Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Apr 30, 2010 4:06 pm Hello great forum we have here this is my first post so please take it easy on me. I have a block of land that’s on a hill; I’m unsure what the gradient is. Ill try to explain the way my block sits on the hill. The road starts at the top of the hill and there are 12 blocks on the right hand side. Mine is the 3rd block on the right. The 12th block at the bottom of the hill is back on flat land. It’s basically a hill extending 12 blocks with 15 - 18 meter frontages. Facing my block (standing in front of it) the hill runs low from the left side and high to the right side of my block. My guess would be around 1 meter difference but it’s really hard to judge. I am lucky enough to have an uncle that owns an excavator and he said he can do it for me. But he was saying he can cut the block out and driveway to suit just the house, or Cut the whole lot out and retain to the right side of the block. My question is what’s the best way? What’s the cheapest? What would you do and your reasons for doing so? Cheers Thanks for any help. Re: Land Excavation On Sloped land. 2May 01, 2010 1:48 am Welcome aboard! Cheapest option is to just excavate for the house but first a few of questions: Have you already designed your house? Have you done a survey to confirm the actual levels? Have the neighbours built to the high side? Have you done a soil test? There are so many variables to your question that it may be easier to break it down to bite size chunks! While one option may be cheaper in the short term, it may be a bad option long term... Builders are people too.... Re: Land Excavation On Sloped land. 3May 01, 2010 11:59 am Ok thanks Builda for the reply. My uncle will probably do whatever i ask him to do with a few slabs. I obviously want to go with the best option and drainage etc but know that the builders charge and arm and a leg to build on hilly land and im sure i can get it done cheaper. ill answer your questions. And please be aware this is the first time i have brought land. 1) Have some plans in mind but nothing definate. 2) No survey has been done what does this entail and what exactly is done at this stage. Is the survey the plan that shows fill and rise and fall of block etc? 3) No one in the whole estate has started to build yet. 4) Soil test has not been done, obviously this is to be done to determine class of soil and what type of slab to pour correct? Whats the average cost of these tests. Re: Land Excavation On Sloped land. 4May 01, 2010 11:58 pm Quote: 1) Have some plans in mind but nothing definate. Ok, first suggestion is to get some drawings done before you dig anything. This is crucial as you will probably need a building permit (and a planning permit in some cases) for excavations and retaining walls. Quote: 2) No survey has been done what does this entail and what exactly is done at this stage. Is the survey the plan that shows fill and rise and fall of block etc? Yes, and this will help you (and your uncle) to work out how much soil actually needs to be taken out so that he can work out just how many slabs it might be worth to dig! In any event it is a very important step on sloping blocks so that your drawings are accurate. You will spend anywhere up to $1000+ for a survey - but you should get some quotes etc. Quote: 3) No one in the whole estate has started to build yet. Ok, that can be good so best to move as quickly as you can. If you are first then you get to have a lot more flexibility on siting and protection works if you are building to the boundaries. Quote: 4) Soil test has not been done, obviously this is to be done to determine class of soil and what type of slab to pour correct? Whats the average cost of these tests. Yes you are correct. You should easily get a test for under $400 but it is another crucial step so that you can work out the design of your retaining walls and slabs and any relevant drainage etc. For example, some hilly sites have lots of drainage issues depending on the soil type and it is always better to know this stuff BEFORE you spend thousands of dollars on excavations and retaining walls that dont work properly! Hope this helps and please feel free to ask more questions if need be. Builders are people too.... Any recommendations for builders for a KDRB in North Warrandyte ? Thanks 0 3064 Hmmm, I have checked your past posts and it seems that you are in NSW, not WA as I had thought. It pays to show your State in your avatar. Retaining wall regulations… 5 5600 No one can give you a meaningful answer without looking at your building contract, what happened on site and who designed your house You should get experienced building… 1 9880 |