sloping land - can it be made level?
cefoster
14 years ago
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thingsthatinspire
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Stairway landing. Is this a "split landing"?
Comments (29)The diagram in the above link is schematically correct but larger than required by the IRC. It shows the walkline correctly at 12" from the narrow edge of the winder but the minimum tread dimension (without the nosing) exceeds the code minimum of 10" by 6" which is not the best design IMO. The minimum code dimension at the narrow end of the winder tread is 6" but is shown larger in the diagram which, of course, is still legal. However, it is unwise to drastically change the slope of the stairs by increasing the tread size at the walk-line from 10" to 18". A better tread size for this stair winder configuration would be 13". The use of oversized winders would defeat to the purpose of using winders since the ones in the diagram add almost 19" to the run of the stair. I would use that space to make the stair wider. So, winders do not shorten a stair run and oversized winders add as much as 19" to the run of a stair for no improvement in the stair....See MoreCan I level a sloped back yard?
Comments (3)I'm always going to plug finding a local landscape designer, but especially here because we just did a similar project. Every contractor who came in was advocating 8 ft walls and craziness, and we did it with two 30" walls and actually created a stronger transition to get their kid into the wooded area to play. Search for a local pro, there's a button for that above. Even if you DIY it, it'll give you some guidance. To your questions: 1- you'll have a lot more options if you lose the pines, unless you're willing to bring the wall well in front of them. In that case, I don't know how much value you get from the process. 2- it's worth checking with your city or county. There may be specific regs in your area that deal w/ disturbance of soil within XXX feet of a waterway. It may be as simple as you being required to but up silt fence, but cheaper to know in advance. 3- that decision would be site specific (for example, prevailing winds) as well as specific to the type and construction of wall. 4- I've seen plenty of DIY walls. Some are pro quality, some are horrifying, some are in between. Once you control for the variable of relevant experience, it seems to come down to patience, attention to detail, willingness to seek advice, and willingness to see something that went wonky and tear it out and redo. If you've done a brick patio you'll have some of the basic skills for wall building under your belt. You can square up corners, you can level an area, etc. Grading just comes down to only using the biggest tool you can confidently use. I have guys who work for me who can use a bobcat to feather out a nearly perfect finished grade that only needs a bare minimum amount of raking. I'd end up taking out a car-sized chunk of hill, so I need to do it by hand (which is why I'm management). We're in VA so we usethis typical details packet as a starting reference for walls that don't require engineering. Note that if you were to use a segmental retaining wall (as in the interlocking concrete blocks by companies like Techo-Bloc and New Line), most municipalities don't have typical details as in the above. If your wall will require a permit and you use a segmental wall product, you'll need to get an engineer's stamp. You have an interesting project, and I think bringing in a design pro would be hugely helpful. Yard brings up a great point in his comment, that you have a terrific opportunity to create a blend between more structured space and the woods beyond. I'd love to see that developed, for sure....See MoreElevating a slab on sloping land
Comments (6)You can either build up the land to create a platform, or do the stem walls as described. Soils should be approved by a geotechnical engineer and often need to be imported. Structural soils should be compacted in strict accordance with the geotech's specifications and inspected by the geotechnical in either case. Since the area required for the platform is much larger requiring a lot more soil and will be supporting the entire house, the stem wall option is usually preferable. Another important consideration is the HVAC system. If you need to run HVAC under the slab it can be done, but the crawl space is a lot easier for plumbers and mechanical people....See MoreBuilding on slope land -1.3 m right to left
Comments (2)You are fighting your site. It slopes. Reshaping it will cost a lot of money. Is this where you want to spend a lot of money? A house may easily be designed to fit a sloping site. The unnecessary expense always comes when one is trying to use an idea which doesn't fit the existing conditions. If you are using an architect, this is a situation easily discussed and worked out. Not so easy if you are using a drafter or CAD driver. Good luck on your project....See Morecefoster
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