Floor plan of a 1.5-story house with a captain's gable on nearly 200m²

The OG variants of Kiefernallee and Architektin are better structured, including the closet options in the master bedroom.

I don't understand from your new drafts:
- the washing machine and dryer upstairs when you have a huge basement
- the children's bathroom without a shower
- the shower upstairs with the sloping roof (the bathroom MUST be accessible)
- small window in the bathroom
- parking closet in the bedroom? Where?
- building a basement without really planning it (already mentioned a few days ago) – just for the sake of having one
- the kitchen: why is there a seat at the counter and will it probably be doubled by another dining table?
- sofa provided by the builder?
- the tiny shower in the WC
- the very small vestibule. As a family, you’re not supposed to come home ;) How does that work with the two doors?
- windows! Sometimes very narrow and inconsistent, although it could be done differently. A symmetrical captain’s gable is planned, but the windows on the left and right break the harmony. Very small window in the bathroom, although it could be done differently. Then these “window bands”… is there any window left at all?
I find the Kiefernallee clearer, better.

I like to address the questions, but first the quote from the post with the plans once again:

Not final are:
- Bathroom on the upper floor,
- Basement. This is and will remain a utility cellar. We do not want living rooms down there. However, the layout and height are not yet fixed.
- Kitchen (So the docked island is the idea, but everything else in it is just a placeholder from the architect's program)

- the washing machine and dryer on the upper floor, if you have a huge basement anyway

In our current house, we have the dryer and washing machine in the basement and the "laundry storage" on the upper floor. One of the absolute must-haves from minute 1 was that the appliances are where the laundry occurs and needs to be put away. Constantly carrying laundry up and down is an absolute no-go. The basement could be tiny or gigantic, the appliances will never stand there. That just doesn't fit us and our household management.

- the shower on the upper floor with the sloping roof (bathroom MUST absers
- mini window in the bathroom

As stated in the post: The bathroom is not yet planned, and therefore the window is not decided. We are currently discussing that.

- the children's bathroom without a shower

Do we need three showers? Basically, my wife and I shower in the evening. The children would then have to manage between the bathroom on the upper floor and the one on the ground floor.

- parking cabinet in the bedroom? Where?

Like this?

- building a basement without really planning it (mentioned a few days ago) - just to have it

At the beginning, it was an almost 50 sqm partial basement for technology and storage room for 56k. Due to the house shape, this became 67 sqm and an additional room for 66k. The surcharge for a full basement was then €3,000. There would have been another alternative to reduce the basement to 40 sqm, but then we would have saved only 3k. That's why we are also considering how we want to use it, what to invest for it, and how we want to divide it.

- the kitchen: why is there a seat at the counter and will it probably be doubled by another dining table?

As said, only the shape (row along the outer wall and attached island) was suggested here in the kitchen studio. The rest was simply left in the drawing by the architect.

- sofa provided by the builder?

Our existing sofa, which will of course move with us :)

- the mini shower in the WC

Good eye, the dimensions are wrong, the shower is actually planned at 100x80. Is that still mini? My mother-in-law has these dimensions in her shower, and I always find it very spacious...

- the tiny vestibule. As a family, you shouldn’t come home ;) How does that work with the two doors?

Yes, that's a good point. We are also discussing this with the architect, exactly because of the doors. The vestibule is also one of the must-haves. We currently have one (unfortunately much smaller, 1.10 x 1.60), and we do not want to miss the function.

- Windows! Partly very narrow and not harmonious, although it could be different. A symmetrical captain's gable is planned, but the windows on the left and right break the harmony. Very small window in the bathroom, although it could be different. Then these "window bands"... is there even any window left?

The windows follow the intended function: left as a desk place to look out and go outside, right as a seating window with bookshelves around it. The missing symmetry is not a big problem now, do facades have to be completely symmetrical? The window bands are there because otherwise, we would be looking directly into the neighbor's living room from the dining table, or they could look directly onto our couch.

