I would first think of something like this:
To compensate, I would probably shorten the kitchen/dining area a bit and move it downward on the plan.
That would also allow more space for child 2. But the offset to the upper floor would have to be completely reconsidered. Basically, you could just start from scratch.
Swap? I didn’t say that at all now. The fact remains, your living room is very "public". If the door to the toilet is almost inside there too, the restroom is also very public. Not exactly cozy. I’d rather vacuum in the vestibule.
Also a matter of taste. For a new build, that would be a blemish for me.
By the way, I would agree there. The bathroom is not great. But that can still be changed.
From your picture, I feel like I don’t see any change. What did you even put in there?
We absolutely have to redesign the bathroom; we don’t like it as it is.
Downstairs, the cramped entrance situation is bothersome. I also don’t know what a vestibule is supposed to be used for nowadays.
My better half would like the vestibule for more "privacy". For example, a postman who cannot look directly into the living areas. Sounds plausible to me.
Kitchen/dining area is very generous, the space between dining and living is wasted, the living area is small.
That’s true though, we don’t like that either.
I think the house currently suffers from the central staircase, around which everything must be arranged.
The intended room program seems to me not sensibly realizable with the planned living area.
We see it the same way. I would even describe it like this: "We have a design based on a certain architecture on which one tries to adjust our wishes regarding the floor plan."
I wouldn’t plan a kid’s room under 3 meters in a new build. At least not if there are only 2. With 3 kids’ rooms you have to squeeze, but with a conventional number of rooms some dimensions should be right.
3 meters? What do you mean by 3 meters? It’s about 15 m² of area. To what dimension do the 3 meters refer?
The dressing room is too narrow. With two closets, only a 75 cm aisle remains..., the dressing room is actually only 5 sqm large...
That’s a point... Feels like we’re going in circles. In the first draft only one closet fit in, now there are two but with only a narrow width. Somehow it’s lagging behind.
I would probably just do without the staircase and start anew. Too many weak points in the rooms.
I have the feeling the architect is desperately trying to be original from the outside. I usually find that rather unoriginal.
It’s a pity for the time but a valid argument. I will write an email later and see how he reacts.
If you put a straight, single-flight staircase right in the center - which inevitably gives it dominance - then it is unfortunately not a cosmetic but a central issue if it has the wrong direction. That means you can’t just flip it around; unfortunately, a fundamental reengineering is required.
Agreed
Personally, I don’t really like the white flat-roof boxes (or only like to look at them, but wouldn’t want to own one and, as a Northerner, would also get annoyed by the green algae-covered facades after a few years) and I prefer visually sharp edges and brickwork style with a pitched roof without overhang.
Green facades? Because…???
Will the architect still make you a design with another (not straight) staircase?
Yes, he promised us another cube, but that will basically be copy & paste of the floor plan from this design (I assume).
I definitely recommend avoiding an architect who – as seems to have happened here – wants to throw down a wow-this-is-benchmark design like Schober in the Sparkasse ad with pictures of his house, his cars, his horses, and his horse trainers. Build the house for yourselves and not for the envy of the Hoppensteds who sit next to you at the theater subscription.
Just to defend our architect: So far there was no order for him to build any benchmark. We roughly explained what we find nice and he drew two drafts: 1) Cube and 2) this one. We then worked further on 2). That it is now so incredibly "unsuitable" was not obvious at first glance, but I think personal taste/interests also play a role (vestibule?).
At the design sh** level cube-build vs. two-cube-build (like front-wheel drive vs. rear-wheel drive) you find everything but no solution. The house first has to be "right"/"fit". You do the style when putting on makeup and fixing your hair, not already at the concept level. Trying to be a star chef at the drawing board usually does not bring joy to the builders.
A bit off topic but nonetheless: I gratefully take the hint with a grain of salt. We will tell the architect that we want to approach the house design from the room concept and not the other way around.