Sloping Block Design Specialists

Civic Steel Homes’ have been specialising in sloping block design for many years. In addition, steep and challenging sites often inspire us to develop solutions with unique character and style. What other builders often see as obstacles, we see as design opportunities.

It is our experience in building on these difficult sites that will save you time and money. Due to many years of experience, we can assess and advise you quickly on likely site costs that may be encounterred. We can offer the most effective solutions that will keep your project real and keep control of your budget.

All of this begins with our first meeting with on your site. Call us to book a time to meet with our Project Manager and our in-house Architect. As a result, you will gain valuable insights into our thinking, the constraints and the possibilities on your land.

Sloping block designs give us the chance to think laterally and develop innovative ways to achieve the most from your land – capturing prevailing breezes, making the most of the fantastic views and siting the house in the most comfortable and cost effective way.

The fact that hillside land is usually less expensive than a perfectly flat site can be factored in to your total project cost and with our advice, you will have the confidence to move ahead.

Many of our hinterland home sites – where you see our acreage home designs come to life – are by their nature quite hilly. As a result we can show previous examples and solutions of sloping block designs and illustrate clearly why certain design options have prevailed on each site.

You start to see how and why we have ventured down a particular design path, and will have a better understanding of your own project’s limitations and opportunities.

How Civic Steel Homes make the most of steep and sloping blocks

The last thing you want is a builder who will only consider cutting a flat building pad on your site. You want a builder who can work with your site, not against it.

Before we even begin to put pencil to paper, our in-house Architect and your Project Manager will conduct a free onsite consultation to discuss crucial aspects with you such as:

  • Slope Direction – Whether your land rises from the road or falls away from it, left to right or right to left etc. This is crucial to work out such things as where the garage is sited and what level living area are best located on.
  • Orientation – to work out the best aspects for solar efficiency, views, prevailing winds and more.
  • Soil Type – Many steep blocks have minimal soil and a solid rock base; naturally we’d all like to avoid expensive and unnecessary excavation.
  • Sustainability – Aspects such as cooling and heating, water savings, site sensitive planning, ventilation, insulation and much more. Get our Free Whitepaper on our 10 Tips for Energy Efficient Design.
  • Number of Levels – How far do we need to cut lower levels, split level options, number of stairs etc.
  • The Big Picture – Your home doesn’t start and stop at the walls. We’ll consider the whole site, access outside and around your home – and how it will work for you into the future.
Additional costs involved in sloping block designs

Building on a steep block has its advantages, in that you’ll end up with a unique home with often brilliant views, however it can come at an increased build cost due to things such as:

  • Excavation costs (often through rock)
  • Retaining wall costs
  • Export or import of land fill
  • Slippage reports and piering
  • Height restrictions
  • Hydraulic engineering
  • Additional cranes

Having assessed these costs early in the process, taking on a sloping block design is simply a matter of thinking smarter and using our years of experience to know how to turn perceived negatives into inspired positives.

If you have a sloping block or difficult site call Civic Steel Homes today on 3714 5900 and see precisely what we can achieve.  We love a good challenge!