On which of these floor plans can we continue to build?

And honestly: we have been planning for many weeks with 10x9 and at some point we should also finish, and now we come up with a completely different variant again? And the architect is supposed to think about this idea once more?

You come up with various other variants. For you, that's an endless loop.

My idea is to present the architect with an alternative that we actually want to do.

No, that happened beforehand, didn't it? On what basis is the architect drawing now? You keep looking for alternatives and post them here... meanwhile the architect is drawing for the umpteenth time. Don't you ever sit down together and discuss one thing or another?

Basically, I see the desired house size here at about 170m² and garden

No, Stan started with 8 x 10 because he didn't want to build that big.

The floor plan shown here from BT

I don't see any...

Then one step of the stairs was removed in length and added to the landing. Thus the hallway had to become a bit wider and accordingly the rooms next to it narrower again.

Yes, sure! You first agree on a staircase, then the rest comes. You have completely lost sight of the goal.
And if you say that it doesn't suit you, then you should stop making concrete suggestions to the architect.

Switch off!

No, the Stan started with 8 x 10 because he didn’t want to build so big.

You understand me already. We are talking about around 145m² here. He would like to pay for only 120m² and thinks he can cleverly divide them so that they look like 180m². But that just doesn’t work. 145 remains 145. With an office and storage room, the rooms inevitably become even smaller. Get used to it and buy smaller furniture or build bigger.

Even if I will probably be stoned here now, I will ask the question anyway. Why do people build on such small plots without a basement?

Yes, it costs money and not a little, but if the plot is already quite small, then every square meter of the house simply takes away garden space that is not very abundant anyway.

No, that happened beforehand, right? Or not? On what basis is the architect drawing now? You keep looking for alternatives and posting them here... meanwhile, the architect is drawing for the umpteenth time. Don’t you ever sit down together and discuss this or that?

Yes, we have sat down together several times.
He is drawing something again based on the Signus and then something else with a corner staircase. It looked a bit like the former 10x8 in the sketch. I’m curious to see.

I don’t see any...

The one from the 1st post.
Or do you mean the one from the exposé (ground floor and upper floor)?

Yes, sure! You first agree on one staircase, then comes the rest. You have totally lost sight of the goal.

Or rather, we were totally confused by various suggestions.
At first, we said a straight staircase looks nice, but later we also said another staircase would be okay as long as it’s not as convoluted as in the 10x8 floor plan.

He would like to pay for only 120 m² and thinks he can cleverly divide them so they come across like 180 m².

No, we were naive and thought 120 m² would be enough.
If we only wanted to pay for 120 m², we wouldn’t now plan with 145 m².

With office and storage room, the rooms inevitably all become even smaller.

The question keeps coming up: do we need an additional storage room or is the utility room, possibly the space under the stairs, and the cabinets in the study sufficient?

Even if I’ll probably get stoned here now, I’ll ask anyway. Why do you build on such small plots without a basement?

Yes, it costs money and quite a bit, but if the plot is already quite small, then every square meter of house floor area simply takes away garden that isn’t very abundant anyway.

On the one hand, a basement nowadays actually costs quite a lot, for which you would outsource the utility room and storage room, about 12–15 m². If the office is also supposed to be in the basement, then the basement would probably be even more expensive.
On the other hand, the plot is located such that 350 meters west is a large lake and 850 meters east is the Rhine. So the issue of groundwater is not unimportant.

Is that really the case or just a guess on your part?

I would think about the topic again carefully on the mini-plot. Basement living space below, 115-120m² house on top, carport next to it -> problems solved.

The Rhine itself flows not only above ground but also underground in a considerable width. We received this information both from acquaintances (who live within a radius of 1-2 km from the Rhine) and from real estate agents and general contractors when the properties were close to the Rhine.

The Duisburg municipal utilities write about this:

Regarding the groundwater level, which in Duisburg varies regionally between one and 14 meters below the ground surface, it should be noted that it is subject to considerable fluctuations, which are seasonal (sometimes even longer-term) and can amount to up to seven meters. This is especially true for areas near the Rhine or the Ruhr. The general groundwater flow is towards the Rhine; however, during high water levels in the Rhine, groundwater is pushed back into the hinterland, causing groundwater levels to rise.