Help needed with window arrangement!

You are somewhat mistaken with the idea of a large kitchen: a kitchen has to function. For this, there is a conceptual triangle that connects the refrigerator (food storage), stove (preparation), and sink (cleaning). (If someone knows better how it is otherwise defined, feel free ) As a hobby cook, I can tell you that anything more than 2 1/2 steps away from the stove is simply inconvenient. Consequently, a large open space in the middle of a kitchen is of no use if it only serves as traffic pathways. The idea to place cabinets on the wall behind the door was indeed my idea, but certainly not the idea to place the refrigerator and dishwasher there. Especially nowadays, there are possibilities to combine design and functionality in the kitchen, so I would rather have planned a closed cabinet front for plates, Tupperware, etc. In addition to a dishwasher, refrigerator, and oven, in my opinion, there should also be countertop space. Especially in an open kitchen, the design of the kitchen furniture and its living value should be considered, after all, one looks into this space while eating. Therefore, kitchen planning should proceed in parallel with house planning. What does the cook of the house say about your kitchen? Would he/she be able to manage with this arrangement, or would it be a necessary evil to cook in this room? Floor plan 1 is not really different from your former plan regarding kitchen design, and the criticism that you always have to pass through there to get to the living room or basement was completely justified. I’ll just give an example: a man goes upstairs with the laundry, has to go through the kitchen (2 doors are annoying), and the woman is emptying the dishwasher – you collide with each other. I don’t think the wardrobe with the slant is very good either... are the fixed exterior dimensions already set? I actually thought you were still relatively flexible there since your architect is totally useless and you’re not building a typical house....

Take a look at your emergency plans: I currently see more potential in these...

@ Wanderdüne
I don't understand the stairs part – why are they risky or uncomfortable?
And the basement is just accessed via a quarter-turn staircase.
In my opinion, that would definitely work. Whether it is "nice" or "good" has to be decided by the builder.

@ zovima15
We roughly worked on a floor plan, which you altered according to your wishes (and it was quite good). Why are you now discussing completely changed floor plans here that have exactly the same "mistakes" as before? The same weaknesses have appeared again, and a solution already existed!

@ all homeowners
It's a pity that sometimes architects or planners (inside or outside of construction companies) don't have a good idea how to solve complicated floor plans. Maybe they simply don’t have enough time. But if you use the forum here, get ideas and suggestions to compensate for lacking expertise and receive many answers, and when you come to clearly obvious solutions, then at some point you just have to make a decision. Why is that so terribly difficult nowadays?
Finally, there's a solution on the table and then the planner drama starts again, making things worse and asking again if maybe it could also work like this... Just stick to one solution eventually, decide, and finally build! Inner peace and anticipation come with the decision! No one can avoid that, and the earlier, the more gut feeling in such a matter, the better!

Have fun living there.

@ Wanderdüne I don't understand the thing with the stairs – why is it risky or uncomfortable? And then you just go to the basement via a quarter-turned staircase. In my opinion, that would definitely work. Whether it is "nice" or "good" is up to the builder to decide.

The staircase is drawn straight; if the winding is entirely within the straight section, then I consider that more of an emergency solution, and I also find such a staircase uncomfortable to use. And having to manage two such staircases to get to the basement... I don't think that has to be the case in a new build. (Not to mention the nonsense of first bringing laundry down to the basement, then treating it there, and then carrying it back up to the ground or upper floor.) Is the use of this staircase actually riskier than other staircases? I have no data basis for this, only a feeling, which might be wrong.

But I can only evaluate the drawings from the original poster and am sure that your design was better.

In general, however, I don't understand the original poster either, since his approach is economically nonsensical and the achievable quality of life in the house is massively impaired.

Regards Wanderdüne

if the winding takes place completely in the straight section, then I consider that more of a makeshift solution,

Seen that way, I agree with you.

But I can only evaluate the drawings from the OP, and am sure that your design was better.

I don't know that and can hardly judge it myself. I just offered my assistance and suggested an architecturally feasible solution that was different from the newly presented solutions here.

@ elchitekt: Unlike the draft I sent you, I only changed something in the bathroom / wardrobe area. I don't understand where your change of opinion comes from.
Here again is the draft I sent you:


@ Wanderdüne: I agree with you about the stairs, they are not drawn correctly and would not work as they are, but a reasonable quarter-turn staircase can be accommodated, there is still space for that. However, I do not accept the objection that we have to go to the basement to do the laundry. Even though a utility room on the ground floor is common nowadays, not everyone has the right plot for that.

@ all: I know that the floor plan is not ideal in terms of cost and benefit. But you must not compare apples to oranges, you always have to keep the boundary conditions in mind.
1. The stairs only make sense there because otherwise the upper floor would have too much hallway and the rooms would be too small. You simply have to come out somewhere in the middle at the top.
2. The entrance on the east side is a must for us so that as much garden as possible remains on the south side.

There are many designs of such houses online that are great, but the stairs are always in the north part of the house, where in my opinion they belong. Certainly, some compensation can be made by enlarging the southern area, but that drives the costs up immensely.

I think under these conditions there will be no perfect floor plan but only one where you have to overlook a few negative points.