ᐅ House extends above ground level – how much soil can be backfilled (with shallow basement)?
Created on: 15 Oct 2022 19:11
M
Machu Picchu
Hello everyone,
we are now in the final phase of our house construction.
Because the sewage system on our property is not far below ground level and we did not install a sewage lift system, our basement was only excavated to a shallow depth.
The ceiling height of the basement rooms is 2.50m (8 feet 2 inches), as these areas are intended to be living spaces, unlike the neighboring houses, whose basement heights are lower.
As a result, our front door and the two patio doors are positioned much higher than those of the neighboring houses. In the next few days, soil will be filled up to the level of the terrace and front doors.
I do not want this to turn into a discussion about different construction methods; instead, I am looking for advice on how to best handle this somewhat unusual situation.
First, some photos:
Marked in red are the two patio doors. Soil will be filled up to just below these patio doors, except, of course, at light wells and shafts. The terrace will be paved around the corner, following the two indicated patio doors (because we wanted two sunny sides on the terrace for different times of the day). To the left of the single-leaf patio door (where the exterior plaster ends), a retaining wall will be built from the terrace level down to the ground.
This is a front view. On the left, the construction staircase leads up to the entrance door. The front door is at the same level as the two patio doors.
Here is the view from the back.
This is the view from the back toward the front door.
And here is another rear view including the neighboring houses.
As planned, as mentioned, soil will be filled up to the level of the house and terrace doors, and at this level the garden will be designed on the side of the large double patio door as well as behind the house, with steep slopes created just before the property boundary.
On the front door side, soil will also be filled up to front door level.
Toward the "front" (the side with the single patio door), the street level will be reached by terrace-like steps with 2-3 slope terraces supported by walls/granite.
Our concern now is: if we fill soil all around the house at door level on the side with the double patio door, at the back, and on the front door side, our garden height will be so high that, compared to the neighbors, our house will stand out significantly due to the very elevated ground level.
We are now considering ways to soften this.
One idea is to fill soil to door level only at the terrace wrapping the corner and directly at the front door, and to fill soil, for example, 50cm (20 inches) below door level everywhere else.
This way, the garden level would not be so dramatically higher than the neighbors’.
The problem with this is that we would partially expose the "basement" and areas without exterior plaster would become visible. We would likely need to hire a plasterer on our own to plaster additional areas and paint them with gray base paint. Time is tight because the soil will be delivered for filling within the next days/weeks. How long would such plastering take and what would it approximately cost?
Question to the forum: What do you think about this? Do you have other solutions? Or are our concerns unfounded?
Thank you very much in advance for any advice.
we are now in the final phase of our house construction.
Because the sewage system on our property is not far below ground level and we did not install a sewage lift system, our basement was only excavated to a shallow depth.
The ceiling height of the basement rooms is 2.50m (8 feet 2 inches), as these areas are intended to be living spaces, unlike the neighboring houses, whose basement heights are lower.
As a result, our front door and the two patio doors are positioned much higher than those of the neighboring houses. In the next few days, soil will be filled up to the level of the terrace and front doors.
I do not want this to turn into a discussion about different construction methods; instead, I am looking for advice on how to best handle this somewhat unusual situation.
First, some photos:
Marked in red are the two patio doors. Soil will be filled up to just below these patio doors, except, of course, at light wells and shafts. The terrace will be paved around the corner, following the two indicated patio doors (because we wanted two sunny sides on the terrace for different times of the day). To the left of the single-leaf patio door (where the exterior plaster ends), a retaining wall will be built from the terrace level down to the ground.
This is a front view. On the left, the construction staircase leads up to the entrance door. The front door is at the same level as the two patio doors.
Here is the view from the back.
This is the view from the back toward the front door.
And here is another rear view including the neighboring houses.
As planned, as mentioned, soil will be filled up to the level of the house and terrace doors, and at this level the garden will be designed on the side of the large double patio door as well as behind the house, with steep slopes created just before the property boundary.
On the front door side, soil will also be filled up to front door level.
Toward the "front" (the side with the single patio door), the street level will be reached by terrace-like steps with 2-3 slope terraces supported by walls/granite.
