SLOPING BLOCK HOUSE DESIGNS
Sloping land, hillsides, steep inclines; they’re all part of the rich, undulating character of the Australian landscape.
And with sloping blocks come exceptional views and a wealth of design possibilities.
Sloping blocks pose a special challenge for architects and builders. But it’s a challenge we thrive on.
It’s about making connections with the very bedrock of the special place we call home. It’s about designing homes that will stand the test of time and maintain a solid foothold on the land in the midst of change.
Yes, sloping blocks can be challenging but we value the endless possibilities they offer for playing with differing levels, lighting effects, and spatial definition.
At Slater Architects we see the intricacies of foundation, drainage and challenging access as a catalyst for some of our most inspired designs.
The advantages of clever sloping block house design include:
- Enhancing spectacular views
- Ensuring privacy
- Passive heating and cooling
- Spatial separation & definition
The best sloping block house designs work with the land, growing naturally out of the earth, reflecting the surroundings yet taking those same challenging features and transforming them into assets.
Slater Architect’s house designs deliver beautifully stylish and creative solutions for sloping blocks. We offer highly personal bespoke house designs that transmute the very elements of the land itself into your requirements and desires.
We share the design journey with you: the end result is a holistic design vision that will meet your needs and lifestyle and showcase your unique house site.
SLOPING BLOCK DESIGNS
Whether your sloping block sits on a steep suburban street, a coastal cliff top or a bush clad hill, sloping blocks offer a wealth of design advantages. Sloping block house designs allow you to optimise the advantages of view, light, privacy, and space.
Every sloping block is different and naturally our sloping block house designs reflect in a unique way all that is special about your specific site.
Here are just some of the features you might like to see in your sloping block house design:
- Stone, timber and glass to connect with the environment
- Seamless indoor/outdoor flow
- Simple clean lines featuring angles and planes
- Pure use of colour, light and shade
- Naturally delineated sections and areas
- Flowing water features including waterfalls
Stairways, both internal and external can provide functional connections as well as inspire a sense of wanderlust. Cantilevered decks and stone terraces feature stairways to draw you on to explore hidden gardens, swimming pools, and grassed areas. Stone and timber draw an unbreakable connection back to the house and we can utilise the existing slope to create water features that add a Zen-like tranquillity.
And sloping blocks are no barrier to other features such as waterfall edged swimming pools. And you can take advantage of the slope to create additional parking and storage areas too.
Slater Architects; we understand the challenges of designing for a sloping block. And we’re here to help you make the most of your house site and to create your dream home.
DOWNWARD SLOPING BLOCKS
Downward sloping blocks where the access drops down into the property can pose specific challenges especially in terms of drainage and optimising light into the home.
However, there are also many benefits that you can take advantage of when designing homes for downward sloping blocks. One advantage is using the driveway and garage to create a very clear barrier between the road and your home.
Our house designs focus on the perfect combination of function and form, natural passive heating and cooling, luxurious finishes that stand up to everyday living, as well as space for the shared good times and privacy.
Low maintenance, easy care house design also play important roles in our design brief.
Some steep downward sloping blocks will require serious foundational work along with geotechnical reports. Protecting against erosion and ensuring soil stability are essential aspects of good house design for sloping blocks.
But we’ll work with you to find the perfect balance between building in balance with the land and contouring or reshaping the land to suit your needs.
As an essential part of our design process we spend time with you and on the site to find out what is important for you. How do you want your home to function? How do you want to use and access your sloping block?
We’ll also emphasise the importance of natural light and ventilation and balance that against shelter from high winds and wild weather.
Downward sloping blocks are ideal for multilevel houses. We’ll work with you to find the optimal balance between maximising views, safeguarding your privacy, and ensuring the practical flow of the interior makes sense for your needs.
We use natural materials such as timber, stone, and glass to create a sheltering oasis that connects you with the land.
Floor to ceiling glass doors that open out to expansive decking or patios create a dream space for entertaining or just enjoying some quiet time.
Every downward sloping block poses a different set of challenges and we take great pride in creating new and scintillating designs that reflect your unique home requirements.
We can also incorporate additional features such as swimming pools, storagegarages, and even secondary accommodation.
UPWARD SLOPING BLOCKS
Upward sloping blocks where access lies uphill into the property also offer some challenges. Some of these challenges will revolve around where the property sits in relation to the sun whilst other issues such as steepness of the site or optimising the views might be more important.
Yet like all sloping blocks the opportunities for truly outstanding creative house design are plentiful.
Garaging at the front can provide a private frontage hiding the house behind. Or you might prefer a layered design maximising the space underneath your home for garaging or even a second separate accommodation unit.
