House floor plan, improvements / suggestions 1.5 stories

Is it already okay like this?

Yes, but only for the recycle bin, or rather the "DEL key".
Unfortunately, there is nothing to optimize there either. (Sounds harsh, but that's how it is.)

If nothing is planned yet, then there are no fixed dimensions.
You have already signed "just in case" for the model "might fit" and will go into the first round in January?
Please clarify the setup for us, "What has happened so far".

Yes, but only for the recycle bin, or the "DEL key."
Unfortunately, there is nothing to optimize there either. (Sounds harsh, but that's how it is.)

If nothing is planned yet, then there are no fixed house dimensions either.
You have "preemptively" already signed for the model "might fit" and are going into the first round in January?
Please clarify the construct for us, "What has happened so far."

What has happened so far:

We obtained an offer from EcoSystem Haus for everything we would like to have. Kfw 40 plus, brickwork, fireplace, etc. For a 140m2, 1.5-story single-family house. And the dimensions are fixed in the sense that the house has 140m2 and we have a free floor plan design, calculation of the statics, etc., included in the offer.
The model indicated in the catalog is just one of many possibilities but does not match our ideas due to a very large hallway and a separated kitchen.

And to avoid going into the meeting with the architect completely unprepared, we spent many hours thinking about what we actually expect from our house and started the attempt to implement it. We made the claim to ourselves to go prepared into the conversation.

Therefore, it surprises me all the more that the comments here are consistently negative. What I take away from the previous posts is: "You have no idea, give it up" and "take a standard floor plan with privacy" (although we might not even want that?).

That’s all from my side about "what has happened so far."

First of all, it’s great that you are thinking about what you want.
Now, in my opinion, it’s not really possible to plan “generously” on 140sqm anyway.
I’ll try to mentally compare this with our semi-detached house. We have 145sqm but with an expanded attic and approximately 7 x 12 meters.

Since you don’t have children yet, you obviously can’t take some things into account, and naturally, you can manage with your floor plan as it is. But if you have the chance to build something new, it would be wise to do it as optimally as possible. Sooner or later, you’ll often find details that you should have done differently.

I’ll try to list the problem areas of your plan:
Upstairs:
I would make the bathroom large enough to fit a double washbasin. If it works out with the two children, that would really be sensible. And I would move the bathroom to the upper right corner, so both children get rectangular-shaped rooms. Also, then you have a partition wall for a wardrobe.
Are you allowed to build dormers? That could create even more space.
The light blue area probably extends up to the 2-meter line?
I find the children’s rooms very unfairly small compared to the parents’ area. When they get older, they’ll also need space for proper wardrobes (for small rooms, a dresser is enough). Where should those go?
What is in the empty space behind the L-shaped wardrobe?

Downstairs:
The aim of minimizing hallway space is commendable, but with two children, it’s not practical.
On the current plan, I see the right side of the door filled with shoes, the left side with a few hooks for current jackets, below stacked bags and backpacks (or vice versa, doesn’t matter). Where will the stroller go? (Alternatively: a storage area for everything you temporarily place in the hallway: groceries, parcels, ride-on toys, stubborn children you have to step over ;) Visitors you greet or say goodbye to).
There should be a built-in cabinet under the stairs, but then it won’t fit together with the passage and the utility room door.
And a large cabinet on the left is not possible because you wouldn’t be able to walk up the stairs comfortably anymore.

I find the shower bathroom downstairs again too large (compared to the other rooms).

The utility room could work; what should go in there? Washing machine, dryer, supplies, service connections, water heater?
What kind of heating do you have? Maybe cut out a window or replace it with a higher-placed window strip to keep storage space.

I won’t say anything about the living-dining area; others have a better overview there.

Of course, it works as it is, but with so much money being invested, it would be nicer if it were more than just “it works.”
And then please fill out the questionnaire so that it can be optimized better :)

We have the expectation of ourselves to be prepared going into the conversation. That is why I am all the more surprised that there are consistently negative comments here. What I take from the previous posts is: "You have no idea, just leave it."

Do not expect the same from a conversation with a draftsman – even if you respectfully call him an "architect" – as you would from an architect without quotation marks. Even if in some cases the planning leaders of construction companies are indeed architects, their assignment is still different from that of a personally hired (and paid) architect. In the case of a construction company draftsman or planner, their task is "make the clients’ wishes ready for approval" (and nothing more). Bringing you good ideas is not their job. That advising to rely on proven house models (and not just their external dimensions) if you have no personal planning experience (and no personally mandated architect) is not a spiteful insult but good advice. However, the "Vario Häuser" 140 I and II are both so far from your variation that I do not recommend them as a basis. Even the smaller siblings 130 and 120 – which I looked at to see if they might serve as a better base if "widened" – differ fundamentally in the same key aspect, insofar as you have rotated the staircase axis first parallel. Wouldn’t you be better off building on the "Scheunenhaus 130" or even planning freely?

Thank you for your input!

In this case, we are indeed dealing with architects and not draftsmen (who will probably play a role later in the process). It is important to us – and I hope – that the architect can give us good ideas based on our floor plan and knows from the outset which direction it should take.

Alone through eire

What has happened so far:

We obtained an offer from EcoSystem Haus for everything we want. KfW 40 plus, clinker bricks, fireplace, etc. For a 140m2 large 1.5-story single-family house. And the dimensions are fixed insofar as the house has 140m2 and in the offer we have a free floor plan design, structural calculation, etc.
The house shown in the catalog is just one of many possibilities but does not correspond to our ideas with a very large hallway and a separate kitchen.

And to not go completely unprepared into the conversation with the architect, we spent many hours thinking about what we actually expect from our house and started trying to implement it. We aimed to go into the conversation prepared.

Therefore, I am all the more surprised that there are consistently negative comments here. What I take from the previous posts is: "You have no idea, forget it" and "take a standard floor plan with privacy" (although maybe we don't even want that?).

That’s all from my side regarding "what has happened so far".

Thanks for the info.
Ok, you only have a bare AG for 140 sqm for now, but you are already going all out with 40+, clinker, fireplace, etc.
What does the sqm cost there?

Please do not fixate on the stated house size, that only unnecessarily restricts the planning. Take it as a guideline.

A house/floor plan is designed to fit the plot.