Building with the Slope
The site fell nearly six metres from the road to the rear boundary. Rather than cutting it flat and losing the character of the land, we split the house across three stepped levels so each floor opens onto its own piece of ground.
Retaining walls were kept to a minimum. Where the ground needed support, the house itself does the retaining, turning what would have been buried structure into usable floor area instead.
Two Decisions That Shaped the House
Most of the brief's ambitions came down to two calls made early, before a single wall was drawn.
Living Around the View
The main pavilion sits at the middle level with glazing on two sides, putting the valley in front of the family for most of the day without turning the house into a greenhouse.
A Pool That Steps With the Land
Instead of one flat deck, the water follows the slope across two linked levels, so swimming and lounging each get their own terrace rather than sharing one crowded platform.
What Went into the Build
The scope stayed disciplined on materials so the budget could go toward the parts of the site that actually needed engineering.
- Board-formed concrete retaining walls doubling as ground-floor structure
- Full-height glazing on the valley-facing elevation of the living pavilion
- A two-tier pool terrace connected by a stone stair
- Local timber cladding softening the concrete mass from the approach road
Living with the Result
A year after moving in, the family still spends most evenings on the middle-level terrace, the room the original brief nearly cut for budget.
We asked for a view. What we got was a house that never lets us forget we're on a hill.