Adapting the house to the landscape is the first task to solve when building on difficult terrain. If your block of land has slopes of up to 20%, it is fairly regular terrain. Difficulties start to appear on steeper slopes than that.
The main problems can be divided into 3 categories:
1) Some additional investigation should be done to determine the danger of the floor sliding down.
2) Foundation and plumbing will require additional work.
3) Additional work may be required to level the floor.
And, of course, any of the above translates to additional expenses.
If the plot is in real danger of landslide, for example the ground has a steep rocky slope underneath and receives a lot of rain or has groundwater, there is no point building on it.
However, if that’s not the case, building on a steep slope could produce very interesting results. History has many examples of people, who had to deal with difficult conditions, created the most magnificent structures, some of which we can still see today. They include the city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the great castles of Europe, the Svan watchtowers in the high mountains of Georgia, and Fort Metsada in Israel.
For the idea of building on difficult terrain to become a reality, several things need to fit together:
1) The desire to build on this particular terrain and the ability to finance the process.
2) A talented architect and engineer who can put the house in relief while making it safe, sound and safe
3) Qualified builders who can implement everything according to plans.
So what are the advantages of building on a slope? First, nothing compares to the panoramic view from your terrace. In addition, it is possible to create multiple levels: the garage on the upper level, the bedrooms and living areas below, and the backyard and garden on the lower level. The best thing about this setting is that the road and driveway, with all the noise and dust, are left above, while the house is below. More of the house is now exposed to sunlight. The garden can have many picturesque features, such as small terraces, steps, miniature walls, cozy places.
The entire presence of the house is enhanced, as this unique facade is created. The interior of the house benefits from larger windows and several open staircases, they look “weightless” and blend in harmony with nature.
Another issue to address is the strength of the house built on a slope. In many ways it depends on the soil under the foundation. If the soil is primarily sand or mud, then it makes sense to create terraced foundations, made of concrete bands and retaining walls, anchored in the ground.
If the foundation is to be built on rocks, it is better to use concrete piles. The necessary diameter of a pile for a 2- to 3-level house is 35-40 cm, the depth is 8-10 meters. A reinforcing cage is installed in the well, which is then filled with concrete. The maximum load must be defined by the engineer. All of the above methods are intended for brick and concrete houses. Foundations are much easier to do for lighter houses.
Steep slopes are not the only type of difficult terrain. One of the world-famous masterpieces, Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwater” is a house built on top of a cliff with a waterfall below. Its multi-level terraces are floating over the waterfall in the cool air of a stream. Buildings that are so in harmony with the nature that surrounds them are usually well planned and well constructed.
Another example of this type of construction is the famous Sydney Opera House, a caravel with wind-filled sails on the open sea. However, the story of those sails has no happy ending: The author of the project that won a competition, architect Jorn Utzon, originally intended the construction to resemble sails filled with wind. Unfortunately, the calculations and construction could not be done according to your project, so the current appearance of the Opera House is very different than it should be.
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