Floor plan design single-family house approx. 170 m² + attic as a modern clinker house

The budget will be tighter than approx. 170 sqm + brick + garage + upscale standard + equipment.

It was Lower Saxony after all. There's still some room for something cheap ;)

It's all a question of upbringing, I would say

I would simply say: it's all a question of age. You probably won't get rid of toddlers that quickly, but maybe it's actually good that you're reachable for them. From school age on, they should be able to go to the toilet alone.

It was Lower Saxony after all.

Trees do not grow to the sky even in Lower Saxony, but here it is even about North Rhine-Westphalia, which is why I believe the estimate is very optimistic.

Even in Lower Saxony, trees don’t grow to the sky, but here it’s even about North Rhine-Westphalia, which is why I believe the estimate is very optimistic.

Oh, then I remembered that wrong … (probably with the gentleman who came up with airspace for single-story restrictions and only half the questionnaire – he was also Red-Left, right?)

Yes, then indeed, even with such a staircase plus attic expansion, the budget is tight! You are right!

Attic: children's room no. 3, storage room, hobby/work room

Yes, then the budget is indeed tight, even with such a staircase plus attic conversion! You are right!

However, one has to put into perspective how much personal labor is involved. The second staircase hardly impacts the total costs (in our case solid oak wood €4500). The attic conversion can then be done step by step after moving in, especially if there is not yet a third child and the room is not urgently needed.

Regarding the ground floor: Your staircase version doesn’t work at the top. Therefore, I would keep the landing staircase but rotate it in the walking direction; that way, you get significantly more space in the hallway and won’t run into the stairs.

However, I find the living room with the sofa corner very cramped. The sofa is only about 2.5 meters or so, right? A bit small for 5 people. Plenty of hallway space, though. I would move the WC forward to give the living room more space. The garage should not be around the corner but pushed forward and extended to the property boundary. That way, you have just as much space and the study can get a large window.

My version would also be less convoluted overall:

I really like the architect's design! The ground floor is, of course, very open - not just kitchen, dining, living, but also hallway, stairs, all the way to the enclosed study. You can do it that way, but just to be safe, I would sleep on it for two or three nights. Alternatively, you could design the kitchen as drawn in post #3 and make an opening from the hallway into the kitchen, and reduce the currently very large passage between dining <> stairs. Depending on whether you also plan internal sliding doors or similar, you could completely separate hallway/stairs/upper floor from the ground floor.

I do not share the concerns about the tripping hazard of the lowest stair step. Regardless, I think 's idea to change the direction of travel is great. If that is not desired, you can also shorten the staircase on the left side of the plan by one or two steps and add these steps to the other side. Or maybe the front door facing north?! In any case, you have plenty of space and options to optimize in the entrance area (see also the design by ).

On the upper floor, you can consider moving the children's bathroom to the current utility room, and placing the utility room between the two children's rooms. Then child 1 would also have light from two sides. You get more closet space in the bedroom if you place two closets 'back to back' at the foot end. You can decide that later... in any case, you definitely should not build a fixed partition or similar.

In the attic, I would skip the double casement window on the south and instead install full-surface photovoltaic panels (which, among other things, is also a great protection against overheating). Accordingly, of course, generous windows in the gables and to the north. If windows/views towards the south are desired, I would immediately plan a larger shed dormer. Otherwise, regarding the attic: plan and build it right away. Because of the roof slopes, it is not large, but it does provide at least two nice rooms plus additional storage possibilities. You can also consider placing the controlled residential ventilation in the attic to clear space in the technical room.

What has already been mentioned is the window layout. You already have this on your to-do list, so just two sentences: The cubature and the missing roof overhang make the house modern - the brick and the overly uniform windows strike me as dull. I would give the children more light and prefer horizontally elongated windows (e.g. like kitchen west). I would also window the gable sides rather horizontally elongated to break up the vertical appearance. Note: it is not only floor-to-ceiling or 90 cm sill height. For example, we generally have 65 cm or 45 cm with seating windows.

You need to keep the budget in mind. Architects like to start way too low.