Floor plan design - two options - single-family house 166 sqm

Significantly downgrade the appearance if the result is not supposed to be more than a quantum leap.

May I ask what you mean by that? So it is supposed to be more than a quantum leap? :) You consider our house a "Pinterest little castle." We simply like this North American style with divided light windows, a veranda, and a wooden facade. It naturally stands out from the white-anthracite town villa/flat roof cube uniformity of today's new buildings. Or are you referring to something else?

May I ask what you mean by that? So you want it to be more than a quantum leap? :) You see our house as a "Pinterest little castle." We simply like this North American style with divided-light windows, a veranda, and wooden facade. It naturally stands out from the white-anthracite suburban villa/flat-roof cube cookie-cutter of today's new builds. Or are you referring to something else?

The problem is that the exterior cannot be completely separated from the interior, and an architect has to translate the desired exterior into a sensible interior. And this has simply not succeeded here. It's basically a standard German floor plan squeezed into an American-style house. If you want such a house, then you have to engage with American floor plans—and size dimensions!

May I ask what you mean by that? So it’s supposed to be more than a quantum leap?

Less wouldn’t be possible anyway. And I actually fear it wouldn’t be more if the priority remains on the Waltons Farmhouse look.

Of course it stands out from the white-anthracite town villa/flat-roof cube cookie-cutter style of today’s new builds. Or are you alluding to something else?

Exactly – but whether it does the residential area a favor to show the garden gnomes with the UFO landing of a Villa Kuntergrau where the hammer hangs – well no, they don’t really know ...

The problem is that the exterior can’t be completely decoupled from the interior and an architect has to implement the desired exterior in a meaningful interior. And that simply hasn’t succeeded here.

Yes, because exterior and interior are not balanced here, but the claim to the effect of the exterior flattens the interior.

It’s basically an average German floor plan squeezed into an American little house. If you want such a house, then you have to engage with American floor plans – and size dimensions! –.

Well, and a Southfork Ranch is best produced by the German real estate market only in Texas, Brandenburg ;-)

Less wouldn't be possible. And I actually fear that more wouldn’t help either if the priority remains on the Waltons Farmhouse look.

Right - but whether doing the residential area a favor by showing the garden gnomes with the UFO landing of a Villa Kuntergrau where the hammer hangs – well no, well you know no ...

Yes, because exterior and interior are not balanced here, but the demand for the effect of the exterior flattens the interior.

Well, and a Southfork Ranch is at best available on the German real estate market in Texas, Brandenburg ;-)

I really like your humor! :D Thanks for the clear opinion!

If you want a house like that, then you have to deal with the American floor plans - and size dimensions! -

....and also exterior facilities, driveways, etc., because such a building works as a whole, therefore there should be a consistently consciously chosen concept for it.

We had clear ideas:

The architect implemented it like this

Your needs and fundamental wishes she should definitely implement. But from an architect, I would actually wish that he convinces me in some places of something different and inspires me, otherwise a technical draftsman would suffice for me. When reading, I get the impression that you might have pressured the architect a bit too much in one direction.

But that would mean that the bedroom is only 14 sqm and no walk-in closet would be possible, meaning wardrobes in the bedroom and not separate. According to the architect, this cannot be solved differently because of the stairs and the accesses... Or do you have any other ideas?

The consequence would rather be to completely redesign a floor plan and THEN think about facade gimmicks.

Do you think the 45 sqm living/dining/cooking area is sufficient?

In my opinion, something like visiting a house construction center helps. We looked at our all-room dimensions in a similar house; I can only strongly recommend this. The crucial thing is not the area alone but also room height, windows, planned furnishing/use, etc. 45 sqm can be very small but also large enough. I would find it fatal to decide this solely from your current, smaller apartment.

It naturally stands out from the white-anthracite townhouse/flat roof cube uniformity of today's new buildings.

...which does not mean, however, that it doesn’t overdo it in another direction. Maybe it is difficult, but maybe you start again from scratch and only with the inside, namely a floor plan that exactly fits your flows. A beautiful exterior can be designed from any floor plan, the other way around is rather difficult.

160 sqm - so just under 1700 sqft - are usually single-story in the USA and are considered small. A two-story, modern house with your exterior views usually starts at 200 sqm because the space requirements for the individual functions are very large. The historic, smaller houses of this type have floor plans that are rather compact again or have separated functions. And built-in closets!!! You can get a bit more out of it if you redesign the staircase to be a single flight. But planning the living space as one large, rectangular box is also not practical for daily life. I am currently receiving a lot of advertising for partition wall systems for living spaces – home office and Corona send their regards.