Things to consider before building on a sloping block

Building a home on a sloping land can be an attractive option for many new home-owners as it can provide your home with greater sense of elevation. Positioning your house at the top of hill can help maximise the views you can enjoy from your home compared to homes built on flatter land. In addition, building on sloping land can also provide more natural lighting which is becoming increasingly important and attractive for many new homeowners.

The dynamic and varying nature of the land also allows you to be a little bit more creative when it comes to the design of your home.  To utilize the varying nature of the land, you may be able to customize your home to suit the elevation changes by using the lower part of the block  for a garage or home basement, whilst the higher sections may be more ideally suited towards to “natural light filled” living room or bedrooms.

However, whilst there are many enjoyable features to enjoy from building your home on sloping land there are a few important considerations to take into account prior to beginning construction to ensure your home is designed properly to suit your needs.

Cutting Into the Hill

Depending on the how steep your block is, there’s a high chance that you may need to cut into the hillside to create a flat and stable enough platform to use as the foundation for your home. This process may also require the builder to cut a series of stilts into the hillside to form both sides of the base. This method will most likely require retaining walls and a lot of soil displacement which can become expensive if it isn’t managed correctly.

Home Drainage Systems

As you may expect, with the sloping land, a common concern for many homeowners is to ensure that there is an effective enough drainage system in the event there may be heavy rains. Large amounts of water being collected at lower elevation points around your home can result in land erosion and hence will require additional retaining walls too. If the drainage system is situated uphill, you may need to have a pump installed, while if it’s at the foot of a slope it might be necessary to have a drop manhole in place to slow the passage of water.

Exposure to the elements

Another important consideration when building your home on elevated or sloping land is the additional exposure your home may experience to the natural topography. Unlike homes situated on flatter land, homes on elevated or sloping land may not be protected as easily by other surrounding man-made structures. You’ll want to take this into consideration when selecting building materials, and think about how trees and plants will fare in harsher conditions.

Building on a sloping block is an exciting opportunity, though there are some additional costs to plan for. If you are interested or want to learn more about how the team at Schlager Residential can help you build your home effectively around a sloping land, contact us at (08) 9443 9444.