Angles and lines are all important aspects of designing for an upward sloping block. It’s about maximising the view, optimising thermal mass storage for passive heating and cooling, and ensuring your privacy.
Creative use of stone, timber beams, raked ceilings with timber rafters combined with floor to ceiling glass panels and multi-fold doors produce beautiful strong lines and yet also blur the edges between indoor and outdoor living.
The result is a home that flows with the seasons, one that is cool in summer and warm in winter with minimal energy costs.
We’ll design a home that takes inspiration from nature and the work of the great 20th century architects, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Quite simply we’ll create a home that you’ll love to live in.
SPLIT LEVEL DESIGNS
Split level house designs offer an exciting solution for sloping blocks that require you to build upwards. Multilevel living spaces, separate accommodation units, maximising the available area with garaging or storage, water tanks or batteries to store your own electricitys; these are just some of the advantages of split level house design.
Split level designs offer an unparalleled range of design flexibility. Split level design is about reflecting the site topography within your home. A cascading series of living spaces make use of the building below to create multiple outdoor entertainment spaces. Split level homes can provide highly cost-effective solutions for sloping blocks.
Natural stone and timber features enhance the character of a split-level house design and provide a solid connection with the earth while large expanses of glass and skylights bring natural light flooding into all the rooms.
Where possible we use the rich textures and patterns of locally sourced materials such as sandstone and timber to reinforce the building’s connections with the external landscape.
Foundation and drainage design is critical to the success of any sloping block build and we prioritise getting the right balance between invasive sculpturing of the land and being inspired by the existing contours.
The result is a home that will stand the test of the passing ages, fashions, and climatic and geological events.
SLOPING BLOCKS WITH VIEWS
One of the greatest advantages of most sloping blocks are the extensive views. Nothing beats relaxing on your elevated balcony enjoying the delights of looking out over the sea, bush or even the city lights. Clever design can enhance the view from every habitable space.
Full-length, floor to ceiling glazing and multi-fold doors perfectly frame the most stunning views and lead the way in a seamless transition to outdoor areas.
Raked timber beam rafters and ceilings enhance feelings of spaciousness to mirror the expansive views. Multiple and split-level homes allow nearly every room in the house to enjoy views.
Some sloping blocks house designs will require careful attention to line of sight to future proof against the potential loss of your views. Neighbouring property developments and trees may at some point encroach on your views. Creative design can often completely mitigate these factors.
POLE HOMES ON SLOPING BLOCKS
Pole homes offer an intelligent and practical solution for house design on steeply sloping blocks.). Large timber beams, concrete, stone, or steel can be used in various ways to brace a home or even just parts of a home sitting well above the ground.
Options for standard vertical poles or as cantilevered supports allow for additional creativity. Pole house designs offer many benefits when building on sloping blocks including:
- Enhancing views from raised living areas
- Optimising use of minimal land by building out over steep slopes
- Maintaining ventilation and dry areas underneath the house
- Creating garaging and storage areas without taking additional flat land
- Extending outdoor decking and entertainment areas
We can incorporate poles as an intrinsic part of the entire house construction including cantilevered support for verandas or perhaps you might prefer a more understated use of poles.
We’ll work with you to make the most of your sloping block.
BUILDING ON SLOPING BLOCKS – Insights & Things to Be Aware Of.
Building on sloping blocks comes with enormous challenges but the results can be spectacular. Here are some things to think about.
Depending on how steep the slope is and the geological structure of the ground you can approach the build in a number of ways.
- Terrace the floor plan to follow the contour of the site creating level spaces
- Excavate into the ground to create a level building platform
- Manipulate the site to create level spaces
There are challenges and issues with all of these approaches, and we’ll be happy to talk you through how we can overcome them. One of the major concerns will be drainage and potential erosion issues. Major excavations will often exacerbate these problems, but they may also provide creative solutions too.
Your budget and council restrictions may play a part here in deciding how we solve these challenges. The council approval process can be long and convoluted for site proposals with complex issues, but with 40-years-experience in dealing with local councils, we are well equipped at negotiating to achieve approval for the house you desire.
We’re not restricted by the traditional or the conventional and nor are we tied to any school or fashion. At Slater Architects it’s about creating timeless designs that perfectly balance your needs and desires with the inspiration provided by your land.
Contact Slater Architects to receive a quote for your dream home today.
While every effort is made to ensure that the information contained within this article is accurate and up to date, Slater Architects makes no warranty, representation or undertaking whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect, or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information.
Cathy Slater: MAM (Arch) AIA
Director / Owner