Hello everyone, I have previously raised the topic of a partial basement/cellar for a building plot with a 19% slope.
Today, a homebuilder told us that, partly due to the high cost of building materials, it would now be more cost-effective to backfill the slope and then build the house on a slab foundation. This doesn’t quite make sense to me, since the backfill material must be supported somehow, for example, by a concrete wall. The sales representative said no, that the stabilized backfill is simply allowed to slope gradually and then planted, creating a new artificial slope.
What does the expert community in this forum think about this?
Today, a homebuilder told us that, partly due to the high cost of building materials, it would now be more cost-effective to backfill the slope and then build the house on a slab foundation. This doesn’t quite make sense to me, since the backfill material must be supported somehow, for example, by a concrete wall. The sales representative said no, that the stabilized backfill is simply allowed to slope gradually and then planted, creating a new artificial slope.
What does the expert community in this forum think about this?
askforafriend26 Apr 2022 08:33sergutsch schrieb:
A fill can definitely hold on its own if it is applied professionally and compacted in layers. Easily compactable soil is readily available because many excavation contractors don’t know where to put it, and even more property owners would gladly save expensive landfill fees.
We have added and compacted about 700 m³ (920 cubic yards) on our property. That saved us around 90k on the basement. Well, you do realize that you can actually use the basement for something with those 90k saved, right? 😀
And cleverly hiding the heating and such, not placing it on the ground floor? I would never, ever build up a hillside property like that. Really a shame 🙁
You need 8-9 m (26-30 ft) for runoff. Does your property allow for that?
You will still have a 30-35% slope. How do you plan to maintain it?
You want an age-appropriate property.
Even if everything is compacted every 30 cm (12 inches) with hand-operated equipment up to 50 cm (20 inches) with self-propelled machines, such as vibrating rollers, I would not build on the site immediately. Instead, I would let the slope settle and allow the compaction to set.
You will still have a 30-35% slope. How do you plan to maintain it?
You want an age-appropriate property.
Even if everything is compacted every 30 cm (12 inches) with hand-operated equipment up to 50 cm (20 inches) with self-propelled machines, such as vibrating rollers, I would not build on the site immediately. Instead, I would let the slope settle and allow the compaction to set.
askforafriend26 Apr 2022 08:50haydee schrieb:
You need 8-9 m (26-30 ft) for runoff. Does your plot allow for that?
Even then, you still have a 30-35% slope. How do you plan to maintain that?
You want a senior-friendly property.
Even if the soil is compacted every 30 cm (12 inches) with handheld equipment up to 50 cm (20 inches) with self-propelled machines like vibratory rollers, I wouldn’t build on the land immediately. I would let the slope stabilize and the compaction settle first. Exactly. In our new development, a few people added fill soil — now they have an even steeper slope from the back of the house to the edge of the property. Here, the land slopes almost straight down to the lower boundary, partly because the walk-out basement means we step down one full story. By the way, no one waited here — the concrete slab went in just 2-3 days later. Who knows what it will look like in 10-15 years. The terrace will probably separate from the house by then. xD This saves us a lot of money on landscaping — the neighbors are only just getting started 😉 and there’s no doubt who has the nicer house on the slope.
I have no idea if or how it might affect things when the ground settles by 1, 2, or even 5 cm (0.4, 0.8, or 2 inches) or more in some areas. It’s just a concern I have.
Still, the slope is artificial. It can be designed steeper than 30-35%. What the structural engineer says is another matter. For our slope of up to 42° (about 90%), he strongly objected. We have to be careful and never remove all the plants at once. Keep in mind this is a natural slope, not artificially created, and the soil is class 6. It will never happen that everything is removed there at once. It’s hard work to maintain that area. I would never choose to have a steep slope that requires ongoing maintenance. My parents indulge and hire a landscaping company every 2-3 years.
Still, the slope is artificial. It can be designed steeper than 30-35%. What the structural engineer says is another matter. For our slope of up to 42° (about 90%), he strongly objected. We have to be careful and never remove all the plants at once. Keep in mind this is a natural slope, not artificially created, and the soil is class 6. It will never happen that everything is removed there at once. It’s hard work to maintain that area. I would never choose to have a steep slope that requires ongoing maintenance. My parents indulge and hire a landscaping company every 2-3 years.
S
sergutsch26 Apr 2022 09:31askforafriend schrieb:
You do realize you can use the basement with that 90k budget, right? 😀
And have the heating system cleverly hidden, not on the ground floor? I don’t plan to accumulate that much stuff to spend 90k on storage space ;-)
For heating, a utility room on the ground floor is enough – we are building a single-story house (which is possible).
askforafriend schrieb:
…I would never ever fill in a sloped plot. Such a shame 🙁 You don’t have to. It’s a matter of weighing options.
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