Floor plan of a classic single-family house on a 700 sqm plot with east access

Hey guys,

many of you probably know this, suddenly there are three of you and you realize that the current apartment will be too small in the long run.
My wife and I therefore want to treat ourselves to a single-family house.
Currently, we are working with the architect we chose to develop the floor plan.

Bebauungsplan/Einschränkungen
Size of the plot: 700 sqm
no slope
plot ratio: 0.3
floor space index: 0.6
number of parking spaces: 2
number of floors: 2 full floors, with 2 full floors knee walls are not allowed
roof type: gable roof

Anforderungen der Bauherren
Style, roof type, building type: Roof type is specified as gable roof. The house should also blend into the neighboring buildings, therefore rather rectangular than square (city villa) floor plan.
Basement, floors: No basement and no roof slopes desired, therefore two full floors
Number of people, age: 3 people 35, 30, 0.3 years, space for another child desired
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: Typical needs of a family with two children without special hobbies. Sufficient utility room to also be able to hang laundry in winter. Kitchen large enough to bake a cake in peace occasionally (currently we only have a 6 sqm kitchen, which is quite tight). We could have also imagined a study on the ground floor, so guests wouldn't have to enter the upper floor, but that would have made the ground floor too large overall for us.
Office: The office is intended for home office and should cover two workspaces (usually not used simultaneously) and the possibility for guests to stay overnight
Guests per year: no regular guests. If our parents or friends want to stay overnight, we want to have an option in the study for that.
Open or closed architecture: We think open looks nice, but in everyday life we want it to be practical, which for us also means that you can retreat sometimes. Therefore, a large living/dining area with a kitchen that can be at least partially integrated by a large sliding door, but the rest is rather closed.
Conservative or modern construction: modern construction as far as we like it (open staircase in the living area is currently modern, but we don’t like it for example; for the T-solution we think our bathroom is too small for that corner)
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Kitchen should not be open, but preferably with a large sliding door. Kitchen island and seating area directly in the kitchen would be nice.
Number of dining seats: 8+
Fireplace: no fireplace
Music/stereo wall: not desired. Next to the TV, a 2.1 system will be placed as it is now, that's it
Balcony, roof terrace: not desired
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: We plan to have little utility garden. A few raised beds, maybe 1-2 normal beds, but the focus will be on a low-maintenance recreational and leisure garden
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or shouldn’t be done
From each children's room a loft ladder leads upwards so that the rooms can be expanded upwards when the kids are teenagers and want more space. We’ve seen this realized in 2-3 houses and find it pretty cool.

House design
Who designed it: Freelance architect
What do you like most? Why? The southwest garden protected from the street. The living room, which is open at the same time but still brings some peace due to the niche and the door that only leads into the dining area. The kitchen with a terrace door that can be opened from outside so that groceries can be brought directly into the kitchen. The walk-in closet, because it brings more visual calm to the bedroom. Storage space under the stairs. The separation of technical room and utility room, because the utility room can be kept tidier this way.
What don’t you like? Why? I am afraid the bathroom on the ground floor and the study are each a bit too small. The children's rooms seem quite generous with 17 sqm; 16 sqm would probably also have done.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: The architect only does stages 1-4 for us. We have not yet decided whether to look for a general contractor or do individual contracts and hire construction supervision.
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 500k
Preferred heating technology: ground water heat pump with ring trench collector

If you have to do without, on which details/extensions
- can you do without: We have already crossed out basement and fireplace, and will probably also do without the T-solution in the bathroom to avoid it being too dark and cramped
- can you not do without:

Why did the design turn out as it is now? e.g.
Standard design from planner? The plan was created individually for us after we filled out a questionnaire for the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
- Carport & shed hide the neighbor’s ugly prefabricated garage.
- House and carport form a kind of lying L shape, creating a protected southwest garden.
- 2 children’s rooms with at least 15 sqm + study
- Kitchen separated by sliding door from living/dining area
- Long-term option to make the upper floor a separate unit (long-term flexibility and KfW funding for two residential units)

What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Overall, we like the plan quite a lot. We now want to look at details (e.g. walk-in closet about one sqm larger, then a low Pax wardrobe fits on the second wall,) The windows have not been planned at all yet and were randomly placed by the architect.

We are now especially looking forward to your open feedback to further optimize the plan before it gets serious and to possibly avoid one or two mistakes. ;)

Best regards

Mitch

The ground floor is similar in general layout, just with a basement…. you just have to be aware that the dining room will then be brighter and more frequented than the living room … we wanted it that way because we never really sit in the living room except when we watch TV … If you want to keep the ground floor layout as it is, I can gladly give you a few tips, for example, you should definitely put glass panes in the front door or add another glass element next to it, otherwise the hallway will be too dark Should the kitchen actually be furnished like that?

For me, the fact that when I enter I only look into a hallway that "welcomes" me with a wall, meaning not with a room, an open view into the living area or garden, is a no-go. I notice this again and again when I am elsewhere or when I make my drawings. I would extend the imagined living room separation further towards the chill-out area, thus making the dining area larger (at 2.76 it is already too narrow when the dining table is in use, the bench is hardly accessible) and then also have a direct view at the end of the hallway to the open entrance to the dining area.

aufgrund der Nische und der Tür die erst in den Essbereich führt trotzdem etwas Ruhe mitbringt.

If you see the positive in that, then fine. It is your house after all. I don't like the kitchen at all. It is classically closed off and also very dark. The kitchen lacks windows and daylight. A view into the greenery and garden with a countertop in front of the window so you can keep an eye on the child. I also don't see one or the desired large sliding door. I have already said something about the dining area. You should perhaps consider whether you might rather "close off" the living room and make an open large kitchen with dining area. Moving the staircase further forward towards the entrance would also have advantages, so that the long hallway could be shortened and the gained square meters could be assigned as a living space.

We have a very similar floor plan and a similar orientation - but not voluntarily, since we have an older building. The kitchen is far too narrow to be well furnished. And I wouldn't voluntarily choose the living room facing north either.

For me, the fact that when I enter I only look into a hallway that "welcomes" me with a wall, that is, not with a room, an open view into the open plan area or garden, is a no-go. I keep noticing this when I am somewhere else or doing my drawings.

You are right to say "for me". I would find it extremely terrible if every postman or whoever at the door could look into my house. That’s why our house looks like the original poster’s, and we think it’s very good that way...

...
I would find it extremely terrible if every postman or whoever is at the door could look into my house.
...

One word would be enough for me to answer this. Unfortunately, it has to be at least five words.

"Frosted glass"