Single-family house with double garage, approx. 190 sqm ll Improvement suggestions

Hello everyone,

we have summarized all information about our construction projects below. Please have a look and give us your feedback. Many thanks – we look forward to your opinion on our current planning status :-)

The floor plan drafts were originally drawn by our draftsman with pencil and paper. For this reason, we traced them again using the Magicplan app (furniture layout, 3D view possible).

Here is the information about our construction project:

Development plan/Restrictions:
Plot size: approx. 1000 sqm
Slope: no
Floor area ratio/plot ratio: no specifications
Building window, building line and boundary: no specifications
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1.5 (knee wall 1.75 m)
Roof shape: no specifications
Style: no specifications
Orientation: no specifications
Maximum heights/limitations: no specifications
Further specifications: we are building in an outer area and only have to comply with § 35 paragraph 2

Requirements of the builders:
Style, roof shape, building type: modern, classic detached house with gable roof
Basement, floors: ground floor and upper floor with knee wall height 1.75 m
Number of persons, age: 2 adults, 2 children
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
Ground floor: open living area with open, spacious kitchen including pantry, guest WC with shower, office for home office, wardrobe, utility room with simultaneous function as dirt lock
Upper floor: bathroom, master bedroom with small dressing room, 2 children's bedrooms, gallery functioning as play or reading room
Guest stays per year: 6 times/year
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes (half island)
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage: double garage

House design
Who is responsible for the planning: from an older draftsman, but most suggestions and ideas were adopted from us
What do you particularly like? Why?: We really like the ground floor (platform stairs, open living area, corner kitchen, connection garage – utility room – wardrobe), gallery on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?: Concerns that the dining area might be too small, window design in the kitchen, gallery on the upper floor somewhat too small, storage room on the upper floor
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €500,000
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: €500,000
Preferred heating technology: air heat pump

If you have to do without, which details/additions
-can you do without: dressing room in the master bedroom, storage room on the upper floor
-can you not do without: shower in the guest WC, open living area, pantry, platform stairs, fireplace, gallery on the upper floor

Why is the design the way it is now?
One year of planning the floor plan (many visits to show houses, inspiration from magazines & Pinterest, testing room layouts based on our daily routine)
-> basically we are very satisfied with the plans, all our wishes could be taken into account!

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Honest feedback on the planning, possibilities for optimization?

Basically consistent. I would possibly build a second bathroom on the upper floor, specifically where the hallway is quite large. If there are four of you and both children go to school, it can get tight when four people want to use the bathroom at the same time. Also, the guest bathroom would be tidier then and you could omit the shower there.

If a full basement is to be added, the 500,000 budget will probably be very tight. I would build the fireplace as a basic stove, otherwise the corner heats up quickly.

We paid 540,000 € for our house (170 sqm, partial basement, double garage, and fireplace) and that was three years ago.

Also, budget enough money for the outdoor facilities considering the size of the plot. The garden is not exactly small.

Why not the driveway to the garage from the street? Then there is a beautiful west garden.

At first glance, I like it. Very nice ground floor (if you align the access door to the open space with the axis of the staircase). I don't like the upper floor – I would adjust something there again. However, the design does not explain itself to me in relation to the plot and orientation. And somehow, without reading glasses, the plot/site plan does not make sense to me. Where do the 1000 sqm end? By the way, the good gentleman forgot the chimney flue on the upper floor.

The shower in the bathroom under the sloping roof, does that fit?
You can also fit the linear meters of wardrobe into the bedroom without a dressing wall, and gain a space for yoga in front of the wardrobe

I am especially curious as to why you are allowed to build in the outdoor area. :)