Building a home on a steep site is both an issue and a blessing. Here are our 5 top tips that should offer you some assistance with understanding the issues with building onto sloping land and how to overcome them; providing some initial steps, insight and design solutions.
1 – Level the site yourself – Cut and Fill
One route to defeat the issues of building a home on a steep site is to increase your foundation costs and implement plans to cut out a level plinth and make up levels on the lower edge with the spoil remains.
Keep in mind:
Test your soil! – weaker ground structure can digging deeper into the ground and digging deeper into your pocket too.
Trucking the soil from a site is costly and a laborious task.
You will need to equalise any pressure on the wailing.
2- Make a financial plan for extra expenses from the beginning
Even our first tip for building a home on an unlevel site is costly, so we would recommend ensuring that you take into account any possible outcomes and finances to ensure any planning routes are covered. Costs vary significantly from build to build so work very closely with a quantity surveyor in discussing and quoting your build.
Keep in mind:
Don’t be in a hurry in the initial stages – time spent planning and working out every detail is just as critical.
3- Make the best out of changes/ improvements in floor levels
If building on an unlevel site, a split level floorplan is typically the most practical approach to developing your dream home – and often the most interesting of builds are due to inventive use of levels and spaces; the challenge is really a big reward.
Keep in mind:
Economical vs the future – multiple floors can deter the elderly or disabled.
4 – Reverse your accommodation
Upstairs downstairs! Upside down houses are a growing trend and the norm in Scandinavia, particularly if you have breathtaking views. Why should living areas only be on lower floors? With the potentials for roof terraces and more natural light throughout spaces this is becoming a theme for those building on sloping/ inclining sites.
Keep in mind:
Bedrooms next to car garages/ fumes are a no-go.
It may take longer to sell as people assume a normal arrangement.
5 – Drainage and sewers
Will you be spending either more money or less for your drainage on your inclining site? If your inclining site slants down from a street in which the sewer is genuinely shallow then you may need to consider utilising a costly pumped sewage framework. Alternatively, if your If your site slopes down from the road then it should result in saving money – as house drainage will not have to be as deep.
Keep in mind:
Surface water problems – investigate rainwater routes!
We hope these tips have given you a clearer insight and some key starting points to building a home on an inclining site. If you’re looking for land to buy or sell at the moment, please get in touch via our website.
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