Floor plan of a single-family house for 4 people with problems on the ground floor

Hello
we recently submitted the building preliminary request with this floor plan. However, we are still unsatisfied with the layout on the ground floor. Is the design still salvageable or have we lost our way?

Development plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 2000 m²
Slope: no
no development plan; all roof types are represented in the neighborhood

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: country house style (mullioned windows), hipped roof, city villa
Basement, floors: no basement (due to costs), 2 full floors
Number of people, age: 2 persons (25 and 33 years), 2 children planned
Space requirement on GF, UF: approx. 100 m² each
Office: home office
Guests per year: very few
open or closed architecture: open on the ground floor
conservative or modern construction: modern
open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: 2 floor-standing speakers by the TV
Balcony, roof terrace: 1 balcony in the parents’ area
Garage, carport: double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes: laundry room on the upper floor

House design
Who created the design: architect
What do you like most? Why?: We are very convinced by the upper floor due to the room layout
What do you not like? Why?: The living and dining areas are problematic. There is plenty of space, but the architect and we fear that the many corners prevent sensible use of the space. We would prefer the dining area to be smaller and the living area larger. Furthermore, the staircase is giving me headaches. According to the architect, the room height on the ground floor cannot exceed 2.50 m, otherwise the staircase becomes too long. Since it is a large house, he advises keeping a ratio of riser height to tread width of 18/27 cm. A steeper staircase should only be used if there is no other option. The architect also noted that when going upstairs the staircase leads directly to a wall. There should actually be more space there.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: over €750,000
Personal price limit for the house, incl. fittings: €1,000,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump with photovoltaics

If you had to waive, which details/extensions
-you can waive: replace garage with carport, omit bay window on the rear side, terrace does not have to extend into the building body, different staircase shape
-you cannot waive: bay window on the front side, home office

Why has the design turned out as it is now?: I created a floor plan myself based on other floor plans from the internet. Then the architect tried to create a feasible floor plan while staying as close as possible to my design.
What do you find particularly good or bad about it?: We like the relatively economical corridors on the ground and upper floors so that the other rooms have plenty of space. We find the exterior shape very appealing. We also like the orientation of the rooms, especially the kitchen and home office facing the street. Regarding the upper floor we have no complaints except for the narrow area in front of the staircase. In the dining area, we appreciate the 45° wall, which makes the room feel more open. Less pleasing is the layout of the living and dining area, the “too long” staircase and the room height on the ground floor of “only” 2.50 m.

What is the most important/central question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can the ground floor layout still be saved so the living area is bigger, dining smaller and room height 2.62 m achieved?

Thank you!
Metin

At first glance, it seems unnecessarily complicated and often not practical in my opinion.

[*]The toilet should be at the entrance... washing hands with children etc. quickly from the garden without walking through the whole house
[*]The recess is useless to you. It is way too small for protection from rain, sun, etc.
[*]Why not place the terrace on the west side? It's way too small if you have a few things there
[*]I think having an exit (sideways via a proper recess) is great because the shutter can stay up here and the recess casts a shadow. At least a cool effect for us.
[*]The storage room should also be more accessible.
[*]Why put the technology room above the workspace? Totally crazy in my opinion. Among other things, noise depending on the heating, etc.
[*]All the corners and bays can surely be handled better with good planning and possibly the right idea for usage.

I would completely replan this. In general, it is not a good idea to give an architect a self-created floor plan beforehand, as they tend to stick too closely to it and cannot implement creativity. Therefore, the following request: Let the architect replan everything from scratch (he should completely forget your floor plan). After all, you have a very good budget. For that money, you should definitely have a well-thought-out and good floor plan, not such an “awkward” convoluted one.

I find the following really problematic:
-unnecessary setback for the terrace, which only wastes space
-long/narrow entrance area that doesn’t look generous at all
-very narrow dining area (3m width?), many apartments have more space there
-also much too narrow WC and much too narrow storage room => both are totally impractical as there’s hardly any space for furniture
-office as a passage to the technical room is not sensible
-too narrow and too short garage (better plan 7x9m)
-too small main bathroom upstairs compared to the way too large laundry room (better 15m2 bathroom and 5m2 laundry)
-also a way too long hallway upstairs (not a clever use of space)
=> better large rooms and less traffic area (hallway)
=> overall many square meters that are not well utilized (what are the 4m2 above behind the stairs? No room, but also not enough space for a small work corner with PC and such)
=> Unfortunately, the house overall has too many poorly planned setbacks that do not use the 200m2 effectively, so I would strongly recommend starting over and letting the architect do it. Don’t take it personally, but your plan was not well done and it would be a pity to spend so much money on an impractical floor plan. Also take a look at the standard floor plans of the builders, like from Viebrockhaus (for example the Maxime 410 II). There you will see what I mean. Many more rooms branch off from the hallway, and overall you have almost the same amount of space on the 170m2 as on your 200m2. And the living room in the Maxime 410 II will also appear much more spacious, even though it is actually smaller. A minimum width of 4 meters is simply important. After all, you don’t want to pay 100k more for 30m2 to end up living effectively more cramped and with less space than in the 170m2 house.

Thank you for the feedback ! I can't imagine a bathroom near the front door because, in my opinion, that would make the windows on the front side no longer symmetrical. The terrace is completely covered by the balcony above. Therefore, it is only a small setback. Of course, you are right that the terrace could be enlarged to the west. Good point! The door to the utility room through the office was optionally offered by the architect. I could imagine placing my 3D printer there. Otherwise, access would only be possible from outside. Because of the noise, I will probably have to reconsider that. Thanks!

Great feedback , thank you.

I had already feared that this draft would have to be discarded again. I also think that I gave the architect too little freedom. The entrance area is really too long. I liked the idea of not using a spiral staircase. But this way it's really not a good solution. When you say "office as a passage to the technical room is not sensible," do you mean that the technical room should definitely be connected to the hallway, or is access from outside usually sufficient for the technical room? The floor plan of the Maxime 410 II looks really great. So far I thought our current floor plan had little traffic areas, but now I understand what you mean. Thank you!

I would make the study and the utility room accessible from the hallway, since one often goes into the utility room more frequently or stores food etc. there.