Detailed questions on floor plan design renovation with extension

Dear forum,

we are currently stuck at some points with our floor plan and the final decision.
Maybe you have a few ideas.
We want to renovate, remodel, and add a story to an existing house from the 60s.
We are mainly looking for some ideas for the following details:
- Ground floor: Convert the current bathroom area into a smaller bathroom and a wardrobe with a small room – any ideas? We are missing the brilliant idea
The bathroom as it is now is a large room, unlike shown in the drawing
- Ground floor balcony: We want a staircase to the garden, the good idea is still missing; 3.5x5m should be enough for dining area, gas grill, and small lounge corner, or are we underestimating the space needed?
- Upper floor: will basically be completely rebuilt, does the bathroom fit a bathtub and a large walk-in shower with one wall?
At the moment the tendency is to have four "equally sized" rooms by floor area, i.e. make rooms a bit smaller so that room 5 becomes larger
If there are good ideas for a bedroom with wardrobe, that would be a topic again, but we found three very large rooms to be awkward
- Basement remodel does not require approval and will be done as a second step

At the moment, the balcony and upstairs are the most urgent topics so that the building application can be submitted.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size 1300 sqm
Slope yes
Site coverage ratio unknown
Floor area ratio unknown
Building envelope, building line and boundary unknown
Edge development no
Number of parking spaces double garage exists
Number of stories currently towards the street 1, then 1.5
Roof shape gable roof, roof pitch 35°
Style unknown
Orientation southeast
Maximum height/limitations Knee wall increase by 1 m was approved in the preliminary building inquiry as well as dormers 2/3 or cross gable (towards the street 2/3, towards the garden 1/3)
Other specifications

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type unknown
Basement, floors basement, level with the plot, ground floor, attic
Number of persons, age 2, early 30s
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor GF: kitchen, bathroom with shower, wardrobe/storage room, office (former bedroom), living room
UF: family bathroom, laundry room, 3-4 rooms, bedroom with dressing room so that it can be used while the other sleeps
Basement: separate apartment to be separated and rented out by relocating the technical room
Office: family use or home office? probably both
Overnight guests per year not yet estimateable; with children the parents will surely visit more often for 3-4 days
Open or closed architecture closed
Conservative or modern construction?
Open kitchen, kitchen island "semi-open" with peninsula / U or island
Number of dining places table with corner bench in the kitchen, larger dining table in the living room
Fireplace yes
Music/stereo wall unknown
Balcony, roof terrace large balcony on the ground floor
Garage, carport double garage exists, no changes planned
Utility garden, greenhouse desired, garden will be renewed step by step after moving in
Other wishes/particularities/daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be

House design
Who did the planning:
- planner from a construction company no
- architect yes
- do-it-yourself partly
What do you particularly like? Why? the slanted entrances look interesting
What do you not like? Why? bathroom on the ground floor, no separate wardrobe/storage room
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 560k
Personal price limit for the house, incl. equipment: 600-650k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump instead of the oil heating

If you have to do without, which details/extensions
- can you do without: remodeling the basement so we have two basement rooms / dressing room by the bedroom / "laundry room" on the upper floor
- cannot do without: at least one basement room for us, decent wardrobe in the entrance area

Why is the design the way it is? e.g.
Adapting the existing floor plan to our wishes without changing too much in the existing structure
We do not like the narrow entrance so far; whether remodeling the stairs without a landing justifies the costs is questionable, the idea is not yet planned.

Sorry, but I really find it difficult to grasp and process the many issues. Apparently, others feel the same way. I can't even say whether information is missing or not. The drawings hardly make sense to me either. Which one is actually the new plan and what are existing drawings? Are the thin green lines supposed to be walls or not? Where are the doors and where are they supposed to be removed? If this plan is the new plan, I see no added value compared to the existing situation. What is the goal? Where is the basement and what are the height differences to the garden that make a staircase necessary? Where is the staircase supposed to go? Is it drawn in? As I said, lots of incomprehensible details.

So..
there is an existing building, an old drawing of a floor with green markings as well as red and blue labels.
Does the red question mark apply to us?
Then there is an architect’s design, is that new or is it old?
Then there is a rotated floor.

Ideas?

Certainly.. but first you need to know which design you are supposed to refer to here?

Ground floor balcony: We want a staircase to the garden,

Then, for example, it is not clear to me at all why there is a balcony on the ground floor. And then there is the design where a ridiculously long staircase is drawn in. How high is the ground floor above the terrain?

- Upper floor: is basically completely rebuilt,

Here, too, I cannot see any reference: what is current now, what is old?

Renovation basement

Where is the basement shown here? Of course, if at some point you read about a basement, then a balcony is explained, but honestly? There are so many question marks for the reader so far that you lose the desire to continue reading.
You put a lot of effort in, but with an existing building you also have to communicate to the reader what the existing design is and what the new one is. Then you read above something about a final decision and I actually see nothing.

With the existing building it is helpful to approach systematically and, if necessary, also bring the reader along by means of photos, which explain a lot and say more than a thousand words.

And honestly? If it’s only about reducing a bathroom, then just do it.

What do you particularly like? Why? The slanted entrances seem interesting

Where are slanted entrances? I only see two doors that are arranged diagonally in the hallway. You do that when there are too many rooms to be accessed. Do you mean that? But ultimately not important here at first, but you see: questions upon questions.

