Floor plan change dilemma - experiences

Hello everyone,

we are about to renovate a semi-detached house built in 1984. We are considering changing the layout on the ground floor. We want to make the following changes:

[*]The wall between the living room and the hallway will be removed, making the living room larger and integrating the staircase with the living room.
[*]The existing conservatory is quite old and will be converted into a terrace (the garden is very small, so this will make the garden appear larger).

Basically, from our perspective, there are two options:

Option 1. The kitchen remains unchanged; the advantage here is that the dining area is integrated into the kitchen.
Option 2. The kitchen is moved to the small room; the disadvantage is that the dining table will then have to be positioned in the living room.

Now comes our big dilemma: at the back part of the property, the previous owner built a storage room. Both exterior walls are on the neighboring property and are made of Ytong blocks; the building height is 2 meters. Here are two considerations:

[*]Remove the storage room (the roof is leaking anyway) and convert the whole area into a small garden or courtyard, which will bring more light into the office and kitchen.
[*]Keep the storage room and enlarge the light well (the existing hallway will be connected with the light well), with a double glass door to the light well, thus more light into the kitchen.

Thank you very much for your opinions!

Before you tear down load-bearing walls, it would be important to know what is above them. Pipes and electrical wiring are probably integrated somewhere as well. Are there plans for that?

Couldn't one build an extension for the kitchen instead of a [Wintergarten]?

Go to an architect. He might be able to advise you. If in doubt, he will then ask a structural engineer if it is possible. Something like that is not a DIY plan.

When demolishing components on a neighboring property, one should first clarify the legal situation.

I'm out of this.

Where the kitchen is now, there used to be the garage, right? Is it even allowed to have a living space there?

Go to an architect. They might be able to advise you on this. If in doubt, they will ask a structural engineer whether it is feasible. This kind of thing is not a DIY plan. When demolishing components on a neighboring property, you should first clarify the legal situation. I'm out of this.

An appointment with the architect has been made, of course all changes will be coordinated with the architect in advance.