Hi Sophie, I immediately agree with the suggestion to remove the angled/chamfered wall to the bedroom entry and create a small lobby, although a good alternative is to consider a straight-run stair and adding a corridor wall to create a 'private' zone - then toilet can stay where it is, tucked in under stair, and privacy (and acoustic/smell separation to the toilet) is created for living and master bedroom. This might mean widening the kitchen room by 100mm or so (noting some reductions mentioned below) and mirroring the bathroom/rumpus arrangement upstairs - it does create a bit more circulation but adds a lovely sense of space when don't have your main circulation through the middle of a room. The laundry pantry is not the usual arrangement - and the distance needed to travel to the linen cupboard is excessive. I would definitely flip the arrangement of laundry /pantry and try to turn the linen into some kind of study nook off the new corridor - and get rid of the tiny desk near the front door!! Imagine that lovely living space with light coming in from the porch which is facing north. That brings up the final comment that north is where the garage is and the main kitchen is therefore south-east facing, this is fine for morning but it is darker for the afternoons. This is a bit harder to change, but the kitchen could be reworked to turn through 90 degrees to face the garden but extend across to the west facade to allow afternoon light in. The nook could be deleted (which blocks afternoon light to deck) and the deck could extend or wrap around the corner for afternoon light. A little corner of deck in the afternoon sun you would never regret! Your draftie designer would need to look at this in detail as the west external wall would might need to shift inwards and south widen into garden, but if afternoon light is important to you then I would encourage you to consider this change too.

Prefer Option 1 because, although we can't read the measurements, plan 1 appears to have more generous rooms and outdoor living area and, despite the study in option 2, the hallways and stairs in option 1 look like they would be easier to navigate (although stairs with a proper landing would be better than winding stairs) the plan uses under stair space for a pantry, has better use of all available car space, prefer bed 1 at the front of the property with the balcony (balconies could be unsafe for kids) prefer the asymmetrical entries and the neater floor plan should be cheaper to build..good luck with them!

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.

Is this a bit of deja vu???.... IMO both concepts are (still) arguably unbalanced in terms of building program to site. Putting a whole lot of architectural/building articulation issues aside the glaringly obvious thing missing for a growing family brief scenario is having a designated 2nd living zone/teenagers retreat/playroom zoned with the kids bedrooms. What you have in both options are kind of versions of the same, relatively large homes with essentially one singular living zone. When we deal with residences/project brief at this scale (5 Bedrooms +) it makes sense for maximising living flexibility (over the different/evolving stages of family life) that you have 2 separated living zones...and no a theatre room next to the main living room or associated with etc master area doesn't count/work in this way...what i mean is a rumpus or a playroom that is in a different "wing" or zone so you can properly separate adults and kids or adults and teenagers when required. Sure keep the centralised main living, but options of function are always positive........ But as always nobody should tell anyone how they should be living - this stuff always comes down to understanding and prioritising your various living requirements and at the end of the day it's your own personal opinion and not necessarily right or wrong, or "better".....it's what suits YOU and your needs most appropriately/effectively best of luck! PD :)