No offense, but if everything is already perfect – except for the "not yet final" points – what do you want to hear from us? You asked for opinions, and the consensus seems to be fairly unanimous. Either you take the opinions seriously and let go of your prior assumptions, or this doesn’t make any sense at all, neither for you nor for the readers.

All good.

No offense, but if everything is already perfect – except for the "not yet final" points – what do you want to hear from us then?

I never said anything about perfect...? And I do want to hear criticism, obviously, preferably justified so I can understand it. Just because I don’t immediately jump down your throat and immediately go back to the drawing board and start from scratch doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it.

You asked for opinions, and the general tenor seems to be fairly unanimous.

I don’t see it that way, there are a few unnecessary comments that are very general, I ignore those, they’re not helpful. If you look back at the longer lists of feedback, we have adopted quite a bit of it. And the further points are being discussed here as well.

Either you take the opinions seriously and let go of your preconceived notions, or this makes no sense at all, neither for you nor for the readers.

Of course I will not let go of my "preconceived notions." The space requirements and the demands were not thrown together randomly, but are based on the fact that we have been living in a rented single-family house for 7 years and have precisely analyzed our household and ongoing processes over the last 2 years, including actually counting "who takes which paths when."



I just can’t get behind demonizing things in general.

Our existing sofa that should also be moved :)

But by now you know what “bauseits” means, right? According to the plan, one would think that you either want to build a podium there or the sofa… -> brought-in furniture is not defined as “bauseitige” construction or acquisition. That is confusing.

The missing symmetry is not a big problem now, do facades have to be completely symmetrical?

Certainly not. But they should be positioned somewhat harmoniously. Too many similar but different window dimensions look restless and somewhat badly planned, if not even careless, if it does not fit the building structure. In my opinion, this also applies to a “slightly” offset captain’s gable, as I have seen here now. The house gets a visual tilt. That cannot be sugarcoated or justified with many explanations written on the front door. Doors are also placed arbitrarily: personally, the living room door would bother me already, as it is not in harmony with the stairs, nor the planned offset of the flooring in the living space.

The window bands are there because otherwise we would be looking directly into the neighbor’s living room from the dining table, or rather, they could look directly at us on the couch.

Honestly: seating windows as a wish? And a window band where you would actually want to see and also access your garden from inside? For privacy, a hedge or privacy screen could help, but not such a jail window! That gives a humble room effect, no coziness.
On the other hand, the guest toilet has a floor-to-ceiling window, larger than that of the bathroom. Furnishing follows window placement.
Also two jail windows in the stairwell.

One of the absolute must-haves from minute one was that the appliances stand where the laundry occurs and has to be put away. The constant carrying up and down is an absolute no-go.

Okay, utility room upstairs. Such a wish is legitimate. Usually this desire comes hand in hand with forgoing the basement or incorporating the basement into living space.

At the beginning it was a nearly 50 sqm partial basement for technology and a storage room for 56k. Due to the house shape, it then became 67 sqm and an additional room for 66k. The surcharge to a full basement was then 3,000 €. Another alternative would have been to reduce the basement to 40 sqm, but then we would have saved only 3k. That’s why we are also considering how to use it,

Otherwise, a technical room and some hobby space is built here for 70,000 plus. Respect. If one enjoys paying that?!

As said, only the form (line at the exterior wall and docked island) was proposed here in the kitchen studio. The rest was just left in the drawing by the architect.

Then just draw your desired kitchen yourself.

Yes, that’s a good point. We are also talking with the architect, exactly because of the doors.

The windbreak is also one of the must-haves.

Your must-haves at the very beginning: has anything developed within you during the planning phase? Have you worked on your early ideas while the planning offers something else? Or was a rigid checklist and list worked through statically—regardless of whether it fits or not?!
I spontaneously think of seating windows, windbreak, utility room…
What if you opened the dining area to the garden so that you can keep an eye on the playing children? A seating window could perhaps enrich the study more and thus bring harmony for a generous dining room window of the same width. The same goes for the bathroom—here, absolutely plan the furnishing (due to the slope) before a design is approved. Just fix the window width.
Plan a large hobby room in the basement with proper windows and/or outside access—it can also be implemented via a sunken terrace, etc.