Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 12, 2009 3:28 pm Bit of a lurker, but first time poster. My partner and I have our eye on a block of land -876 m2 (25m wide x 35m long) sloping 5m from the back to the front. Now after reading on here I know it isn't impossible and we just have to find the right builder. But is what we looking at unreasonable and should we be looking for something else? is it going to be exy? won't name names but some builders have told us they won't touch it, so we have no idea. Other info - we're in Qld and the house design we like is single storey - possibly could make it split level easy enough but it's 15m wide by 20m Thanks!! We're looking for our perfect block of dirt! Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 2Nov 12, 2009 3:42 pm It won't be cheap ...but is possible Split level will reduce some of the site costs. But it depends on the soil type...ie rock etc. 5 mtrs is a fair bit, could be a few levels and that could help solar passivity. Though you are in the sunshine state I wonder if you block faces north? Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 3Nov 12, 2009 3:49 pm LicknNiz Bit of a lurker, but first time poster. My partner and I have our eye on a block of land -876 m2 (25m wide x 35m long) sloping 5m from the back to the front. Now after reading on here I know it isn't impossible and we just have to find the right builder. But is what we looking at unreasonable and should we be looking for something else? is it going to be exy? won't name names but some builders have told us they won't touch it, so we have no idea. Other info - we're in Qld and the house design we like is single storey - possibly could make it split level easy enough but it's 15m wide by 20m Thanks!! I built my current home on a block that slopes 6 metres over about 35 (and about 8metres from front right corner to bottom left corner). I designed another home on a slope of 4 metres over 32 metres, but we sold the block before building. I love sloping blocks, as they usually come with views. They also offer a little bit of freedom in design than a standard double story on a flat block. Obviously, they're not everyone's cup of tea. It's not hard to build, but getting the design right is the hardest thing. My current home is over three levels, with the front entry being street level, and the garage being on the level of the family/kitchen/living rooms. Downstairs has the rumpus, theatre, study and bathroom. MIddle level is the living areas and kitchen, and upstairs are the bedrooms. The family rooms, and the rumpus/bedroom downstairs also have their own flat backyards. I tried to make it as user friendly as possible. I could have just built over two levels. A ground floor from the street over the top of another level built into the slope, and had a stairway leading off a deck for access to a backyard, but that would have been too easy It will be more expensive to build on a slope, not so much because of the house, but because you have to get out of the ground first. Many retaining walls are aften required, and you'll probably need to do a fair bit of excavation to build into the slope. Does it slope up to the street, or down ? Design may cost a bit more also. Talk to a few builders and see what they say. Volume builders won't touch it that's for sure. Set yourself a budget for the build (allow about $10-12k per square) and see what it comes up as. Blog is now up - http://www.jbdave.blogspot.com/ Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 4Nov 12, 2009 5:46 pm We have started to build on our slopping block with a 6 meter fall from front to back, yes it has cost us more than a project home but the views, breezes and having an individual home is well worth it. We tried the larger builder they where not interested, and the prestige builder in the area wanted too much, we are using a smaller builder who so far has been great and about $100 000 cheaper than some on the prestige builders. We are also buiding in the same area as you mentioned and there are several smaller builders that will build on your block. It takes a little more patients and planning but it is worth it. Cheers Lou http://take2-customdesigndownslope.blogspot.com 07-10-09 omg they have cut the block 14-05-10 we finally have the keys Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 5Nov 12, 2009 7:51 pm depends on the type of home you wish to build. the size of the home is a big factor, will it be single or double storey, framed or double brick. not sure if its the same for you but on the west coast we've found there isn't much cost beneft in doing a split slab as you are still essentially doing the same home, just split which can cause more problems potentially. go for a builder who has the experience and ask around about them - you will no doubt hear some horror stories so its also worth checking out some homes they have done previously on tricky sites. Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 6Nov 12, 2009 8:11 pm We are building on a slope of about 5 metres over 39m on the high side of the road. It does present additional challenges. Eg retaining walls due to cut/fill, additional drainage requirements, maximum allowed slope for driveway, higher cost footings (due to piering / building on fill) along with higher costs for site prep and soil removal (or importation). Our biggest problem was the maximum allowed slope for driveway. It can't be more than a 1 in 5 slope measured from the middle of the garage, not the front like we had assumed. This meant we could not have any fill - it was all cut (meaning 1000 tonne of soil removal and a 2.6 wall along the back). So we ended up going for a semi split - eg split the garage to be lower than the house. This allowed us to have cut and fill. It's hard to imagine how it will look in real life, but a good use of external stairs along the front bay will help blend the split into the landscaping. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Side elevations: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So the message is yes it is more challenging. I think it's best to work with the slope rather than against it. Eg find a split that suits, rather than just digging/filling a big flat section and getting stung with huge retaining walls at the end. Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 7Nov 12, 2009 10:56 pm LicknNiz Other info - we're in Qld and the house design we like is single storey - possibly could make it split level easy enough but it's 15m wide by 20m Thanks!! I was accidentally out at Springfield Lakes display village the other day and from what I could see (and read on some of the builder's advertising signs) was that a few of the houses there were designed for being on sloping blocks and were split level....I know you said you've got a house design you like, but maybe these builders will have something similar and also be willing/happy to build on a sloping block Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 8Nov 13, 2009 8:03 am where abouts is the block your looking at out of interest? edit just saw your other post we've just built out at karalee Blog - http://snakedr.blogspot.com/ Build Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12084&p=307406#p307406 Status - PCI 15/10. Things nearly done. Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 9Nov 13, 2009 9:26 am Isn't it the golden rule of real estate - location location location? I would save the extra bikkies to build on a sloping block if that block was the one I loved, for sure. Our builder told us that split-levels essentially cost as much to build as double storey so to budget for that if we wanted to go split level. Don't know whether you're restricted by covenants, but GJ Gardiner have some designs that they call "lightweight". They're built on stilts rather than slab and ideal for sloping blocks. Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 10Nov 18, 2009 1:19 pm Thanks everyone. My DH has his heart set on brick, so that blocks out stumps straight away. We've gone with a private builder (who's actually a friend) so we are waiting on them to get back to us, to see if it's feesible for our design or something similar or if we should wait for the next land release. We just really want in, so we're willing to do anything at the moment. We're looking for our perfect block of dirt! Re: How hard is it to build on sloping land 11Nov 18, 2009 10:51 pm Get DH to have a look at the James Hardie web site you can get them also to send out there Look Home Mag free, which will give you heaps of information on using lighter weight building products, if you are open to using a mix of products and not just bricks you will have a lot more option and design possibilites and reduced costs. Also check the convenant of the estate you are looking at as some will specify that you have a mix of materials on the exterior. Cheers Lou. http://take2-customdesigndownslope.blogspot.com 07-10-09 omg they have cut the block 14-05-10 we finally have the keys 5 10459 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 20136 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 12368 |