Hello everyone,
I hope this text isn’t too long, I need to provide some background.
I’m looking for ideas on how to build a house on a steep hillside, with access from the lower side and a garden entrance at the top. I’m still at the very beginning, so please forgive me if this is still quite theoretical. For now, it’s about whether this is even realistically feasible and if the plot is interesting for me.
Most of the land belongs to my parents, so I would basically get it for free, which is also why I am considering taking on such a challenging site.
I’m attaching a site plan. Unfortunately, it’s a bit old, so I roughly sketched some things in pencil. The plot in question is the pentagonal 91/5, about 500 sqm (5400 sq ft). The entire area 92/3, including the area around the newly drawn terrace that faces 91/5, also belongs to my parents but lies several meters lower, so these are really two separate plots.
The rectangular area marked in pencil around 19/15 belongs to the city. I would still have to buy that. A few years ago there was an inquiry, and the city would sell it for around 30,000 €.
My main challenge is that the area where both plots meet, and where the house would need to be placed to preserve the garden, is quite a steep slope. From the street shown on the plan to the current property line, there is a height difference of 4.80 m (16 ft) over a distance of 10 m (33 ft).
The house would have to be built at the junction of the two plots with the front door and garage at the bottom and then a terrace with access to the garden at the top. So you’d have to gain quite a bit of height. Alternatively, the house could be set back a bit and built higher up the slope. The more excavation and retaining walls are needed, the more expensive it becomes.
It is probably possible to give up part of the garden.
If I build the house entirely on the flat 91/5 area, I won’t have any access, since it’s hardly possible to drive a car up a steep slope.
My rough first idea is to build a garage at the lowest point, and then the main house on top of the garage but set further back into the hillside. I don’t have a clear picture of it yet.
I hope I could explain this understandably; I can’t really imagine it fully myself yet.
I wanted to get some inspiration and came across a thread here where someone else is planning to build a house on a steep slope:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Baufinanzierung-was-koennen-wir-uns-leisten.15667/page-8
On page 8, they show two comparison images of how it might roughly look. However, they calculate quite high costs, which are not an option for me. But the house could probably be built a bit simpler. The question is whether that allows gaining enough height.
I could imagine something like this as well.
I hope I’m not overwhelming you with the long text. It would be really great if some experienced homeowners could share their opinions. Maybe someone knows a similar house or project. I’m grateful for any advice.
And please feel free to ask if anything isn’t clear.
Best regards,
Tobi
I hope this text isn’t too long, I need to provide some background.
I’m looking for ideas on how to build a house on a steep hillside, with access from the lower side and a garden entrance at the top. I’m still at the very beginning, so please forgive me if this is still quite theoretical. For now, it’s about whether this is even realistically feasible and if the plot is interesting for me.
Most of the land belongs to my parents, so I would basically get it for free, which is also why I am considering taking on such a challenging site.
I’m attaching a site plan. Unfortunately, it’s a bit old, so I roughly sketched some things in pencil. The plot in question is the pentagonal 91/5, about 500 sqm (5400 sq ft). The entire area 92/3, including the area around the newly drawn terrace that faces 91/5, also belongs to my parents but lies several meters lower, so these are really two separate plots.
The rectangular area marked in pencil around 19/15 belongs to the city. I would still have to buy that. A few years ago there was an inquiry, and the city would sell it for around 30,000 €.
My main challenge is that the area where both plots meet, and where the house would need to be placed to preserve the garden, is quite a steep slope. From the street shown on the plan to the current property line, there is a height difference of 4.80 m (16 ft) over a distance of 10 m (33 ft).
The house would have to be built at the junction of the two plots with the front door and garage at the bottom and then a terrace with access to the garden at the top. So you’d have to gain quite a bit of height. Alternatively, the house could be set back a bit and built higher up the slope. The more excavation and retaining walls are needed, the more expensive it becomes.
It is probably possible to give up part of the garden.
If I build the house entirely on the flat 91/5 area, I won’t have any access, since it’s hardly possible to drive a car up a steep slope.
My rough first idea is to build a garage at the lowest point, and then the main house on top of the garage but set further back into the hillside. I don’t have a clear picture of it yet.
I hope I could explain this understandably; I can’t really imagine it fully myself yet.
I wanted to get some inspiration and came across a thread here where someone else is planning to build a house on a steep slope:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Baufinanzierung-was-koennen-wir-uns-leisten.15667/page-8
On page 8, they show two comparison images of how it might roughly look. However, they calculate quite high costs, which are not an option for me. But the house could probably be built a bit simpler. The question is whether that allows gaining enough height.
I could imagine something like this as well.
