Floor plan for family. Notes, criticism, improvement suggestions.

Thank you very much for the quick answers! We’re glad that the floor plan is quite well received. We actually also found it quite successful, but since we really have no clue about it, we wanted to consult the concentrated expertise of the forum to see if there might be any flaws in the design somewhere

If you have looked at other threads where floor plan discussions take place, it should not have escaped your notice that your floor plan is already top – with a sloped site and entrance to the basement level, the best has come out, I think.

Yes, our biggest sticking point is the relatively small living room. Additionally, there is a terrace door and three large floor-to-ceiling windows. So we can hardly place our furniture against a wall, which means we end up filling the relatively small room even more. On the other side of the room, a stove is supposed to stand by the fireplace, for which you also need some space, so the room becomes tighter than expected. As a solution, we maybe see widening the house (which we probably won’t be able to afford) or replacing the large floor-to-ceiling windows with smaller ones, under which you could also place a sideboard or a couch. And maybe the study can still be made smaller (we need a proper study because my wife will be working a lot from home – but we find the suggestion with the sliding door very helpful).

Thanks for the suggestion with the tall cabinet in the kitchen. A pantry was our wish – probably mainly because we are not the tidiest and such a pantry can also be untidy sometimes. But we don’t know if it will become too tight in the kitchen.
We’re used to carrying the groceries – if we’re lucky, our car is currently parked 30 m from the current house in which we also have to go up to the fourth floor,

You could design the middle window, for example, with a sill, then you’d have more possibilities to place furniture.
What about the office in the basement? Isn’t that enough for your wife or for folders, desk, and PC?
I would still divide the large basement room with a half wall into technical (enclosed room) and a storage area in the front part.
Still, I see it very tight to have to go through the living room between couch, dining chairs, and fireplace to get to the kitchen after coming home. Hence the idea with the door to the kitchen. Your storage room on the ground floor can probably accommodate your pantry; usually, a one-meter shelf is enough for various supplies and kitchen appliances. I would also extend the kitchen unit under the window on the left side of the plan.
There is the nice kitchen planner, I believe also linked here in the forum.

We’re also considering where to put a bathroom cabinet in the bathroom (attic). We actually like the "T-solution," but we are open… what could a cleverer solution look like? Or where can one get a clever bathroom planner?

I am not a fan of the T-solution, as it takes away from the space of the room. Here, due to the generous knee wall, almost everything is possible. Just google bathroom planner and try a bit. We’ll help you specifically then.
Storage would generally be under the washbasin. Personally, I like shelves hanging about 40 cm under the ceiling on the wall, where you can nicely stack towels and store boxes with utensils. That looks very elegant over an entire wall if the colors match well.
If you deviate from the T-variant, you might get more possibilities for a dresser or a cabinet.

And then there is the question of the right heating system for the house. Probably it will be the air-water heat pump suggested (by the seller), but we’re not really enthusiastic about this type of heating system. Has anyone had experience with it? Maybe better gas? Or maybe the innovative cloud data storage server heating is possible (offered by another provider; in this, a computer that belongs to a cloud provider is placed in the basement, and its waste heat is used to heat the house and hot water – crazy what exists today .

We trusted our gut feeling! (… and chose another gas heating system (with solar and controlled residential ventilation with heat recovery)) Everything else felt too unfamiliar to us. And somehow every heating type has its pros and cons.

Take what you feel good about – whether through good advice, conviction, or trust.

Best regards, Yvonne

I also noticed the distance of a possible fireplace to the dining area, etc. You always have to run around the corner if you want to get to the kitchen area.

Then the sofa is also drawn quite small again in the architect's plan ... I have illustrated that here:


My suggestion would be to swap the kitchen and living area. It also has the advantage that when teenage kids storm into the kitchen with visitors, you can still sit privately in the living area. From the sofa, you would also have a nice view of the fireplace.
Sofa now drawn with somewhat more realistic dimensions, kitchen as a row with an island.


I would also suggest a sliding door from the hallway. It could be a nice glass door.

I like the idea of kbt. What would also be an idea is to swap the [Arbeitszimmer] and [Küche]. As it is now, it is really too cramped for a family of four.

As it is now, it is really too cramped for a family of four.

I believe that is complaining at a very high level. The majority of all families in Germany still live in apartments – often only 75-100 sqm are available for the family. For example, that is the entire ground floor area where the children's room, living room, kitchen, and bathroom have to be accommodated. The house fits, the floor plan is good (details can always be different according to preferences). Period. Personally, however, unless the study room is absolutely necessary, I would add it to the living area and set up a small work corner.

I believe that is just complaining at a very high level. The majority of families in Germany still live in apartments – where often only 75-100 sqm are available for the family. For example, that’s the entire ground floor area where children’s rooms, living room, kitchen + bathroom have to be accommodated. The house fits, the floor plan is good (details can always be adjusted according to preferences). Period. Personally, however, I would add the study (if it is not absolutely necessary) to the living area and set up a small work corner myself.

I don’t have to understand that, do I??? You criticize me because I suggest swapping 2 rooms, call it complaining at a high level, but at the same time you yourself suggest adding the study to the living room?????? Why, if the living room is big enough??? Besides, your suggestion was already proposed in earlier posts and the thread starter said that the study is needed. That’s that.

Moreover, it’s still something different whether I have a small living room in a rented apartment or in my own house.

You criticize me because I suggest swapping 2 rooms, calling it complaining on a high level,

Besides, it is still something different whether I have a small living room in a rental apartment or in my own house.

No, I criticize the opinion which I consider pretentious when you write "As it is now, it is really too tight for a family of four." That is objectively not the case – the subjective impression can of course be different.
And no, there is no difference whether I have a small living room in a rental apartment or in my own house. Both have to be a) paid for and b) depend on the wishes of the residents.

We ourselves lived for many years with four and later five people in a semi-detached house with a floor area of 7x10m – therefore I can compare our old living room well with the current floor plan. It is not a ballroom, but completely sufficient.