I don't underestimate that. Apartments just have the advantage that they still work with less than about 120 m2 of space and that they make better use of the limiting factor land or reduce its cost.
You can also build small in a house and it works. For example, Bungalow 78 from Town & Country, which has 2 bedrooms, an open space, a bathroom, and a utility room. Basically everything you need, only when it comes to storage space I actually find it a bit lacking. But it wouldn’t be different in an apartment, where you’d still have your cellar cage. However, with that bungalow, you’d also have an attic.
The problem is more the sense of entitlement. It starts with the windows. Since you can build windows on all sides, of course you do, and preferably large ones. But naturally, no cupboard fits in front of the window anymore. Terraced house layouts are much more efficient in that regard. The day before yesterday in my terrace thread there was talk of the "apartment table"... in a house, it obviously has to be a 2m table. Up to 4 people, the table is great without extending it, so I basically don't need a 2m table. In the house, it has to be the freestanding table with chairs anyway, since the corner bench is not good enough. Same thinking with washing. How many people here actually plan extra space to dry their laundry? In an apartment, you put that on the balcony when the weather’s right and otherwise in the dryer. Second and third bathrooms. Ideally also the freestanding bathtub. Kitchen island. And so on.
I don't exempt myself from this. I also installed a lot of glass. I have two terrace doors. We have 2 offices. Two bathrooms. If I build without a basement, then at least in the upper floor I don’t want sloping ceilings, and if the walls are already there, of course with windows. A lot could be done more efficiently if you really wanted to.