Location of city villa or single-family house on 500 m2 plot - rectangular

If I were you, I would rather think about increasing the living space than about increasing the room height!
If I understood correctly, your floor construction is 20 cm. Why so high?
We have 2.70 m finished height on the ground floor, but our rooms are significantly larger compared to yours. Our living/dining rooms are just under 60 sqm.
On the upper floor, we have 2.60 m, and that is completely sufficient for normally sized rooms; children's rooms are 18 sqm.

So we agreed with the architect and the general contractor on half a brick row above the standard, i.e. 2.65m–2.70m finished room height.
Accordingly, the floor construction is even 20–25 cm.
Why? I don't know the details; I was only told that with insulation, underfloor heating, screed, and finished flooring, it adds up to 20–25 cm.

To be honest, I think the good 40 sqm is already really large. But in the end, of course, it is all just numbers.

I feel the same, but the floor area ratio here is quite small – how far the building authority will go with this would have to be tested. But I also think additional height is money thrown away, especially since the staircase then becomes longer again and messes everything up. A central bay window in the middle of the living room would ease the situation much more – downstairs and upstairs, even if it seems a bit old-fashioned.

Yes, that would have to be looked at. I'm not per se against bay windows, but I don't really like them either. Clearly, a bay window would help the middle children's room upstairs. Downstairs, I'm not even convinced it's really necessary.

The furnishing in the living area is not the planned one, right? We already had a furnishing here that fit well to the room size.

Correct, here the architect for once took out not dollhouse furniture, but rather the broad person scale.

The rather intended variants here (these are all dimensions of real furniture) make the passage to the terrace look less like a slalom run:

- Current own design furnished only all-purpose room with peninsula kitchen:
- Current own design furnished only all-purpose room with L-kitchen variant 1:
- L-kitchen variant 2:

- Current architect’s design:


Regards and happy Mother's Day to all who feel addressed.

Tolentino

The rather intended variants are here (these are all measurements of real furniture) and they make the passage to the terrace look less like a slalom run:

And there is the essential difference that both L-designs look feasible, whereas the architect’s design looks like an invitation to decide either to build a bay window or never to dine with more than four people.

And there is the essential difference that the L designs both look feasible, whereas the architect's looks like an invitation to decide either to build a bay window or never to eat with more than four people.

Yes, but what do you mean by that? Should I distrust the self-designed plans, and are you also in favor of a bay window, or is that a "vote" for one of the L variants?

Yes, but what do you mean by that? Should I distrust the own designs

No, the own designs do look functional – both L-shaped ones as well as the one with the bay window;

and are you also in favor of bay windows

I like it better without a bay window, but the architect's version looks like without a bay window the dining table wouldn’t be extendable (or only with all doors being restrictedly openable), or it would need a bay window, because even rotating it doesn’t convince in terms of space offered. So, in the architect’s furnishing and without a bay window, no roast duck with the hunchbacked relatives, children’s birthday, etc.

Our living room alone is 40m². If I imagine that the kitchen and constantly 5 people are supposed to fit in here as well - phew, that is more than tight.

Our living room alone is 40m². If I now imagine that the kitchen and permanently 5 people are supposed to fit in here – phew, that's already more than tight.

Sorry, but that is absolutely subjective luxury thinking again. Some couples LIVE on 40 sqm, some even with children. It's clear that it's not a ballroom, but I claim that with normal expectations you can definitely arrange yourself with 40 sqm of multi-purpose space and live well.