Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Sep 16, 2013 10:34 am Hi All, Long time stalker, first time poster! Apologies if this has been covered before, but I struggled to find an answer in my searching. Happy to be pointed to an existing thread if there is one We have a a few acres up in Brigadoon (WA) with a bit of a slope across the building envelope. We will need to cut and fill in order to create a level pad. Including a 600mm sand pad, the rear of the house pad will be approx 500mm below ground level and the front of the house pad will be approx 2 meters above ground level. At the moment we are still working through the floor plan and haven't progressed to soil tests or engineers reports, however I'm keen to understand potential retaining options we may have so as we can budget sufficiently. I know how to tackle the retaining at the rear of the pad, however I'm not sure what options we have for retaining the front of the pad. Some of the neighbours have mentioned that an alternative to a full on retaining wall may be to gradually ramp the front down to ground level, however none have a real clear idea as to the regulations / specifications governing this. I'm wondering if anyone here has undertaken something like this in the past or is familiar with the guidelines that need to be followed as a gradual ramp would make more sense for us than a big retaining wall! Re: Retaining Options - Sloping Block - Wall or Ramp? 2Sep 16, 2013 5:32 pm A slope is an acceptable alternative to a retaining wall as long as you have the room. The main issues are: Protecting against erosion due to water running down the slope. The slope being easy to maintain, and walk up and down. I wouldn't go any steeper than 1m rise for every 2m length for a grass covered slope. A flatter slope would be better especially if you want to plant it rather than grass. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Retaining Options - Sloping Block - Wall or Ramp? 3Sep 16, 2013 8:02 pm Thanks Bashworth - Appreciate the response. We've plenty of space, so a 1m rise for every 2m in length shouldn't be an issue. Is there an actual standard that needs to be adhered to when going for the slope option? Re: Retaining Options - Sloping Block - Wall or Ramp? 4Sep 16, 2013 8:23 pm Strictly speaking you should be flatter than the natural angle of repose of the soil. That is the angle that a slope of the natural soil will naturally settle at. For most soils this is typically between 1:1 to 1:1.5. So 1:2, or flatter, will give you a factor of safety. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Retaining Options - Sloping Block - Wall or Ramp? 5Nov 21, 2013 9:22 pm One very important thing to consider is water flow over these slopes. I'd go no steeper than 1:2 to avoid scouring however the type of grass if any can reduce this. Howdy all. I am looking for feedback on what people would do to maximise and make an area as flat as possible. First, out the front of the house is a sloping hill, pretty… 0 20148 Give Jonathan a call. Tell him you know me. He is in my opinion the best surveyor I have ever worked with. His number is 0425 285 622 All the best Simeon 3 12391 i did click it, still couldnt make it out rofl. in any case, doesnt look like too extreme a slope, you may be in luck. Just shoot out some emails to volume builders in… 3 18562 |