Floor plan optimization single-family house 2 full floors approx. 180 sqm

Much has already been said. I find the new kitchen layout without a pantry a clear improvement. Hoping that the idea of using the hallway on the upper floor as a play area has already fallen victim to reality, I predict: the armchair will at most be in the way (if it is ever placed in that silly spot). Even if this would upend everything now, I wonder whether a central straight staircase is really necessary? It wastes a lot of space and leads to narrow, tubular hallways. Something half- or quarter-turned would offer completely different possibilities. That way you would also get away from more than 30m² of traffic area and could use that space more sensibly.

What I haven't quite understood yet: Is the guest room on the ground floor actually a guest room or a hobby room? Personally, I always think that with 180m² and 600k€++ construction costs, there should be a separate bathroom for the kids. This is (I also speak from experience) a very relaxing factor in families with 4 or more people. That means I advocate turning the guest room into an office and the upper office into a small children's bathroom. I find the storage room unnecessary at this size: vacuum cleaners and such should be accommodated in the utility room.

Regarding the double garage: I just can't understand why so many consider it necessary. But be that as it may – I now feel that I am almost an oddball who sees the sacred garage as a utility item. It is expensive and consumes an enormous amount of space. How about a spacious "1-car garage" in which you can also store some items? Personally, I would also be content with a carport (how many parking spaces need to be created?) or preferably park the second car on the street.

I’ll admit I was not against the first plans at all (the new ones, however, I find bad). However, I don’t understand a few things and therefore have a few questions for : - You talk about the beautiful view to the southeast, but what is so bad about the west/southwest that you build it up completely or have extremely minimized windows there? - I find a double garage inherently barrack-like. Is it a must, or could you also imagine a carport docked directly to the house? - Why is the entrance on the west side and not facing the street?

- On the west side, we actually have large windows (that’s where the dining area + the kitchen in the current design are). - Regarding the double garage: We currently have a double carport and it was quickly clear to us that we now want a garage. We live in a region where there is quite a lot of snow and cold. When the diesel in the car freezes and you can’t get moving, a garage is really nice. Additionally, a small workshop is also to be accommodated in the garage. The original idea was to dock the garage directly to the house to have access to the utility room. But then we would have had to rotate the house awkwardly, which would have wasted quite a bit of garden space. That’s why the architect suggested separating the garage and making a covered passage between the house and the garage so that you can still get dry feet into the house. For this reason, the front door is also on the gable side.

Much has already been said. I find the new kitchen layout without a pantry a clear improvement. Hoping that the idea of the hallway on the upper floor being used for playing has already fallen victim to reality, I predict: the armchair will at most be in the way (if it is ever placed in that silly spot). Even if this would change everything, I wonder whether a central straight staircase is really necessary? It wastes a lot of space and leads to tunnel-like hallways. Something half- or quarter-turned would offer completely different possibilities. This way you would also get rid of over 30m² of traffic area and could use it more sensibly.

What I haven’t quite understood yet: Is the guest room on the ground floor actually a guest room or a hobby room? Personally, I always think that with 180m² and 600k€++ construction costs, there should be a separate bathroom for the kids. This is (I speak from experience) a very relaxing factor in families with 4+ members. So I advocate turning the guest room into an office and the upper office into a small children’s bathroom. I find the storage room superfluous at this size: vacuum cleaner and such should find space in the utility room.

The topic of the double garage: I just can’t understand why so many consider this necessary. But be that as it may – I now feel as if I’m almost an exotic who sees the holy garage as a utility item. It’s expensive and consumes an incredible amount of space. How about a generous "single-car garage" in which storage space can also be accommodated? Personally, I would also be content with a carport (how many parking spaces need to be created?) or, best of all, parking the second car on the street.

I’m actually also pondering the staircase a bit. However, a spiral staircase is out of the question if only a landing staircase with straight steps. But I don’t have a real idea yet about the layout...

The guest room will actually be a guest room… or rather, the office will probably be downstairs and the guest room upstairs. We have consciously decided against a children’s bathroom. That’s such a modern thing I really don’t understand… unless you really have a large family. But that is also a matter of taste.

I wanted to include a half-landing staircase – I phrased that imprecisely, sorry.

Regarding the children's bathroom: that’s not newfangled at all. I moved into a house with a children's bathroom 30 years ago with my parents and a sibling. Even then, we still fought over shower and general bathroom times. The older the kids get, the more time they spend in the bathroom. It gets worst during puberty :-) (at least for me). Even if your planning isn’t finalized yet: currently, I see one washbasin for 4 people. Plus one shower (the least favored family member then always has to go to the ground floor?). This inevitably leads to congestion and is a classic bone of contention. This can be alleviated by a children's bathroom. The children's bathroom doesn’t have to be grand luxury: a washbasin, shower, toilet. Sure, that costs money and must be carefully planned especially because of the plumbing. I just wanted to better support my case for a children's bathroom (given the large living space).

The topic of double garages: I simply cannot understand why so many consider them necessary. [...] They are expensive and consume an incredible amount of space.

Two single garages do take up about twenty percent more space, but secondly, these are then not quality but building block square meters, and firstly the garage area does not spread out as a cumbersome plug in the building plot. However, what I personally criticize much more is the order/priority in which the spaces are allocated: in the animal kingdom, the alpha wolf always eats first, only the "crown of creation" indulges in the decadence that cars get to snatch the best piece of the roast. This is also "logical" in this respect: many couples have children later today than previously usual, both pursue careers first, and then already have a second car before the first child. Then the traditional culture of primogeniture transfers to the cars because they were already there beforehand. Consequently, the family then moves into a "chauffeur's apartment" when they let the garage claim the place of the imperial box. Therefore, I recommend turning on reason so that the main thing remains the main thing and not the tail wags the dog. Harsh as it may sound: the cars do not belong to the family but to the staff!

I don’t understand this objection. SW are most windows, aren’t they?!

I am explicitly referring to the first draft presented here, because I find the second one a real deterioration. My objection regarding the few windows or built-up (north)west applies to the site plan from Post #1 and the views from #4. I find the strange ensemble of double garage, paved area, and house as an access path more than unfortunate and it leads to the barrack look that HansiPansi rightfully fears. Also, the west corner of the house is then occupied by a guest room... I would prefer my own used space there – at least because of the light at this time of year. And if you now look at the southwest view (Post #4), you really have to search for the windows with a magnifying glass.

I would leave the staircase on the side of the first draft and relocate the main entrance to the street side. Parking spaces (for me also a garage :rolleyes:) can then be moved closer to the house and even allow direct access to the utility room (for whatever reason one needs that). See also my hastily done floor plan from Post 41. This way, all living rooms get access to light, the possibility of generous window areas, and with some skill also sight lines to the beautiful view.

I wouldn’t do the seating window on the ground floor at all (but instead floor-to-ceiling windows/doors/sliding door), but instead like this in the upper floor hallway (the whole width of the hallway): This will be a great seating, playing, and reading corner and makes the upper floor hallway cozy... and mom can shout directly up from the kitchen “Miracoli is ready!”