs (also with reference to recently increased material prices etc.), but at the moment he assumes that the costs are realistic. The cost estimate is based on enclosed space and area.

We also built with an architect who only does single-family houses. Still, his cost estimate did not add up at all. Since I didn’t trust the situation, our budget planning was done independently of him and ultimately worked out.

Therefore, I would recommend not taking everything as given just because the architect says so. I also can’t really imagine that the budget will be enough for the cubature here, especially because for a house like this you have other demands on the equipment and also on the outdoor facilities than for a standard catalog house with 140m².

I like the house itself, although I believe it could become too big for the plot. But you can do a lot with fencing and privacy screens. I don’t see it as a big deal. However, I wouldn’t build here without an elevator, four stories are quite something, especially if there is going to be an office for home office at the very top. Says someone from a split-level house who basically has no problem with an increased number of stairs. ;)

No matter how big and with what budget, never submit a plan that is at your pain threshold. Something unexpected always happens during construction. I would try to eliminate the basement room. If only digital, I would probably sit very often in the lounge or outside to work.

Costs: The architect primarily builds single-family homes, besides the office owner there are a few other employees, i.e. I assume that he builds a decent number of houses per year and is not a "solo fighter" who only builds a house from time to time. I have repeatedly asked him about the costs (also with reference to recently increased material prices etc.), but he currently assumes that the costs are realistic. The cost estimate is based on enclosed space and area.

Must be questioned urgently. Cost estimates based on space/area actually work relatively well for "KFW boxes" with 2 full floors and a gable roof. Here, however, I see a very complex exterior facade with several vertical projections and recesses. In addition, there are several huge window fronts.

Home office: The small home office on the upper floor is definitely for me and was desired at the size. I work almost exclusively "digitally" and try to avoid paper notes, printouts, etc., so there would really only be a desk with a screen here. But I will reconsider whether this really makes sense. I don’t like the south orientation either and will bring that up.

Minimalism is all well and good, but this really worries me. With a 100% home office quota, squeezing into such a chicken coop?

I basically think the house is a great idea, but I see it similarly to the previous speakers.

- Remove the storage room in the south, everything fits in the kitchen
- I see the lounge directly in front of the garage the same way you do, there was extra space... I don’t find it cozy in that spot
- I don’t share your concerns about the living room placement, I think it’s quite well done, especially in combination with the in my opinion successful staircase positioning as the upcoming kids can later come in/out of the house with friends without having a direct view of the couch, yet it’s still integrated into the living space
- We have the parent’s wing exactly like that, it’s my favorite area here, I think it’s great
- The children’s room in the northeast needs bigger windows, it’s too dark there in winter
- Only the one room in the top floor feels somehow too little/lifeless to me, that should be done better
- Budget unfortunately isn’t enough: the 216 square meters alone are around 550-600k + basement (hard to estimate as it’s quite small but probably still not a huge saving compared to a full basement) + garage + incidental construction costs... the latter will be significantly above average due to the massive backfilling. Either basement or top floor will probably have to be cut.