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Elias_dee6 May 2022 14:27Hello community,
We are building in a new development area on a slope. We have already agreed with our general contractor on the grading of the entire property, including the garden. According to the current plan, the house is 3 meters (10 feet) away from the street and is 15 cm (6 inches) higher than the street level (measured from the top edge of the finished floor). We actually like this setup and plan to build a step in front of the entrance.
Our architect and general contractor say this is sufficient to prevent water from entering the house.
However, our immediate neighbor is building with a 50 cm (20 inches) elevation difference (top edge of finished floor to street level, also 3 meters (10 feet) away from the street). His architect advises him against anything less than 50 cm (20 inches) because of water issues, melting snow, etc.
We get along well and would actually prefer to build at the same level; otherwise, our gardens would have a 35 cm (14 inches) height difference. Neither of us are experts, and naturally, everyone trusts their own architect first.
Question:
Which architect is correct, and is there an "ideal" height difference? Is 15 cm (6 inches) enough, or should more elevation be planned?
We would like to avoid having driveways/garages (which are directly next to each other at their respective 3 meter (10 feet) setbacks) and gardens with a 35 cm (14 inches) height difference...
Thanks!
Best regards
We are building in a new development area on a slope. We have already agreed with our general contractor on the grading of the entire property, including the garden. According to the current plan, the house is 3 meters (10 feet) away from the street and is 15 cm (6 inches) higher than the street level (measured from the top edge of the finished floor). We actually like this setup and plan to build a step in front of the entrance.
Our architect and general contractor say this is sufficient to prevent water from entering the house.
However, our immediate neighbor is building with a 50 cm (20 inches) elevation difference (top edge of finished floor to street level, also 3 meters (10 feet) away from the street). His architect advises him against anything less than 50 cm (20 inches) because of water issues, melting snow, etc.
We get along well and would actually prefer to build at the same level; otherwise, our gardens would have a 35 cm (14 inches) height difference. Neither of us are experts, and naturally, everyone trusts their own architect first.
Question:
Which architect is correct, and is there an "ideal" height difference? Is 15 cm (6 inches) enough, or should more elevation be planned?
We would like to avoid having driveways/garages (which are directly next to each other at their respective 3 meter (10 feet) setbacks) and gardens with a 35 cm (14 inches) height difference...
Thanks!
Best regards
N
Neubau20226 May 2022 14:54Elias_dee schrieb:
Hello community,
We are building in a new residential area on a hillside. We have already agreed with our general contractor on the grading of the entire property including the garden. According to the current plan, the house will be 3 meters (10 feet) away from the street and the finished floor level will be 15 cm (6 inches) above street level. We actually like it this way and plan to build one step at the front door.
Our architect and general contractor say this is sufficient to prevent water from entering the house.
However, our immediate neighbor is building with a 50 cm (20 inches) height difference (finished floor level to street level, also 3 meters (10 feet) from the street). His architect advises against anything less than 50 cm (20 inches) because of water issues, melting snow, etc.
We get along well and would actually like to build at the same height, otherwise our gardens would differ by 35 cm (14 inches) in elevation. Neither of us are experts, and naturally each trusts their own architect.
Question:
Which architect is right, and is there an "ideal" height? Is 15 cm (6 inches) enough, or should you really plan for more?
We would like to avoid having driveways/garages (which will be directly next to each other at about 3 meters (10 feet) height) and gardens with a 35 cm (14 inches) difference in level...
Thanks!
Best regardsA soil report will probably help you here. It depends on how well the rainwater infiltrates and how high the groundwater level is. In our case, theoretically, no step would be needed because the rainwater drains immediately (after about 50 cm (20 inches) of topsoil comes sand) and the groundwater is only at a depth of 80 meters (262 feet).
Hello Elias,
How does your neighbor’s architect justify their approach? Are there any valid reasons behind it that we might not be aware of based on your information?
Regarding the 15 cm (6 inches) height difference to the top of the finished floor, I would point out that having a step might not work out as expected. Depending on how far the entrance actually is from the street, you still need to factor in a 2% slope towards the street, so you don’t step into a puddle when exiting and water can drain properly.
Even at a distance of 3 m (10 feet), you would need to allow for a 6 cm (2.4 inches) height difference to achieve the slope, leaving you only 9 cm (3.5 inches) of height difference from the original 15 cm (6 inches). But a 9 cm (3.5 inches) step is no longer really a step—it’s more of a trip hazard. 🙄
How does your neighbor’s architect justify their approach? Are there any valid reasons behind it that we might not be aware of based on your information?
Regarding the 15 cm (6 inches) height difference to the top of the finished floor, I would point out that having a step might not work out as expected. Depending on how far the entrance actually is from the street, you still need to factor in a 2% slope towards the street, so you don’t step into a puddle when exiting and water can drain properly.
Even at a distance of 3 m (10 feet), you would need to allow for a 6 cm (2.4 inches) height difference to achieve the slope, leaving you only 9 cm (3.5 inches) of height difference from the original 15 cm (6 inches). But a 9 cm (3.5 inches) step is no longer really a step—it’s more of a trip hazard. 🙄
B
Benutzer2006 May 2022 15:36Elias_dee schrieb:
Which architect is correct, and is there an "ideal" height? Are 15 cm (6 inches) sufficient, or should you really plan for more?Regardless of the slope toward the street (which has already been mentioned), the question is whether you’re living in an area that regularly experiences floodwaters from rain and/or snow exceeding 15 cm (6 inches)? Is it a flood zone? Otherwise, I don’t see a reason to make life harder by adding 50 cm (20 inches). A 50 cm (20 inch) height difference means several steps—several steps to carry groceries or push a stroller. Just 50 cm (20 inches) of elevation over a 3 m (10 foot) slope looks bad.
Elias_dee schrieb:
We get along well and would actually like to build to the same level; otherwise, our gardens differ by 35cm (14 inches). I don’t see any elevation data in https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/planung-eines-efh-kg-eg-og-auf-480m-Grundstück.42360/page-9#post-556737 that would confirm or refute this. Basically, your (simplified) calculation is correct on the condition that there is no cross slope between your plots.
Are there any reliable measurements regarding the street elevation? Otherwise, one might be making assumptions without a solid basis for further calculations and not even know if those assumptions are valid.
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