2m fall over 24m for 4BR two storey house - best design response?

Looking at a property which ticks every box for me (including price) but it has an est. 2m fall front to back and I don't have any experience with developing. I'm trying to work out whether this will be a deal-breaker for me, not in terms of cost (my budget can accommodate $20k in extra site prep if needs be) but in terms of utility. Here are my parameters:

1. Estimated 6m setback from street.
2. Estimated house footprint 10m wide, 15m deep
3. Backyard will be roughly 5m deep and doesn't have to be perfectly flat

My current thinking is as follows:

• cut and fill as much as I'm allowed to reduce the difference in height between the house and the backyard... I don't know how much I can expect to get out of this (maybe 1m?)
  
• steps down 0.5m from back of house to yard, remaining 0.5m would just be slope (is that steep over 5m?).

Having said all of the above, I have no idea how this stuff usually plays out and would love to hear more creative/experienced minds to either give me comfort that this is not a big deal or warn me that it will be quite difficult.

 

I think you need to talk to one of the builders that specialise in sloping blocks.

If you are in Melbourne these include Rycon and LP Warren.

Or if you are going to a volume builder, give them a call and ask. But I would stick with the sloping block specialists.

 

Thanks - I have been talking with a volume builder and the advice was that they would be comfortable dealing with max 2m fall of land. We didn't get into specific design solutions, I was interested in the perspective of people here because they have no commercial interest in telling me "don't worry it will all be great!"

I know there will be options, I just don't know how much they will affect the utility of the block.

 

Split level house
One level at the front, two levels at the back
Volume builders unlikely to be helpful - they like flat sites
Be careful of overlooking neighbours
If you are more than 800mm out of the ground measured at fence line, you will need overlooking mitigation

 

I would be worried about drainage. My mate subdivided a block in Perth with less fall than that and the drainage was a nightmare!

@Westminster did a great design for a sloped block but the fall was from the back of the block to the road, not from the road down to the back of the block.

 

Oh so it's just one house? That does make life a bit easier. When you said developing I assumed more than one.

$20k will disappear very quickly in terms of retaining and stormwater products on a sloping block.

I doubt there would be any "cut" for a cut and fill. If the slope was front up to back then yes cut and fill would be normal but with the slope front down to back you can hope for fill fill and more fill. Can you see what the neighbours have done as that will guide the way that it will work on your block. You may then be able to piggy back off their retaining if it's new enough or you will need to use chemical/grout injection to ensure their retaining is strong enough. If you can manage the same levels as them you are less likely to run into privacy/overlooking issues

Driveways can generally at most have a 1 in 7 slope so you could put about 500mm retaining at the front - ie 3 steps down from cross over to front door. The house presumably will be one level if you are going with a volume builder. 500mm retaining at rear of slab perhaps with sloped gardens down sides That leaves 1000mm for the rear garden area. If you can have a 500mm retaining wall along the rear boundary and fill up to that would be good - as then the rear garden would only have to cater for 500mm of slope.