Hello,
we will start building our "dream house" at the end of the year and until a few days ago, we were absolutely sure: this is just perfect.
But suddenly, we are having serious doubts about the kitchen and living area. We are very satisfied with the size of all the other rooms, only here we are feeling extremely uncertain.
Attached is a screenshot from the building plan. On the right is the kitchen with an island, in the middle the dining table, and to the left the couch and TV.
The kitchen is about 17 m² (183 sq ft), and the living and dining area is 30.81 m² (332 sq ft).
We have now considered swapping the position of the couch and TV, and placing the table perpendicular to the window, see the second screenshot attached.
Before we thought, "Wow, what a big house, yay!" but now it feels more like, "Phew, it’s so small and cramped..."
Another issue is that the purchase contract for the house has already been signed and the documents have been submitted to the building authority (building permit / planning permission).
In other words, making changes is now difficult (especially since we are already at the limit of our budget)...
It is a city villa, with a 5-meter (16 ft) tall floor-to-ceiling window by the kitchen/dining area, and a ceiling height of only 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in).
What is your opinion? Are we just making ourselves unnecessarily anxious?
And yes, I know: these are luxury problems we’re dealing with. But in the end, it’s meant to be "for the rest of our lives"...
Looking forward to your feedback!
we will start building our "dream house" at the end of the year and until a few days ago, we were absolutely sure: this is just perfect.
But suddenly, we are having serious doubts about the kitchen and living area. We are very satisfied with the size of all the other rooms, only here we are feeling extremely uncertain.
Attached is a screenshot from the building plan. On the right is the kitchen with an island, in the middle the dining table, and to the left the couch and TV.
The kitchen is about 17 m² (183 sq ft), and the living and dining area is 30.81 m² (332 sq ft).
We have now considered swapping the position of the couch and TV, and placing the table perpendicular to the window, see the second screenshot attached.
Before we thought, "Wow, what a big house, yay!" but now it feels more like, "Phew, it’s so small and cramped..."
Another issue is that the purchase contract for the house has already been signed and the documents have been submitted to the building authority (building permit / planning permission).
In other words, making changes is now difficult (especially since we are already at the limit of our budget)...
It is a city villa, with a 5-meter (16 ft) tall floor-to-ceiling window by the kitchen/dining area, and a ceiling height of only 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in).
What is your opinion? Are we just making ourselves unnecessarily anxious?
And yes, I know: these are luxury problems we’re dealing with. But in the end, it’s meant to be "for the rest of our lives"...
Looking forward to your feedback!
N
nordanney24 Mar 2026 16:41Neubau27 schrieb:
These are luxury problems Yes. And also no longer changeable. Were the original furniture dimensions used in the plan? Because the sizes in both pictures are completely different.
Neubau27 schrieb:
But in the end, it’s supposed to be "for the rest of your life"... Do you really believe that? Maybe if you’re nearing 60. Otherwise, a house is a (costly) utility item. Nothing more.
Neubau27 schrieb:
But suddenly, we are feeling very uncertain about the kitchen and living area. We are very satisfied with the size of all the other rooms, but right now we feel extremely unsure here. [...] Another issue is that the purchase contract for the house has already been signed and the documents have been submitted to the building authority / planning office. [...] It is an urban villa with a 5-meter (16 feet) tall floor-to-ceiling window in the kitchen / dining area and a ceiling height of only 2.55 meters (8 feet 4 inches). What is your opinion? We cannot understand either your enthusiasm or your doubts, especially since the only part of your house we know is this open-plan space. The nonsense of discussing hypothetical problems in a forum—and only the ones that cause uncertainty—can only be topped by showing just a small portion of it.
By “purchase contract,” it’s probably meant that you are having the house built as a prefabricated solid panel home. A clear ceiling height of 2.55 meters (8 feet 4 inches) is absolutely sufficient. If you still want to discuss the placement of the recessed ceiling lights, please don’t open yet another individual question thread about it, as that would be an extra to the bingo.
You have definitely managed to demonstrate the art of achieving the impossible through uninspired planning—that is, making a simple room look smaller by using the space inefficiently. I have no doubt you will quickly grow tired of the result. It hardly could have been done more awkwardly—congratulations!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Neubau27 schrieb:
Wow 11ant, thanks for the thoughtful post. I didn’t realize that only professional questions were allowed. Constructive criticism would have made more sense than your mental outpourings. Constructive criticism requires that questions are asked in a timely manner, are clearly formulated, illustrated, and so on. Otherwise, even a kind effort is pointless.
Neubau27 schrieb:
In internet forums, nothing really has changed over the last 20 years; long-time members know how to drive people away Yes, unfortunately: the newbies don’t learn and end up driving away both each other and the helpful participants. What did we do to deserve this?
If you had wanted to hear something different, a minimum of constructive involvement would have been necessary (starting with not annoying us by making us read a thread about a "child fallen into the well, oh no, more like pushed"). And you could have at least thanked me for trying to comfort you about the supposedly too low ceiling height.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Neubau27 schrieb:
In the meantime, we decided to "swap" the couch and TV and place the table perpendicular to the window, see the second attached screenshot. Brilliant move. This way, the large window is used perfectly to reflect the TV screen; and it’s harder to pass by the table when it acts as a barrier. At least you don’t have your dining companion sitting in the shadow from backlighting.
Some threads at least serve to provide readers with cautionary examples – thanks for that on their behalf!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Neubau27 schrieb:
great uncertainty Since we don’t know who you are and how many people will move in "for the rest of their lives," you can post the entire floor plan here in the (correct) subforum:
At the top, you will find the pinned questionnaire that needs to be completed.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/forums/grundrissplanung-Grundstücksplanung.s9g3n2/
You are coming in late. It might still be possible to make some changes through a building permit / planning permission amendment, but this usually only affects the exterior.
Offhand, I wonder why the chill area is designed so dark without any windows.
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