Thank you for your answers. Sorry for the unclear wording in the question. I will try to organize our questions better.

I have re-uploaded the current and old plans and labeled them accordingly. Unfortunately, there is only the floor plan from the original year of construction and the current plans. I have marked the conversions from the last decades in the old plans in blue and white. This is what the house currently looks like.

The new plans are the current version for the building application.

In addition to general criticism / suggestions / ideas about the current renovation plans, I am happy to receive input on the following questions. I will simply write something for each floor about what we like and what questions we still have.

Ground floor:
We want to keep the living room and room 1 as they are. The doors in the living room should be changed approximately as shown in the drawing. Converting the kitchen into a large room has been our wish. The connection between the kitchen and living room should be semi-open. Room 1 will be a work/guest room.
1) We want to make the current bathroom smaller and gain as much space as possible for a cloakroom as well as slightly widen the hallway. Our architect and we have not yet come up with a good solution for a bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink, and a cloak/storage room. He thinks it would become too narrow.
2) The foyer behind the entrance door feels somewhat narrow to me. We have the idea of gaining some space by converting the landing stairs into half-turned stairs. Something definitely needs to be done with the stairs, but whether a complete conversion is worthwhile is questionable. What do you think?
3) In the current plan, the balcony has a spiral staircase to the garden. So far, this is the best idea from our point of view. We found the stair design in the original post very poor. Are there better solutions? Our architect has few suggestions. The balcony should be large enough to fit a small lounge area, a large dining area, and possibly a gas grill. You simply have a nice view here.

Upper floor:
It is currently an officially unfinished attic without a knee wall. Everything will be new there due to the extension. We like the planning quite well. Better than a proposed variant with 3 rooms and a dressing room. Only for the accesses to rooms 2 and 3 are we still looking for the optimal variant, and we are considering making room 4 a little smaller so that room 5 becomes a bit larger. Which of the rooms will be our bedroom is still subject to internal discussion.
We are currently not quite sure if the bathroom is big enough as a family bathroom with a walk-in shower, bathtub, two sinks, and a toilet.

Basement:
In order to rent out the granny flat, the technical room will be relocated to the extension cellar. We initially want to remodel as little as possible there because this area was renovated last. It is important to us to keep the current bedroom as a cellar room. Our architect excluded further renovations for the building application so that not too much changes. Essentially, a small granny flat is to be created for renting.
If anyone wants to think about this, feel free. We have considered relocating the bathroom to the current heating cellar in the long term and keeping the current bathroom as an additional cellar and possibly as a third toilet with good garden access. Otherwise, a separated sleeping room is the only thing important to us.

I hope the current planning status becomes clearer.

The existing house is on a hillside plot. From the street, you enter the ground floor at level. The basement is level with the garden.

If I have forgotten anything, please let me know. Thank you.

So, about the WC on the ground floor: I think it's totally fine how the architect has drawn it. I find a separate room like that strange. We also have a separate room, but it’s only 1 sqm small, so it’s practically just a closet. Otherwise, you can also partition off the 2 sqm area with the small window here and use the left side for the shower toilet. It doesn’t have to be a bulky shower but maybe something with a curve so the room becomes more appealing.

Basically, a small granny flat is supposed to be created for renting.

One needs the rental income, the other thinks practically. Personally, I’m not a big fan of a deliberate enlargement for renting purposes. Especially since an immense effort is involved here regarding a basement extension, relocation of utility connections, and raising the roof. And there is the unavoidable fact that you have tenants in the house. They don’t just share the driveway but also have contact with the garden. Here even the entrance. And you can’t build a wall in front of the windows either.
That has, besides the costs, many disadvantages:
Just going down the spiral staircase naked to the pool is not possible. The tenant also has garden visibility, which isn’t so nice with children or a wife. You can feel observed. The tenant can basically spend the whole nice day in front of the front door or at the window watching you. There’s nothing you can do about it.

Personally, I also don’t like a home where something, whether a balcony or stairs, separates me from the garden. The stairs are and remain a barrier. Running quickly into the garden while food is cooking on the stove is not an option. If you lie on the lounger or puzzle in the garden, the phone, which is upstairs, rings.

Number of people, age 2, early 30s

with children

It’s a whole different matter when children are involved: you bring a basket if child 1 or 2 wants to go to the garden: cookies and juice… then you’re downstairs, need to take the toddler to the toilet… do you want to take the other child upstairs with you or only one?
can tell you better.

My advice:
Give up the subtenant and skip the elaborate attic conversion. Build out the basement for yourselves, include the kitchen and living room there, sleeping level on the ground floor, attic as a reserve for work and hobby. Create a living space with a garden; outdoor means more than a gas grill, and privacy is also more than just a bedroom in the attic.

We want to renovate, convert, and add a storey to an existing house from the 60s.

Yes, say again why?! If I understood correctly, the basement is already usable as living space with a kitchen and has garden access. You now want to add a floor, move the living rooms one floor higher, expand the roof expensively, and then rent out the downstairs? Then you complain about lack of garden access, even though it would mostly be accessible to the tenant? Seriously? This is absurd. Why exactly is the house unsuitable for you in its current state?