ᐅ Evaluation of Floor Plan for Approximately 160 sqm Single-Family House, Ground Floor/Upper Floor, on a Plot of About 800 sqm

Hello dear house building community,
we are approaching the final planning phase with our architect and would appreciate any suggestions and tips regarding our floor plan.
Thank you in advance!

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 800 sqm (8,611 sq ft)
Slope: The house is on level ground; the garden begins with a slope that will be designed in terraces
Site coverage ratio: 0.25
Floor area ratio: 0.25
Building window, building line, and boundary: Requirements from the building authority: minimum 8 m (26 ft) distance from the street
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2 (carport)
Number of stories: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Single-family house with timber frame construction
Orientation: Entrance facing the street to the north, terrace and garden to the south
Maximum height/limits: Residential-only area, 1 full floor

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: see above, timber frame construction, KfW40 standard
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 floors with 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) knee wall
Number of residents, age: currently 2 adults (27, 34)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: open living-dining area with kitchen around the corner, closed staircase with storage room, office, utility/technical room, shower bathroom, bathroom, master bedroom, walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, storage room
Office: family use or home office?: possibly home office
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed architecture: living-dining room open, open space in entrance area
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, double carport with storage room
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no

House Design
Planner: own plans + planner from a construction company / architect
What do you like most? Why?: as efficient use of space as possible without wasted square meters, ground floor access from hallway to every room, living-dining area with kitchen around the corner (no direct view from sofa to kitchen), access from kitchen to storage room, dining table in the "conservatory"
What don’t you like? Why?: We are considering changing the two floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor (utility/technical room and shower bathroom [GREEN marked]) to "normal" sized windows. Although we prefer floor-to-ceiling windows visually, normal-sized windows might be more practical for these rooms.
The window in the living area near the sofa [RED marked] will probably be removed from the plan as we find it unnecessary.
Furthermore, we are wondering if the walk-in closet should be a bit larger and the upper floor bathroom slightly smaller. The walk-in closet should fit a large wardrobe wall and dressers opposite. Additionally, we have doubts about whether the utility/technical room is large enough.
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump combined with photovoltaic system, underfloor heating

At the start of planning, based on our requirements concerning preferences and room numbers, we received a draft from the planner. After several adjustments, this floor plan has emerged. We are generally very satisfied with the result—there is nothing essential that bothers us at first glance. However, we are open to further suggestions or advice regarding our floor plan.

hausverliebt schrieb:

Slope: The house is situated on flat ground, with a slope starting in the garden, which is planned to be designed as terraced landscaping
[...] Building envelope, building line and boundary: Requirement from the building authority: minimum 8m (26 feet) distance from the street

That’s unusual; please add some photos (including aerial views, and the cadastral map could also be zoomed out more).
I find it hard to imagine a plot with a slope directly beneath the still not fully finalized foundation slab of the house — except in fairy tales.

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Bedroom facing south, but without south-facing windows to keep it from getting too warm?
Child 2 would be my bedroom.
I would leave out the walk-in closet wall,
the wardrobe can also stand against the wall,
and in front of it a yoga area and a storage bench for clean clothes and some more clothing.
Eating in the conservatory: you can't eat fast enough before the butter melts at room temperatures of 25-35°C (77-95°F) starting in March.

Yes, this is unusual, but the conditions of the plot are actually as described. The slope only starts in the last quarter of the property, heading south. However, we do not yet have any data from the surveyor.

I would definitely avoid making the windows marked in green floor-to-ceiling. Firstly, for the usability of the utility room. Personally, I would also avoid having a floor-to-ceiling window right next to the toilet. I assume that one would have frosted glass? But you would probably still see the silhouettes of people from outside, especially when the light is on inside and the shutter is open. That would bother me if you could see from outside that someone is using the toilet.
If you already have doubts about whether the utility room is large enough, do you absolutely need the door leading to the carport? That door also takes up space inside the utility room.

An exterior door in the utility room has proven to be very practical for us.

Tradespeople don’t need to walk through the entire house, the van can park right outside for short access, and when hanging laundry, you also have a short route to the clothesline.