4 Pros and Cons of Building a Home on a Sloped Lot

If you’re like many custom home buyers in Colorado, the thought of building your dream home in the mountains holds a certain attraction.The unrivaled privacy, majestic views, and quiet ambiance certainly have their appeal. Finding the perfect lot, however, can prove challenging due to the sloping nature of mountain lots. You needn’t be put off by sloped lots, but you do need to understand the inherent pros and cons, and learn how best to work within those parameters.

4 Pros of Building a Home on a Sloped Lot

1. Walkout Basement

One of the biggest advantages of building on a sloped lot is the ability to incorporate a walk-out basement into your house design. A walk-out basement is one in which part of the basement is underground and part of it (because of the sloping lot) is at ground level.The resulting basement feels more like another sunny level of the home with lots of windows, outside access, and light, and less like a dank basement. Some sloped-lot plans flip the walk-out to the front of the home, creating an impressive front elevation and an interesting interior floor plan.

2. Great Views

With all of those windows and hills comes panoramic views. Thoughtful architectural placement of windows and doors will make the most of your surroundings, and can make them feel like an inherent part of your decor.

3. Lots of Natural Light

Whether it’s the cheerful warmth of sunny day, the cozy swirl of falling snow, or the calming sea of a starlit sky, you will enjoy abundant forms of natural lighting from your hilltop perch.

4. More Privacy

Yes, you will have more windows, but this needn’t equate with less privacy when your home is built on a sloping lot. When the back of your lot slopes this usually means your home will not directly face your neighbor’s home. Another benefit of building on a mountain lot is the greater overall privacy, owing to the general abundance of evergreen trees.

4 Cons of Building a Home on a Sloped Lot

1. Excavation and Accessibility Challenges

The greater the slope, the more challenging it can be to get excavation equipment onto the lot. Think about the type of construction vehicles that will need to access the site and how it will best be accomplished. Remember that the more difficult it is, the more expensive it will be.

2. Draining Issues

Water should always drain away from the home and never be allowed to puddle or collect near the foundation. In the case of a home built on a sloped lot, this can prove challenging, but not impossible. An engineer will be involved in drafting the site/plot plan for the home, and when the home is finished, a professional landscape architect should be employed to ensure that landscape plan also keeps draining water directed away from the home.

3. Maintenance can be Challenging

When deciding on a landscape plan for the yard, consider whether or not a using lawn mower is feasible. Perhaps it is, if a retaining wall is built, but on the other hand, maybe you’d be better off going with a xeriscape plan that requires little maintenance. Again, working with a professional in the initial design phase may pay off in the long run.

4. Watch Out for Erosion

Perhaps the most important reason to work with trusted professionals, the possible causes and sources of erosion on a given lot must be identified and addressed prior to building. As sloping lots are more prone to erosion, the pre-construction engineering work becomes even more essential.

If the mountains are calling your name, you should call ours! Sheffield Homes has over 40 years of experience building homes in the Denver metro area and in northern Colorado. We’ve built on most every type of lot–from the prairies of Windsor to the mountains in Genesee! Call us today at 303-425-0056 and let’s get started on the home of your dreams.