Planning floor plan / first draft for first feedback

May I ask what makes the 1.5-story house more expensive than a 2-story house? As a layman, the only thing that comes to mind is the ring beam that is additionally required, but many other parts are omitted.
My experience with various construction companies also clearly pointed in the direction that 2 stories are more expensive.
Yes, I am still pondering the utility room.
We have already been to the architect, but unfortunately, he has not yet solved the issue for us.
The building window has the biggest challenge in the slope that exists on it.
We kept the floor plan simple mainly because of the cost considerations and, for example, did not choose an L-shape.
I think the next step is to arrange another meeting with the architect.

The building window has the greatest difficulty with the slope that it has.

You can be creative with the slope, and within limits you can also change it. It doesn’t make planning easier, but the result can be more appealing.

We kept the floor plan simple mainly because of the view of the costs and, for example, did not choose an L-shape.

But then you also have to consider the total costs. Planning and executing the planting costs money, so does your bike shed, and the storage solution under the stairs is appealing but also costs real money. An L-shape will be more expensive, but then the planning goal can be achieved, which is very difficult with a standard floor plan.

You last had a square floor plan. For questioning, a change of perspective: If you now only looked at the floor plan and then inferred the plot of land, would the imagined plot look like the actual one? Hardly. That means something doesn't fit.

I think it’s time to meet with the architect again next.

Why don’t you post the old plan? I still don’t see where the 40% savings can come from. Did you have a huge wellness/spa area? Underground garage? Ballroom? In the last plan the north arrow doesn’t match the sketch, the guest toilet wastes space and money, the living room offers hardly any space for cabinets, the bathroom is unworthy of a new building, and the entire orientation of the rooms is questionable. The plot is demanding, nothing works without a professional. However, it may be that with a different plot, which fits the build of the super cheap, carelessly done catalog house 124, you will be cheaper overall, but in my opinion that assumes very, very inexpensive building land.

I have to agree with you about the L-shape and the costs. I have now taken a look at what a floor plan with a garage on the ground floor could look like.
At first glance, it looks quite complex because we have to put a gable roof with a 40-degree pitch on it. If the current floor plan becomes narrower, the upper floor will quickly only have sloping ceilings. Let's see what I can come up with. But basically, a house in an L-shape with two full floors would definitely be something nice. But here I see the costs getting out of hand. We'll see.

My wife wants a living room without many cabinets, just a maximum of one display cabinet. I have already been thinking about the storage space, but then the study room will simply have to provide space.

I have attached the old plan. There should be a gallery above the dining area and a window spanning two floors. The cost plan for the attic only includes the floor. The rest is just a placeholder.
But the more I have thought about it, there is more than just the cost that bothers me about it.

I really like the L-shape idea, but in my opinion the building plot limits it here. In the northwest, the building plot is relatively narrow, so an L-shape would stretch the building quite a bit lengthwise. That would again make the pitched roof and roof slopes difficult. If I leave the house as it is, there is hardly any space in the building plot for the crossbar or the house extends far back into the property, making the garden behind the house very small. As the simplest option, I would just place the garage as a bar in front and possibly put a small pitched roof on it to increase privacy. But that does not fit into the building plot. I have attached it as an image (house - pink / garage - yellow). I need a break for today.

Before you start planning enthusiastically on your own:

Wall heights and windows trigger setback requirements.
If an affected neighbor cooperates, setbacks can possibly be reduced through easements. However, this must be checked in individual cases in a timely manner with the respective building code, the authority (e.g., through a preliminary inquiry (only by a professional!)), and with the neighbor.
With these requirements, the planner can then also handle things creatively. (e.g., flatter building section closer to the boundary, roof pitch, handling of number of floors)

I am correcting my post #23 once again. For the 2-story building, I assumed a tent roof variant. According to my diligent reading, this is supposed to be cheaper than a gable roof... Sorry for the confusion!