Single-family house without a basement - generate parking space elsewhere

Thank you for your numerous responses, impressions, and pictures. Really helpful of you.

If the attic is not ideal for drying laundry, using it as a storage room would remain an option. The laundry can easily dry outside during the warm months – a solution will be found for winter. Since we use a central controlled residential ventilation system, drying inside in the warm interior then additionally increases the humidity.

That means, from my point of view, the expansion with tongue-and-groove boards is definitely worth it because of the additional usable space gained. I wonder if, in this pure storage scenario, building a "real" staircase is worthwhile compared to the folding attic ladder. I would, of course, lift the items intended for storage up there for my wife a few times a year.

What do you think?

Regarding the garage:

We had also considered a double garage. However, our plot of 436 m² is rather small. My wife fears that a double garage would visually "clutter" everything, so we wanted to go for the combination of an extended single garage + carport connected to the house. The house entrance is also conveniently placed on the side, so we can always come into the house and garage with dry feet. The entrance canopy is therefore "free" as well.

About like in the attached picture.

Your wife is absolutely right. Garage instead of garden is stupid with the small piece of land. Stairs up...you'll get older! And now planned right away, you can get that for three to four on top, later it will be difficult. It is totally convenient, we even brought the garden loungers up there and stored them over the winter.

I can only agree. The [Bodeneinschubtreppe] is already an ugly word. It would be the only thing I would change in a new build!

In our old house, we also used the attic as storage space. Using the ladder was a nightmare. In the current house, we gladly did without and I simply filled everything with non-walkable insulation. Thanks to the basement, that was possible. If the attic is constantly used, then with a fixed staircase and "finished" in such a way that you can come down cleanly and don't constantly carry dirt into the house. And provide ventilation.

Regarding the staircase to the attic:

I would like to be able to offer a more comfortable solution than the pull-down staircase. As far as I understand, the attic intended solely as usable space must remain separated from the thermal envelope. That means there must be an insulated and closable access - usually the hatch.

How can I imagine a combination with a still insulated hatch and a fixed space-saving staircase? Is that even possible? At the moment, I assume that we would more or less comfortably climb the space-saving staircase, reach the hatch, and then, for example, fold it away sideways to access the attic.

Have you implemented something like this?

Today I came across the possibility of knee wall doors. I also find that quite interesting to create comfortably accessible storage space.

Has anyone implemented something like this?

I came across the possibility of knee wall doors today. I also find that quite interesting to create comfortably accessible storage space.

Somewhat comfortable is probably only directly behind the knee wall door. I still remember it from when I was a child; you could crawl along the entire length of the knee wall in the house, which was quite interesting. But as an adult, I imagine it to be less comfortable. You can also install built-in cabinets in the knee wall (have them installed). Or several such knee wall doors, where you can store stuff directly behind them.