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
Myrna_Loy16 Oct 2022 15:42Instead of consulting a landscape contractor, I would first try to get a consultation for homeowners. These are offered by some consumer advice centers and architectural chambers.
Unless the excavations for the construction of the basement were the homeowners’ idea to reduce the costs of the building pit.
Unless the excavations for the construction of the basement were the homeowners’ idea to reduce the costs of the building pit.
Machu Picchu schrieb:
I find it hard to imagine a staircase as wide as the double patio door visually – would it have to connect directly to the patio door? First, a landing, and then the stairs. Try searching for "staircase at balcony" or something similar.S
Sunshine38716 Oct 2022 16:10Or Google “stairs at patio door.” One of the first results will show a double door with stairs leading up to a wooden deck. That’s the kind of setup I meant. So, you access the deck directly via the stairs, which is about 1 m (3 feet) elevated, but from what I understand, it’s roughly at the same level as the neighboring properties? From an amateur’s point of view, filling in the ground to that level should work, but with such specific cases, it’s always best to consult a professional, such as a landscape gardener. However, if the house extends out by only about one meter in the end, I think you’ll have a reasonably good solution (both visually and financially manageable).
S
SaniererNRW12316 Oct 2022 16:17Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Instead of going to a landscaping contractor, I would first try to get a consultation for homeowners. These services are sometimes available through consumer advice centers and chambers of architects. Machu Picchu schrieb:
During the planning phase a year ago, the lift station was mentioned, but the general contractor and we quickly dismissed it, as we all preferred the alternative—raising the house, like the neighboring houses, plus the retaining wall. Homeowners consultation for what?
For the fact that the built solution was chosen? The original poster wanted exactly what was built. And now they realize that their choice wasn’t as good as they thought.
M
Machu Picchu16 Oct 2022 16:30Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Instead of going to a landscape gardener, I would first try to get a consultation for building clients. This service is available at some consumer advice centers and architectural associations.What could I achieve with a building client consultation?
M
Myrna_Loy16 Oct 2022 18:38I would have an expert check whether the general contractor advised and built correctly. The homeowners seem too inexperienced and naive to properly assess offers from a landscaping contractor. Otherwise, this could turn into the next disaster. Constructing light wells correctly for a basement intended for living space is not familiar territory for every landscaping contractor. Especially when the budget is tight, I would seek independent advice. Landscaping contractor invoices tend to increase rapidly.
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