Floor plan of a single-family house 240 m² with a partially built-over garage

How did the driver on the highway say when a warning about a [Geisterfahrer] was issued? "ONE [Geisterfahrer]? THOUSANDS!"

Maybe one really has to say it very clearly: No, there is no fundamental rejection of own designs. However, there is a rejection of own designs when there is a complete lack of talent.

Even then, nothing is "rejected" here. Every design is considered, also regarding the planning skills of the author. If you then see that the author wants to go to the cathedral but stands in front of the trade fair halls, you show them the way to the Deutzer Bridge. But if they want to go to the English Garden and mistake the Alster for the Isar, a reassuring "it will be fine!" won’t help them.

Then time is wasted for all parties and, what would be even worse: there would be the risk that you actually build the nonsense. Since we all like each other here, of course we don't want you to burn your hard-earned money and only realize what happened when it’s too late.

Exactly. If the OP tells the draftsman of the general contractor, "please move the stairs in front of the door passage, you may also use a 'bay window' for that," then he will do it (without a permit stamp on all that nonsense meaning that the quality has now been professionally thoroughly checked with a positive result - even though there is no discount on the invoice for that fact). And that is why I find the suggestion

My tip to the OP: Build the house exactly like that. You want it, you get it. Nobody inside has to be happy except for you.

also not good in terms of happiness for the OP, but merely to spare the other readers the sight of the dead design on life support. But we can also simply move to the next room – to patients who will improve when they continue to obediently follow the advice of doctors or nurses.

In case anyone is still reading here: The partial construction over the garage turned out to be (without the neighbors' approval) unauthorized according to the city, so I (1) worked on it myself again, (2) had this design improved by an architect, and (3) the same architect created two variants of his own design. As predicted by the architectural psychologists here before, I prefer the further development of my own design – but I can definitely articulate the reasons (see next post).

For development documentation, here is my approach without any construction over the garage:
[ATTACH alt="V1_EG.jpg"]83744[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V1_OG.jpg"]83745[/ATTACH]

Now the design improved by the architect (yes, a "real" self-employed graduate), albeit further "improved" (possibly worsened?) by implementing change requests:
[ATTACH alt="V2_EG.png"]83748[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V2_OG.png"]83749[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V2_Ansichten_W.png"]83747[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V2_Ansichten_O.png"]83746[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V2_Schnitt.png"]83750[/ATTACH]

What I mostly doubt is the window front in the southwest (left). The architect, in turn, recommended moving the ground-floor toilet next to the guest bathroom to avoid construction and possible repair costs. As with so many questions, I have no clue whether the opinion here in the forum would be more like "Sure, no water pipes under expensive tiles" or "Never a toilet without a window without good reason."

Here are the two versions of the architect's draft:

[ATTACH width="348px" alt="V3a_EG.png"]83756[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH width="351px" alt="V3a_OG.png"]83757[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V3b_EG.png"]83758[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="V3b_OG.png"]83759[/ATTACH]

Actually, I find these approaches elegant with the division into wide and narrow in the upper floor as well as the large, bright living area and the 16m view from the entrance. But I see the following disadvantages:

[*]The "work corner" corresponds to a vaguely formulated requirement; it may be a corner, which I imagined in a room, not in the hallway. Well, presumably a dedicated office room is probably the only way to go anyway.
[*]The sofa corner is not really cozy.
[*]In version A, the garden is quite bisected (with a rather dark corner behind the garage), and the ridge direction does not fit the neighborhood.
[*]In version B, there is little garden space on the southwest side and the children’s rooms have hardly any sun in the afternoon.

Here for comparison the positions of the draft from the above posting and the two versions from this one:

[ATTACH alt="Positionen_V2_V3a_V3b.png"]83755[/ATTACH]

This way you have the best SW garden.


Swap the stairs and technology, then you have the workspace in the corner upstairs.

Somehow your bathrooms are always above the living and dining area. Can't it be done better? Do the bathrooms then have skylights?

The fitness and guest area will cost you at least 150k. What does the budget say about that?

Now the improved design by the architect (yes, a "real" studied freelancer), albeit further worsened (?) by implementing change requests:

Glop, glop. Good. I vote to log V2. Dough resting, switching points, keep going!