Designing for A Sloped Lot
A sloped lot offers numerous advantages for building your new dream home, including stunning views, and abundant natural light for the interior—including a walk-out basement.
But sloped lots can also present numerous challenges, says Barry Ivey, President of Moosehead Cedar Log Homes.
“Clients will come to us with a parcel ‘that they got a really good deal on.’ Only to discover that the parcel has changed hands multiple times because it was too expensive to build on.”
Barry advises homebuyers to involve their entire team, including the designer, builder, real estate agent, and a soil engineering firm to assess any parcel under consideration. They can also help determine where well and septic systems can be placed. All this can be done under a contingency agreement, to allow time to investigate.
Go Vertical
Barry advises a more vertical design with a smaller footprint to save costs, with two or even three stories. Invest in 10-foot sidewalls for the basement to add volume to that space, with plenty of large windows and sliding glass doors to admit daylight. A two-person elevator is advised for aging in place. A custom staircase can also add architectural appeal.
The home should be oriented with the front entry facing the hillside, with the great room and open floorplan facing the view, Barry says.
Slope and Grade
A parcel’s gradient rating can also factor into the cost for construction. Less than 10% is considered slight, 11-20% is moderate and anything greater than 20% is considered steep, with costs increasing for steeper grades.
Adapting to Terrain
“If there are significant rock formations, an artistic option is to incorporate these formations into the interior of the home,” says Shannon Hersey, Customer Relations Manager at Moosehead Cedar Log Homes.
Instead of excavating and using retaining walls, Shannon says, “A more organic solution is to work around the topography and utilize it in the home's design. Drilling and epoxying heavy bolts into the base rock will allow clients to secure the home to the ground while minimizing the visual impact to the site.”
Drainage Strategy
A drainage strategy is important to protect the foundation and the home. French drains equipped with filtration fabric should be installed at the perimeter of the property, as well as by the foundation.
“Additionally, the hard surface areas such as driveways, patios, and roofs create runoff that must be thoughtfully directed away from the home's foundation,” Shannon says.
Outdoor Spaces
“To overcome the challenges of a steep slope it is typically easier to terrace the lot, however if the lot is excessively steep—more than 45 degrees--terracing may be more problematic,” Shannon says. “The alternative is an open elevated foundation, or pier system, which can be used to integrate raised decks supported by the same piers.”
Involving your whole construction team on a sloped lot will mean you get the best design for your forever home and not leave any opportunity unexplored.