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

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 is more than tight.

Wohnflächenaristokratie

I claim that with normal expectations one can certainly manage and live well with 40sqm of open space.

Of course, you can also get by with less space. But I would seriously ask myself if I want to pay off half a million for my whole life just to "manage".

Of course, you can also manage with less space. But I would seriously ask myself whether I want to pay off half a million for my entire life just to "arrange" myself.

I think you don’t understand - arranging yourself doesn’t necessarily mean settling for something. It means asking yourself what is realistic and weighing whether it is practical for you. The budget plays a role, the plot of land plays a role, and ultimately simply personal taste as well. A 40sqm living room is (I think) not the standard, and even if it were, not everyone simply needs it. It’s like the discussion about the size of the garden, the size of the children’s rooms, the size of the kitchen... It’s subjective. In this respect, I find posts like “my kitchen is this big and anything smaller would be too small” completely unnecessary - it doesn’t help anyone. There is nothing constructive in it for the OP, only MY idea of a kitchen.

In this respect, I find posts like "my kitchen is so and so big and anything smaller would be too small" completely unnecessary - it doesn't help anyone. There's nothing constructive for the OP in it, just MY idea of a kitchen.

Sorry, I see that differently. You can definitely mention your own idea of kitchen size here as an example. That’s what a forum is about: exchanging opinions and giving each other tips. It’s also perfectly fine if someone manages with a 40m² open plan and comes to terms with it, but it’s just as fine to point out to the OP that this might be quite tight for 5 people. Once the house is built, it will be difficult to add more space (although that wouldn’t be impossible either).

It is also completely okay if someone manages with 40m² of all-purpose space and makes do, but it is equally okay to point out to the OP that this is quite tight for 5 people.

Is it too tight? Factually? Where do you get this insight from? Or would it be too tight for you? That is the subtle but important difference between objective and constructive criticism and purely subjective feeling.

But now enough off-topic from me.

I think: with the L-solution, it looks pretty promising.

As I wrote before, I am grateful for every opinion. I just have to keep in mind what it means when I decide for this or that. Critical opinions or warnings also help with that. At the same time, I am an adult and can decide for myself and also put the statements into context or perspective.

I will actually ask what 50cm more in depth would cost. That is another 5 m² more. The first 6m² more had cost 6,500. If I extrapolate with the same rate, I would come out at +5,500 (or +12,000 compared to the original offer). However, one would also have to weigh whether it remains approvable in terms of floor area.

Interesting fact: 40m² / 5 = 8m² -> area requirement per person for offices according to occupational safety guidelines. Which does not mean that I want to force my children to work.