Coping with Steep Slopes

Ways to make the terrain work in your favor

- Jim Cooper

Cabins and steep slopes seem to go together. Slopes are often the best places to find the views and seclusion that make cabin living unique. But behind the appeal that goes with slopes are a few serious logistical and financial challenges. Planning for them is the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises and realize your cabin living dream to the fullest.

Slope challenges fall into two categories: building on them and living with them.

Building on a slope

Steep slopes present building challenges. Heavy equipment, concrete trucks and materials suppliers all struggle with slopes. Construction typically takes longer and costs more. However, this means that such building sites are often available at bargain prices. If the premium to build on a sloping site is less than the reduced land cost, you may have a diamond in the rough, a spectacular setting for a bargain price.

You can combat the construction cost premium by careful design. For example, on very steep slopes, basements become costly. Specialized excavating equipment may be required, and concrete may have to be pumped from some distance away. Steep slopes often come with lots of rock, and that may mean blasting to get into the hillside. Clearing the building site of large trees can also become a challenge, since some clearing normally done by machine may become time intensive handwork.