Everyone loves a home with a great view and this generally means your house must be built on a sloping site. Therefore it is important to determine any structural issues early on in the planning stage, or else things could go down hill very quickly.
Building on a slope can not only be structurally challenging, but also may involve fulfilling particular requirements determined by your local Planning Scheme. Most likely you will need Council approval, and you can determine this by referring to your local Planning Scheme and identifying the nature of your property’s inclination.
The Planning Scheme should provide you with access to an Overlay Map that will highlight the steep inclines in your local area. Some smaller Councils might not have mapping and will determine whether approval is needed based on the percentage of the slope inclination. Once you determine if Council approval is required, the next step will be to begin processes to determine how this might impact your development plan.
Before construction, especially if you need Council approval, you may be required to obtain a Slope Stability Assessment Report. These reports require a site visit by a fully qualified Geotechnical Engineer who will analyse the geological stability of your site. This report is essential, as it will determine whether the house will be structurally sound should any geological movement occur.
That way if the earth does move for you, you can rest assured there will be no lasting negative consequences.
To find out about the other issues that you should be considering at the design stage we suggest you read our story THIS SIMPLE CHECKLIST COULD SAVE YOU THOUSANDS.