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?
S
sergutsch26 Apr 2022 20:09I don’t want to hijack this thread now 😀
What exactly isn’t true? That we save around 90,000 by leaving out the basement?
What else is coming? Mulch for the slope and the wooden terrace above it, as I already mentioned. That certainly won’t cost 90,000. We’re only talking about my plot now: by adding embankments, I even gained 4 m (13 feet) of flat usable space along the back boundary of the property ;-)
askforafriend schrieb:
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That’s just not true.
What exactly isn’t true? That we save around 90,000 by leaving out the basement?
askforafriend schrieb:
The picture clearly shows what else is coming regarding the usability of your plot. The land also costs per square meter, and every unused part is wasted. Embankments, etc. But obviously, we’re talking past each other. All good.
What else is coming? Mulch for the slope and the wooden terrace above it, as I already mentioned. That certainly won’t cost 90,000. We’re only talking about my plot now: by adding embankments, I even gained 4 m (13 feet) of flat usable space along the back boundary of the property ;-)
sergutsch schrieb:
By raising the ground level, I even gained 4 m (13 feet) of flat, usable space along the rear property line ;-)... and from the raised plateau, a view of "trees without lower trunks," and because there isn’t much space to run out, the sled needs very good brakes ;-(https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
sergutsch26 Apr 2022 21:57So, I think we will be very happy with both the trees and the sleds 😀
sergutsch schrieb:
There isn’t much to see yet; the floor slab isn’t even installed. I think the original poster was asked, since the topic was about the Elk house after all.
sergutsch schrieb:
I don’t want to hijack this thread now. But you are. Ever since your post #18.. I’m reading on my phone and had to scroll because of your “I have” statement (or not 😉), wondering if Clarissa was writing.. since it’s about her issues after all.
W
WilderSueden26 Apr 2022 22:25sergutsch schrieb:
Let’s not turn this into a pro and con debate about basements. The original poster asked a clear question. And the honest answer to that question is no. Two points:
1. Of course, you can fill up the slope as you have done. However, making the hillside area safe and usable is extremely expensive. Dead space is also costly because you still need to secure it and usually plant it. Any planting requires maintenance, and maintaining vegetation on a steep slope is really tough work.
2. You calculate the same house once with a slab-on-grade and once with a basement. But with the slope, you can easily place living spaces in the basement, which usually saves you one full floor. You need to fairly weigh that in your calculations.
Also, I find the €90,000 (about $100,000) savings very high, even if you ignore slope stabilization and planting costs—there’s still a lot of work involved in layered compaction. And I think a $100,000 premium for a basement is quite steep even on a perfectly level lot.
PS: Plant two trees right at the edge with the correct spacing for a hammock. You won’t get such a nice floating feeling otherwise.
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