ᐅ House built on 0.8m excavation – design ideas?

Hi,

we are currently building our house without a basement. The plot is a field sloping down towards the street, so we had to raise the ground about 0.8m (2.6 ft) below the slab to reach street level. The plot measures 17m (56 ft) wide by 45m (148 ft) long, and the house starts 11m (36 ft) away from the street. In front, the crane area of 8x8m (26x26 ft) and the driveway were raised. Around the slab, we currently have about 2-3m (6.5-10 ft) of fill for the scaffolding. The entrance is on the side with approximately 3.5m (11.5 ft) to the property line, while the other side is 4.5m (15 ft) wide and has two doors leading to the garden.

Now we are considering how to shape the ground level of the plot. The neighbors probably won’t raise their ground right up to the property line. At the back, we plan to extend the current fill for the terrace. The side with the entrance we would like to fill up to the boundary to save as much space as possible, while on the other side we would reduce the perimeter fill to 1m (3.3 ft) and then use stairs down to the garden.

Does anyone know websites where you can find inspiration on this topic, or can recommend how to carry out this work independently and at reasonable cost? Is it best to use L-shaped retaining walls for filling up to the property line? How do you calculate how high the retaining walls should be? Are there any guidelines on how to allow a slope to run out, and which gradients are suitable? I am having a hard time finding information online :/

Many thanks,
Claudia 🙂

Think in three dimensions and level the ground only where you want to place a table with chairs or need a flat garden sports area (such as for table tennis). A few steps or a slight slope between the levels add some character to the overall design. Leave the rest in its natural shape, which you can incorporate into your garden design. Children play wonderfully on sloped surfaces, naturally including the terrain in their games. It would be a pity to make the entire plot completely flat.

hampshire schrieb:

Think in three dimensions and only level the ground where you want to place a table with chairs or need a flat "garden sports area" (for example, table tennis). A few steps or some slope between levels add a bit of "character" to the whole. Leave the rest in its natural shape, which you can incorporate into the garden design. Children play wonderfully on sloped surfaces; they include that in their games. It would be a shame to make the entire plot completely flat.

Great idea 🙂

At first, I mainly thought I needed to stabilize it so the house wouldn't "slide."

Securing it requires little space; this is part of the foundation work. Take a look at a highway embankment, and you will get a sense of how steep a vegetated slope can be without the risk of sliding. You will manage with far less "incline" on your property.

Is your plan oriented to true north? I would also handle this with minimal intervention: paving the access path (east side?) possibly on a small "embankment," and for the garden entrance (west side, right?) either slightly raising the ground or adding two or three steps. Is there direct access to the terrace (at the top of the plan, i.e., north)? It might be possible to lower the terrace a bit. And, of course, design the rest of the area towards the top of the plan naturally... there is more than enough space there.

You can try searching for "vom Landleben." They have a blog about their somewhat similar house and plot.

Good tip from "Vom Landleben." The backyard faces directly north, and the street is to the south.