I hope I’m not overwhelming you with the long text. It would be really great if some experienced homeowners could share their opinions. Maybe someone knows a similar house or project. I’m grateful for any advice.
And please feel free to ask if anything isn’t clear.
Best regards,
Tobi
A garden requires work, and your parents next door also have a garden and are getting older, so they will probably need some support at some point. For that reason, I wouldn’t necessarily be too sad about “losing” the garden.
Otherwise, I personally love a sloped site because you usually have an unobstructed view and often the possibility to design the living area so that it is barely visible from the street.
I find that very appealing, but only with a good architect who can make the most of the site’s potential (these are opportunities, not limitations!).
Financing depends on how much equity you have. With only 30,000 invested in the land, you are in a good position overall, and I can’t really judge how much extra a sloped site might cost (this probably depends on the soil conditions as well). You might want to talk to a builder who has experience with similar local projects.
A sloped site also means you don’t have to excavate a full basement, just dig slightly into the slope.
The example you attached (House Tirol) is quite steep; but when driving through the mountains (and since you’re from Bavaria, that happens often), you see many hillside houses with all sorts of solutions. I don’t think they were all built by millionaires who could easily afford such a house.
And again about the garden: if you are really into gardening, terraced gardens are extremely attractive!
Otherwise, I personally love a sloped site because you usually have an unobstructed view and often the possibility to design the living area so that it is barely visible from the street.
I find that very appealing, but only with a good architect who can make the most of the site’s potential (these are opportunities, not limitations!).
Financing depends on how much equity you have. With only 30,000 invested in the land, you are in a good position overall, and I can’t really judge how much extra a sloped site might cost (this probably depends on the soil conditions as well). You might want to talk to a builder who has experience with similar local projects.
A sloped site also means you don’t have to excavate a full basement, just dig slightly into the slope.
The example you attached (House Tirol) is quite steep; but when driving through the mountains (and since you’re from Bavaria, that happens often), you see many hillside houses with all sorts of solutions. I don’t think they were all built by millionaires who could easily afford such a house.
And again about the garden: if you are really into gardening, terraced gardens are extremely attractive!
Where is south and where is north?
The post you linked to is about a HUF house. HUF houses are not exactly the most affordable option.
I wouldn’t put the garage on the lower level with living spaces above. It’s irritating to have to carry groceries and everything else up and down stairs all the time. Eventually, you get older or might even break a leg.
An advantage of a sloped site is that you can access the garden from every floor. You can have shade or sun depending on the orientation.
Regarding costs, there are several factors, and as suggested, I would definitely talk to a builder or developer.
How about having living spaces on the lower level instead of a traditional basement? Depending on the orientation, these could be sunny living/dining/kitchen areas or nicely cool bedrooms facing north.
The post you linked to is about a HUF house. HUF houses are not exactly the most affordable option.
I wouldn’t put the garage on the lower level with living spaces above. It’s irritating to have to carry groceries and everything else up and down stairs all the time. Eventually, you get older or might even break a leg.
An advantage of a sloped site is that you can access the garden from every floor. You can have shade or sun depending on the orientation.
Regarding costs, there are several factors, and as suggested, I would definitely talk to a builder or developer.
How about having living spaces on the lower level instead of a traditional basement? Depending on the orientation, these could be sunny living/dining/kitchen areas or nicely cool bedrooms facing north.
I would avoid general contractors, since it is your plot of land, and contact only a general contractor who has experience building on sloped sites. Was it Luxhaus, Weberhaus? Some kind of prefabricated house manufacturer...
However, I would recommend consulting an architect experienced in hillside and terraced houses to ensure that something suitable and well adapted to the slope is built on the property.
Best regards in short
However, I would recommend consulting an architect experienced in hillside and terraced houses to ensure that something suitable and well adapted to the slope is built on the property.
Best regards in short
Thanks in advance for the answers.
I took the site plan photo with north exactly at the top. So, the slope runs more or less from southwest to northeast.
@ haydee: I’m not very keen on the idea of having to climb so many stairs either, but I need to gain quite a bit of height so that the garden can be accessed at ground level from the top. That’s why I’m considering placing the house basically on top of the garage.
On the Weberhaus website, there are several hillside houses, but none show terrain as steep as this. Usually, there’s only a single step in the ground, and they all look more like luxury villas.
I took the site plan photo with north exactly at the top. So, the slope runs more or less from southwest to northeast.
@ haydee: I’m not very keen on the idea of having to climb so many stairs either, but I need to gain quite a bit of height so that the garden can be accessed at ground level from the top. That’s why I’m considering placing the house basically on top of the garage.
On the Weberhaus website, there are several hillside houses, but none show terrain as steep as this. Usually, there’s only a single step in the ground, and they all look more like luxury villas.
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