ᐅ Ground-Level Terrace – Challenges

Created on: 24 Mar 2020 15:53
N
Notstrom
N
Notstrom
24 Mar 2020 15:53
Hello everyone,

We are currently in the process of planning the terrace.

It has become clear to us (especially since the first building works have started) that due to the groundwater level, we will need an "elevated terrace."

This means, at first, that we will not have a terrace level with the garden if we want the terrace at the same height as the ground floor. As a result, there will be a "raised area" (due to added soil) leading down to the garden, which further reduces the usable plot area. One idea was to have an elevated terrace on a steel frame, but we find that very unattractive. Another idea was to build a staircase down, but the problem is that this would likely bring us very close to the neighbor’s property.

According to my calculation, the height difference would be about 0.7 meters (approximately 2.3 feet) (garage height 148.44, ground floor height 149.14, see section drawing, groundwater max between 145.26–146.20). That would probably be 4-5 steps, right? The distance to the neighbor’s plot is 6.32 meters (about 20.7 feet), minus the terrace width of 2.65 meters (about 8.7 feet) leaves a remaining distance of 3.67 meters (about 12 feet), and I believe that might be at the limit allowed by the building permit / planning permission.

Do you have any ideas on how to solve this most effectively?

Attached: excerpt section drawing, site plan, and ground floor plan:

Schnitt durch ein Gebäude mit Treppenhaus, Räumen und Garage.


Grundstücksplan: rotes Gebäudeteil, grüne WBF-Fläche, pinke Umfassung, blaue Grenzlinien


Grundriss eines Hauses mit Küche, Essbereich und Terrasse, inklusive Maßangaben.
H
hampshire
24 Mar 2020 21:51
Make the edge of the terrace from natural stone dry-stone walling. This way, you have two levels without the unwanted "bump." The steps are made from large blocks of three stones — this also serves as a piece of garden design.
Here is an example of such a staircase (in our case, the path from the terrace in front of the kitchen down to the middle garden).

Large stone steps as a stairway next to soil and wooden fence on a building site.
N
Notstrom
24 Mar 2020 23:59
That’s pretty much how I imagined it, see the sketch and examples I found online. I think two steps are definitely enough for a height difference of 0.7 meters (28 inches).

Modern terrace at a white house with light gray paving slabs, dining table, chairs, and parasol.


Gray paved staircase with four steps leading to a terrace area with table and chairs.


Hand-drawn floor plan sketch with tile layout and dimensions.
K
kbt09
25 Mar 2020 06:44
Notstrom schrieb:

I think two steps are completely sufficient for a height difference of 0.7 meters (2 ft 4 in).
That means a step height of 35 cm (14 inches), so even three steps might be a bit tight. Try it out.
In the example pictures from @Notstrom, I estimate one image shows two steps at about 15–17 cm (6–7 inches) each, and the other shows four steps at about 18–20 cm (7–8 inches) each.
B
bortel
31 Mar 2020 14:23
So, 2 steps are suitable for a maximum height difference of 30cm (12 inches)... you will probably need 5.