Small Bungalow Floor Plan - Optimization Potential?

Thank you very much, unfortunately I have a bit of doubt. My gut feeling is okay but not infallible, and the construction service descriptions are so different. Not even an Excel table helps anymore.

Of course, one has doubts with such an important life project. You have a limited budget but at the same time are modest and pragmatic (rather rare nowadays), which is good for the budget. In this respect, I would stay away from "unnecessary" expenses so that I can be generous where it becomes necessary. Maybe you postpone this project for another 2-3 weeks and see what your gut says then when it has seen some development here. The meeting and a first draft would understandably cost money.

the construction service descriptions are so different. Not even an Excel spreadsheet helps anymore.

Yes, but intense reading and marking something with a pencil.
Anyone who uses an Excel spreadsheet to compare the construction service descriptions I consider a wannabe controller.

May I ask: what must your workstation look like? Computer, one or two monitors, lots of files or sparse?

That would be my current desired approach, but I am unsettled by the opposing opinion that it is more advantageous to do service phases 1+2 (Module A) with a separate architect. Presumably, more is needed than just a floor plan and a sketch on the plot in order to obtain comparable offers. Or I just haven’t understood it yet. @11ant will probably be able to provide further clarification.

There is much more in the preliminary design than just a "floor plan" (and its placement on the plot). Poor opera composers: they write whole scores, and the average cultural philistine only remembers the first three chords, which a hundred years later become a ringtone. [The esteemed readership should imagine the Sonneborn quote]

Did you overlook my follow-up question about whether my response was received?
Nevertheless (I’m not completely resistant to advice) I have scheduled an initial meeting with an architect next week. He offers service phases 1-9, really complete, and handles solid construction as well as wood, and apparently has also conducted construction supervision for timber prefabricated buildings. He also wanted to hold the initial meeting right on site at the building plot, which I currently assess positively. Or is that a gimmick?

No, the initial meeting at the building site is a commendable exception – even better would be at one of his construction sites, and only the second appointment at your own plot. A gimmick would rather be to hook the clients quickly with a planning proposal. Service phase 9 for a single-family home is unprofessional. You need phases 1 and 2, and later possibly up to 8.

Let’s see. It’s just insanely expensive considering that prefab house builders often include the architect as a flat rate in their offer. But is the service even comparable? The service phases 1+2 from the separate architect probably won’t be credited later by the prefab builder; when awarding the contract to the local builder, they’d continue with the next service phases of the same architect.

The flat planning fees of the general contractor relate to the "necessary architectural services" (reading the foundation survey, narrow-scope execution of service phases 3 and 4), so clearly not comparable. Service phases 1 and 2 are a foundation on which, like in Bologna studies, one can build. After that, you only change the architect if "the chemistry" is not right or if the advisable building method corresponds with his competence weakness. Or if it becomes apparent that you’ll continue with a general contractor and want to avoid redundantly performing and paying for service phase 4 twice.

This is supposed to happen in BW, can you maybe give a rough idea where that will be, without it getting too intimate here on the big, wide internet?

My location is roughly between Heilbronn and Karlsruhe, practically on the border between Baden and Württemberg.

The meeting and a first draft would understandably cost money.

It’s initially just a non-binding first meeting, right at the construction site, and doesn’t cost anything yet. That’s why I thought I’d listen to what he has to say and, if the building feeling is good, then have a fixed-price offer made for service phases 1+2.

May I still ask: what does your workstation need to look like? Computer, one or two screens, lots of files or minimal?

My workstation is completely paperless, hence my affinity for Excel instead of paper and pencil, but I gladly take that as a tip. My desk isn’t very big (140x80 cm) with a monitor and laptop. Next to it there is a small cabinet for my private folders and other odds and ends. So rather minimal.

Yes sir, message received and has just been answered. Maybe I’ll still develop from a philistine into someone appreciative.

Hello everyone,
I have also created a floor plan that I really like because the terrace area would already be covered and feels like a little cozy corner, the work area would be nicely bright through the balcony door and somewhat separate but still integrated into the living space. The only thing I don’t find ideal is the entrance area in the north, I would prefer it in the east by the carport, but then I can’t arrange the rest as nicely... Does anyone perhaps have an idea about this?
Best regards

These are of course always good approaches. With few rooms, you don’t have many options anyway. But all your designs have the characteristic that you feel like you have to walk through the whole house to get from the bathroom to the bedroom. That might not be so bad for a single person, but you do have to actually expect that Gerard Butler makes you coffee in the morning and you’d rather disappear quickly into the bathroom before he sees you in daylight. Or a daily problem: neighbors can probably look well inside your place. Moving only between bedroom and bathroom with closed shutters or dressed up can be planned a bit more discreetly. Regarding the last design: the wardrobe is planned on the outer wall, which should be avoided. Then you have a window above the bed. You can’t just air out 3 times a day or clean that so easily. Then the hallway is missing, which you should have with a dog. At least separated. Otherwise, anyone can quietly look over your shoulder from the entrance door. You don’t plan it like that. No caveman would sit with his back to the entrance, by the way, this also applies to workplaces. The kitchen is placed quite well, but you also have to say that a freestanding island is more open, therefore more generous and actually brings less surface area with more use than a U-shaped kitchen with access from one side. Ultimately, a design is most cost-effective when the roof has the load-bearing wall in the middle on the ground floor. I admit, I have had 3 approaches with about 70/75sqm now, but discarded them again. House planning is not easier when you only have 3 rectangles to zone (bedroom, bathroom, technical room). Nahedran is also over. Maybe you would find it okay, but I have a problem squeezing a desk in somewhere or maintaining zoning private/open (despite a single-person household). U-shaped kitchens are a matter of taste and I can plan them, although I don’t like these cages. https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-bungalow-ca-115m-2-personen.47702/page-3