Hello everyone,
We are currently still in the shell construction phase and unfortunately discovered on site over the weekend just how significant the height difference between the house entrance platform and the curb (street level) actually is.
First of all: Attached you will find pictures of our house entrance, as well as a cross-section from the house building plans and the entrance platform.
Street level: 559.96
Garage height: 560.18
Single-family house: 560.43
Problem: The garage is not being set at street level but approximately 40cm (16 inches) higher at the bottom edge of the stair step.
This means the 40cm (16 inches) height difference between the curb edge and garage (over 1 meter (3 feet)) is compensated for – resulting in a slope of 40% over 1 meter (3 feet).
At the moment, we are completely unsure whether such a slope is even feasible, or if it would be better to add extra steps at the house entrance to compensate for the height and thus set the garage at street level.
Originally, we did not want any additional entrance steps, but unfortunately, we do not see how to solve this problem otherwise.
Maybe we are just worrying unnecessarily?
We look forward to lots of feedback and support!!
Thanks 😉
We are currently still in the shell construction phase and unfortunately discovered on site over the weekend just how significant the height difference between the house entrance platform and the curb (street level) actually is.
First of all: Attached you will find pictures of our house entrance, as well as a cross-section from the house building plans and the entrance platform.
Street level: 559.96
Garage height: 560.18
Single-family house: 560.43
Problem: The garage is not being set at street level but approximately 40cm (16 inches) higher at the bottom edge of the stair step.
This means the 40cm (16 inches) height difference between the curb edge and garage (over 1 meter (3 feet)) is compensated for – resulting in a slope of 40% over 1 meter (3 feet).
At the moment, we are completely unsure whether such a slope is even feasible, or if it would be better to add extra steps at the house entrance to compensate for the height and thus set the garage at street level.
Originally, we did not want any additional entrance steps, but unfortunately, we do not see how to solve this problem otherwise.
Maybe we are just worrying unnecessarily?
We look forward to lots of feedback and support!!
Thanks 😉
Stefan001 schrieb:
Are there any doors inside the garage? Why not lower the garage and keep the main entrance at a higher level? The path to the house doesn’t have to be completely level, does it?The driveway to the garage needs to be level.
Of course, I need a straight driveway to the garage—I can’t have uneven surfaces or slopes there. Since the driveway already takes up almost the entire yard, and the garage width is nearly as wide as the whole yard, I can’t keep the main entrance at a higher level. If I keep the entrance elevated, I would have to include steps because otherwise there would be no height difference between the garage and the entrance level. 😀
If I set the garage at curb height, the front will be level—but logically, I will need steps leading up to the main entrance.
If I raise the garage, I must make up a 34cm (13 inches) height difference at the front. According to the attached plan, this creates a very awkward dead corner at the front, or a small “ramp.”
S
Stefan00111 Oct 2021 07:53Ok, the plan makes it clear. At first glance, I thought the garage opened to the right.
Stefan001 schrieb:
Okay, the plan makes it clear. In the first drawing, I thought the garage opened to the right. That would be great 😀 Having the garage next to the house (as most people probably do) would obviously make everything easier, and ultimately there wouldn’t be any problems…
But we’ll solve this too!
I think, as mentioned, the third step plus the remaining 15cm (6 inches) height difference can be evened out 🙂
Who planned this? An architect?
You can forget about such a steep gradient over a short distance. I would definitely work with the additional step at the house.
However, I have to admit that I don’t fully understand the plan yet. Are those two lines your driveway? So you would have enough length to manage the gradient since you’re not driving directly perpendicular onto the street, right?
And the garage is set back one meter (3 feet) from the curb. If you sacrifice that small corner, you could probably work with a retaining wall there and shape your driveway like a ramp. Over that length, it wouldn’t really be a slope anymore.
It wouldn’t be cheap, though.
But it’s also possible that I misunderstood the plan.
You can forget about such a steep gradient over a short distance. I would definitely work with the additional step at the house.
However, I have to admit that I don’t fully understand the plan yet. Are those two lines your driveway? So you would have enough length to manage the gradient since you’re not driving directly perpendicular onto the street, right?
And the garage is set back one meter (3 feet) from the curb. If you sacrifice that small corner, you could probably work with a retaining wall there and shape your driveway like a ramp. Over that length, it wouldn’t really be a slope anymore.
It wouldn’t be cheap, though.
But it’s also possible that I misunderstood the plan.
face26 schrieb:
Who planned this? An architect?
You can forget about such a slope over a short distance. I would definitely work with an additional step at the house.
I have to admit, I don’t fully understand the plan yet. Are these two lines your driveway? So you would have enough length to overcome the slope, since you’re not driving perpendicular to the road, right?
And the garage is one meter (3.3 feet) away from the curb. If you gave up that bit, you could probably also use a wall there and design your driveway like a ramp. Then it wouldn’t really be a slope over that distance.
But it probably wouldn’t be cheap either.
Maybe I’ve misunderstood the plan. The two lines are the "planned" driveway into the garage, so yes, the driveway for the cars.
That naturally creates a dead corner next to the left corner of the garage. For the first 2 meters (6.6 feet) or so, I will have to deal with this accordingly using a wall, flower beds, stones, or something similar.
The driveway itself has a slope of about 5% over the 7 meters (23 feet) — that is definitely not a problem! As I said, the real issue is the steep slope in the first 2 meters (6.6 feet).
The slope gradually decreases, so after those 2 meters it becomes easier to pave and only a slight incline remains — provided I include a third step!
With the current plan of two steps, it doesn’t really work out cleanly... The 34cm (13 inches) slope then extends rather “unfavorably” toward the left side, causing the extension with stones, etc. to be significantly longer. A 15cm (6 inch) slope that would result with a third step is obviously much easier to handle.
Our general contractor planned this — the house should have simply been set a bit lower... :/
In the end, we can live well with a third step, so the frustration is manageable 😀
Yes, so first of all, the additional step is definitely the simplest solution.
I think I didn’t explain myself well earlier. Alternatively, the garage could be built higher, and a wall could be constructed in the red area to compensate for the height difference, with a slope from the green area towards the street. A slope can be a smooth transition and does not have to have right angles when viewed in 2D.
However, this would sacrifice space in the red area and would probably also be an expensive solution.
Therefore, it’s a pity that the general contractor didn’t think this through, but the step at the house is certainly the lesser evil.
I think I didn’t explain myself well earlier. Alternatively, the garage could be built higher, and a wall could be constructed in the red area to compensate for the height difference, with a slope from the green area towards the street. A slope can be a smooth transition and does not have to have right angles when viewed in 2D.
However, this would sacrifice space in the red area and would probably also be an expensive solution.
Therefore, it’s a pity that the general contractor didn’t think this through, but the step at the house is certainly the lesser evil.
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