Our concern now is: if we fill soil all around the house at door level on the side with the double patio door, at the back, and on the front door side, our garden height will be so high that, compared to the neighbors, our house will stand out significantly due to the very elevated ground level.
We are now considering ways to soften this.
One idea is to fill soil to door level only at the terrace wrapping the corner and directly at the front door, and to fill soil, for example, 50cm (20 inches) below door level everywhere else.
This way, the garden level would not be so dramatically higher than the neighbors’.
The problem with this is that we would partially expose the "basement" and areas without exterior plaster would become visible. We would likely need to hire a plasterer on our own to plaster additional areas and paint them with gray base paint. Time is tight because the soil will be delivered for filling within the next days/weeks. How long would such plastering take and what would it approximately cost?
Question to the forum: What do you think about this? Do you have other solutions? Or are our concerns unfounded?
Thank you very much in advance for any advice.
M
Machu Picchu16 Oct 2022 13:58Sunshine387 schrieb:
Here’s a constructive suggestion: add 1 meter (3 feet) of soil and then retain it with L-shaped blocks. That should be quite feasible. Plaster the parts of the house that will then be exposed and create a staircase from the living room and entrance area down to the garden. A staircase of about one meter (3 feet) shouldn’t be too intrusive. So you wouldn’t raise the ground by 2 meters (6 feet) around the patio door area or pave it at that height? Instead, you would generally add only 1 meter (3 feet) of soil all around the house? I find it hard to imagine a staircase as wide as the double patio doors visually—it would have to connect directly to the door, right? With your suggestion, would the terrace be at the 1-meter (3-foot) level where the stairs end?
Sunshine387 schrieb:
I hope you were allowed to build two full stories, because if the development plan specifies a single-story design, you might risk having the basement’s height disallowed for use. Otherwise, with such a tall basement, you effectively have two stories. Yes, this is permitted in the development plan. Most other houses on the street are multi-story.
M
Machu Picchu16 Oct 2022 14:05K a t j a schrieb:
That was to be expected. A total disaster.
Honestly, I see a clear case of poor planning and advice here. It’s not even certain whether this can still be considered a basement or if it already counts as a full story, and how that fits with the building permit / planning permission. The question that arises for me is whether the general contractor can be so easily released from responsibility. In my opinion, correcting this mess will cost around 70,000 to 100,000 (depending on the execution). The house still complies with the building permit / planning permission even if the basement is counted as a full story.
The second point you raise is something I’m wondering about as well: How should one handle the general contractor now? To what extent would you hold them responsible?
I will definitely keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks.
Machu Picchu schrieb:
How should one deal with the general contractor (GC) now? To what extent would you see their responsibility?
That’s the key question. First, you would need to have a thorough discussion with the GC to clarify the issue. You could take the position that the patio doors do not function properly because the raised ground level was never intended and is actually impossible (see drainage, shading of neighbors, etc. – here you should gather all relevant points you have already raised). You were either not advised or poorly informed about this. The GC bears partial responsibility and should contribute to the costs of fixing the problem. That would be my general approach.M
Machu Picchu16 Oct 2022 14:53K a t j a schrieb:
That’s the key question. First, you would need to start a thorough discussion to make the general contractor aware of the issue. You could argue that the patio doors don’t function properly because this increase in ground level was never intended and is actually impossible (see drainage, shading of neighbors, etc. – here you need to bring up everything possible that has already been mentioned). You were either not advised or poorly informed. The contractor shares partial responsibility and should contribute to the costs of fixing the problem. This is roughly the approach I would take. The change in ground level is shown on the plans (see earlier). I would first have to prove that it is impossible to implement, which it probably isn’t. Also, the landscaping is not included in the contract....
M
Myrna_Loy16 Oct 2022 15:09Just to clarify: The missing 2 meters come from the 1 meter (3 feet) excavated for the basement construction plus the elevation of the house? So basically, you are only building 1 meter (3 feet) higher than usual for the area? A 1 meter (3 feet) slope around the house is not a big deal and can be made to look good as well. However, the base construction of the hill will be expensive, and I would ask the general contractor why they didn’t use a pit instead of excavating 1 meter (3 feet) away. Building on undisturbed soil would have significantly reduced costs and concerns.
Similar topics