Working all the angles: Creative solutions for building on sloping blocks
SYDNEY is not known for its abundance of flat sites and the key with sloping lots is to find a builder who thrives on challenging projects.
TALK to any builder and they’ll tell you that if you can get your hands on an almost flat block you’re on to a winner.
However, Sydney is not known for its abundance of flat sites. From one hilly street to the next, the neighbourhood landscape can vary significantly.
Flattening the ground at the medium point while backfilling where the land lacks height might be the easiest option for a builder, but it’s not necessarily the best way forward.
Apart from the expense of excavation, it could possibly cut out views or sit you lower than your immediate neighbours.
The key with sloping lots is to find a builder who thrives on challenging projects and wants to help you maximise the potential of your block.
For the team at Pivot Homes, building on a site with a drop of five to six metres is not uncommon. While so much more can be achieved aesthetically with a split-level home as opposed to a standard street-level design, it can be a tricky exercise.
Sloping blocks require a bit more management. You might have to deal with excavation, building retaining walls and footings. Often engineering plays a major part.
Unlike regular home designs, most split-level homes in display villages act as an example of what can be achieved. More often than not, the drop on each individual site will dictate how the design comes together.
Pivot Homes sales and marketing manager, Peter Hall, says extra costs are incurred in split-level homes because of the need to calculate extra structural steel for the build and concrete footings to hold the multi-level home upright and in position.
“The sub floor is where the money is. To get the building off the ground on a flat block of land, the concrete team can prepare the site in one day,” says Peter.
“On a sloping site you need timber or steel posts and deep footings to hold the floor in place, which is akin to a slab. This can take a couple of months to get it out of the ground and there are a lot of technical reasons why is takes so long.”
PICK THE RIGHT BUILDER
Pivot Homes works out of Melbourne predominantly as a design/build service, but is also available to Sydney landowners as a design service.
As a specialist in sloping blocks the company is sought after in both cities because of its experience in the area.
Typically the client will hand over a detailed survey of the site and information on solar orientation, while Google maps also plays a part in educating the architect on the site’s surrounds.
“We then do an elaborate briefing document catering to the customer’s wish list, and we can design a home which is pretty much 99 per cent right the first time,” Peter says.
Peter says sloping sites offer more creative scope for the architect and builder.
But he warns prospective land buyers against buying a sloping block simply because it’s a less expensive option than a flat block.
Instead, buy it for the view or the opportunity to create something dramatic.
“You can be much more creative with a sloping block but the misconception of a sloping block is that you can buy it cheaply and have a win. The truth is from a holistic point of view, you’ll have to entertain the idea of paying more for the home.”
Peter says the design process can take three months with the goal being to minimise excavation and cuts in the land.
“The point is to take advantage of what the site presents and take advantage of the fall in the design process.
WORKING WITH THE SITE
John Kearney is another building design and construction consultant who has been in the industry for more than 20 years.
He has personal experience dealing with sloping blocks having built his own family home high on a sloping block to take advantage of valley views. When new clients approach his company Sloping Block Solutions John says he advises them to ask the builder for a fixed price.
“The house might cost you $300,000 but you get a bill for $8000 in site costs, that’s not right,” he says. “Talk to a builder prepared to work with your block, instead of cutting away at it, and those prohibitive site costs can be minimised.”
The sloping block has been given a bad name by developers in new estates, with the large flat, blocks at the bottom of the development the most expensive. John says these blocks are the easiest to build on.
“If you look at the most expensive real estate (sites) in Sydney or Melbourne, they are on top of a cliff taking in a view. These cities are both hilly, but in new estates the most expensive block is the flattest,” says John.
“The ones on the hills are the cheap ones because they are harder, and therefore more expensive, to build on. But the value for me is at the top of the hill where you get the view and the prevailing winds.”
John’s advice for building a home on a sloping block would be to build the house to the land’s best attributes.
“If the views are to the south, just took at double glazing the windows. It used to be cost prohibitive, but it’s not anymore and it would be the best money you spend on the house.”
CASE BY CASE
Wincrest Home is one of just a handful of display home builders who are prepared to work with sloping blocks.
General manager/construction manager Eddie Stothard says the company started working on sloping blocks about five years ago, taking on this niche market as other builders refused to tackle this type of construction work.
“We’re very experienced and we started with a design that had a two metre slope to the right or left side and now we work on properties with a seven-metre fall.”
The team is currently working on a three-storey property in Willoughby.
Just to make things more interesting, the street is also steep, making for difficult access and requiring traffic management to get the trucks in with all their materials.
It’s a tough site, but Eddie insists it’s still a very doable project.
“We have found over the years there is no such thing as a typical project. We have our designers, our architects and estimators and we work with the families’ budgets.
“To save money we do things such as using the rock we have had to cut out for landscaping.”
Eddie says Wincrest Home no longer considers itself a project builder in the traditional sense, because it amends any design to suit any individual block.
“Although we do have display homes, they are only a design guideline. We don’t tell people we can only split a design in a particular spot. We start with a blank page and a budget.”
More details:
Pivot Homes, pivothomes.com.au
Sloping Block Solutions, slopingblocksolutions.com.au
Wincrest Homes, wincrest.com.au
MAKING THE MOST OF THE SLOPING SITE
Don’t dismiss the option of a sloping site, says Sloping Block Solutions founder John Kearney.
● The more interesting blocks in a suburb or development are always sloping, and if your builder is experienced in finding solutions for sloping blocks, the results are more pleasing than flat blocks.
● These days, sloping blocks are generally cheaper than flat blocks, so what you save in the purchase price can offset any additional cost of construction. In fact, the overall house and land price will probably cost less.
● Make sure the builders you are considering have experience building on sloping blocks, and have a look at their previous work.
● Orientation is important with regards to taking advantage of solar efficiency as well as views. With a north-facing block, main living areas can face north. Sometimes with a south-facing block, the views and the orientation can be in conflict, so you need to compromise. Work with your builder to maximise the attributes of your block and minimise the shortcomings.
● Which way does the block slope? Does the slope rise from the road, or fall from the road? Does it slope from left to right or vice versa? (The convention is that you describe the block from the road looking in.) The ideal design of your home will be dictated by the slope. For instance, if the block slopes up from the road, more often than not the best solution will be to have the garage underneath the home, and have living areas open out at ground level in the back. Conversely, if the block slopes down from the road, it might be more appropriate to build a split level house that follows the slope down, and position a rumpus room or utility room in the back.
● Be aware that with a sloping block, soil depths are relatively shallow, so you are very likely to strike rock. To avoid any unnecessary excavation — and expense — work with the block, not against it.
● Generally when people think about building on a sloping block, they think about a home out of the ground on a timber sub-floor. This is a more expensive option, as you have to pay for brickwork and timber for this elevated option. These days, a good custom builder will be able to offer different options, including split-level concrete slab solutions.
● As you work with your designer to create a plan for your home, keep the whole block in mind. A good builder will highlight a block’s potential. Consider how you will use the outdoor spaces, from where to put the clothesline and entertaining areas to access for a trailer or wheelbarrow. A home doesn’t stop at the walls, it’s the boundary of your block of land. Tie it all together, and make moving around on it as convenient as possible.
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