Floor plan optimization single-family house approx. 150 sqm - on a small plot

GU2 only had one draftsman whose designs, in my opinion, were just mutated variants of already built houses. They were full of slanted walls, recesses, etc.

I advise caution with standard designs featuring a high dose of slanted walls. Standard designs can significantly reduce the risk of complications – but only if they are up to date. A high dose of slanted walls is an indication that this design was conceived around 1980. With underfloor heating, you can still use it well; that was already on the radar back then, but controlled residential ventilation was not yet, and "before the Energy Saving Ordinance," downpipes were also "notched" through exterior walls. The "2020 remix" of a "1980 house" – by the way: Isocorb® also did not exist back then! – thus gives cause for concern, at least to expect drywall encasings (which a repeatedly practiced standard design should actually avoid), if not even further complications. In such cases, a standard design only saves the draftsman “creative hours,” but no longer brings any significant routine advantage. Therefore, pay attention to how much of the general contractor’s portfolio of drawer designs is still mixed with outdated models and do not be blinded by Smokey Eyes or similar current contemporary details (corner windows existed back then as well).

Sometimes the charm lies especially in simplicity.

The Bible contains ten commandments, fairies grant you three wishes – one should think about this and let one’s Pinterest-fueled overindulgence cool down a bit before unloading 1001 ideas onto the planner.

We only widened the living area windows to 1.76. I don’t know if I already posted that here. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same. No changes since May, although I had asked again and again in my head and in the forum. But honestly, I don’t know what else to change. But surely later, when I actually live there. But that’s probably normal.
Post your draft here once it’s ready

I will, as soon as I have it.

I really like your house, but it’s way too big for us. Otherwise, I would have taken your floor plan and spared myself the rest of the effort

I fear that only relatively few builders find their way here. Most builders will discuss the floor plans with their family and work colleagues and then build right away. The big awakening only comes later, when everything is already cast in concrete and one experiences the problems firsthand. Your problem is that you want to "stay small". In the standard GU designs, you just make the house 20 sqm bigger and the problem "dissolves".

You’re absolutely right. None of my friends got ideas or suggestions for improvement from a forum or something similar.

Everyone built and would now of course do it differently, bigger, and better.

We talk about our floor plan, later I say that I had this and that changed and am always asked how I became aware of it or how the idea came about, etc.

But at the beginning, everyone always just nods off like “that’s really great” and so on.

I checked again and our first appointment regarding house building was on 01/17/2020

And except for a soil survey and a height and location plan, we haven’t gotten any further.

Everything is going very, very slow.

and let his full drunkenness of Pinterest inspirations calm down a bit at first, before unloading 1001 ideas onto the planner.

You really hit the nail on the head there. All the ideas get collected and somehow you try to make a whole out of all that.

Our favorite GU sent us 1 floor plan, I gave feedback 10 days later. The second proposal came 6 weeks later. That’s frustrating. That’s why I’m chasing it so much now, which obviously isn’t so good either.

The architect will still send me the current drafts and then go on vacation, so she has peace and I have time to think again. It’s very tempting that she’s so quick, because as I said, we haven’t really made any progress since January.

It would be interesting to know what your friends would have done differently next time.

It would be interesting to know what your friends would have done differently next time.

I'll roughly summarize statements of what we've heard:

- build as large as possible or generally enlarge rooms
- different room arrangements
- definitely parents' area with own bathroom and dressing room
- definitely separate office on the ground floor (self-employed)
- terrace near the kitchen
- all floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room as sliding doors (would be more convenient?)

and others say that they would do some things differently, but somehow can't really describe what.

- build as large as possible or generally enlarge rooms
- different room layouts

Size alone certainly doesn't help. We had a 26 sqm living room slightly recessed and a 14 sqm dining room, both in front of large glass surfaces, and it was never too small, it was just right.

- different room layouts

....and next time then differently again. Needs change over the years, which is why it’s good if you can use some rooms differently (office becomes bedroom or kids' room, etc.). There are endless variations with which you can be happy and not just this one.

definitely parent area with own bathroom and dressing room

You can do that….. but depending on how the family functions, it can also become stressful. The kids might still end up using the parents’ bathroom….. time will tell…… and then you’ve achieved precisely the opposite.

definitely separate office on the ground floor (self-employed)

....if there is space and need for it....... also gladly a guest room with en-suite shower/WC. Sure, that makes sense, but a guest room can also make sense. It depends on individual needs, just like the budget.

terrace near the kitchen

I think that’s good too, although the dining room could also be in between without it being a problem.

all floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room as sliding doors (more convenient?)

...more convenient for what? I generally find opening a sliding door much less convenient in terms of movement, although they can still make sense. Over the years, we've almost exclusively used the "normal" patio door. You could fold a second panel inward and then had 2m width. But most of the time only the door was open. We didn’t use the large sliding element that often. No idea why, but it just became a habit.

I think you could name hundreds of points regarding this that you should/must do. For me, it’s the glass-covered terrace or the external blinds, or next time the ceiling spots, etc.
I believe you have to be careful to stay "brave" enough to do your own thing despite many, even well-meaning, pieces of advice and not end up with a jack of all trades, master of none.
Above all, I would recommend courage, to follow your own path! We have often enjoyed this with our old house, even if not everyone could understand it.

- build as large as possible or generally enlarge rooms [...] - all floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room as sliding doors (would be more convenient?) and others say that they would do some things differently, but then somehow cannot describe what.

Haha. Could they also have "generally increased the budget"? Executing all patio doors as sliding doors is nonsense and furthermore often requires more width (below a width of 251 you really shoot yourself in the foot with that), apart from that: see increasing the budget. Anyone who sees their own actual floor plan (furnished to scale!) should actually be able to mark all the "stupid spots" in it, even as a layperson. Where did these friends get their house designs from if they only realized after finishing construction that they don’t fit?