Building a garage into a hillside - anyone done it?

[edo]

Just in the process of buying a house which is on a slope above the lane.

The parking area is presently "cut into" the slope. We would like to add more parking, but not sacrifice garden, so dig it under the garden (I assume anyone doing this will dig it out initially, and then reinstate the garden on top). We would also like some sort of simple barn garage over the existing area.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has done anything similar, and also, estimates of the costs...

Piccy to give an idea. Various neighbours have done similar, so I know it is doable - just wondering how much it is going to cost!

Edited by edo on Saturday 3rd April 10:58

[varsas]

Definatly been done before, although I doubt any of the original builders will be able to help you...

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[edo]

varsas said:

Definatly been done before, although I doubt any of the original builders will be able to help you...

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

GLOL.

[F i F]

20+ year old costs aren't going to be much help numerically but in our case the biggest cost was digging out the hole on a much steeper slope than yours. Mainly complicated by hitting a seam of v hard rock about 3/4 of the way back. Plus as the slope was so steep there was a hell of a bank to shore up. Plus had to deal with a spring, drainage and water tightness of garage etc. At one point regretted starting the job and wished had continued with a lock up.

Looks as if most of the hard work has been done in your case.

[stuart-b]

Are you not able to dig a hole and then put one of those shipping contains inside the hill rather than reinforcing it yourself?

Might be a totally stupid idea mind you...

[edo]

Shipping container an interesting idea....

Thanks all. I guess we will have to just get some quotes when we move in!

[tr7v8]

edo said:

Shipping container an interesting idea....

Thanks all. I guess we will have to just get some quotes when we move in!

Shipping containers are quite lightly built as we use them for data centres, they wouldn't be structurally strong enough to support the loads being talked about.

[andrew.]

can you go three abreast if you redo that staircase ?
do you have a wider angle pic ?

[papercup]

tr7v8 said:

edo said:

Shipping container an interesting idea....

Thanks all. I guess we will have to just get some quotes when we move in!

Shipping containers are quite lightly built as we use them for data centres, they wouldn't be structurally strong enough to support the loads being talked about.

They wouldn't be watertight either.

[edo]

andrew. said:

can you go three abreast if you redo that staircase ?
do you have a wider angle pic ?

There is space to do that - but ideally we would like to have 4 spaces...

[GuinnessMK]

Interesting project. Very hard to guesstimate a budget, given ground conditions, spec of the barn over etc.

Is the line of fence panels the boundary of your property? Or is there more garden beyond?

[edo]

GuinnessMK said:

Interesting project. Very hard to guesstimate a budget, given ground conditions, spec of the barn over etc.

Is the line of fence panels the boundary of your property? Or is there more garden beyond?

Everything into the distance (will be!) us. Photo taken standing in the lane. House up in the distance.

[saaby93]

GuinnessMK said:

Is the line of fence panels the boundary of your property? Or is there more garden beyond?

Had similar thought about OP tunneling a garage under neighbours garden

[edo]

PS, there is more to the right of the stairs where there is a shed (which we could put elsewhere), but I think that area is just as much digging and would only give one garage space as it were...



(this pic taken from the lower garden looking towards the parking/lane..)

Edited by edo on Sunday 4th April 16:27

[saaby93]

What about buying a hydraulic garage lift/ramp so you can either park one car above the other or use it to change levels thunderbirds style?

[edo]

saaby93 said:

What about buying a hydraulic garage lift/ramp so you can either park one car above the other or use it to change levels thunderbirds style?

Could do - but I guess this brings other costs/electricity issues possibly?

Starting to wonder if going wider might be easier...

[edo]

PS - if anyone on here is a builder of garages/parking/excavation in the surrey/ north west sussex/hampshire area, please do get in touch!

[Waugh-terfall]

Ahh! I know where you live! It might be worth talking to some of the neighbors down the road, I think the family with the Nissan Pathfinder have fairly new underground garages and a few doors down have recently had theirs re-done or something. Don't know which house it is but it's the next house towards yours from my mates house, with the red/black MINI Clubman, I just know that they have motorbikes!

[edo]

Waugh-terfall said:

Ahh! I know where you live! It might be worth talking to some of the neighbors down the road, I think the family with the Nissan Pathfinder have fairly new underground garages and a few doors down have recently had theirs re-done or something. Don't know which house it is but it's the next house towards yours from my mates house, with the red/black MINI Clubman, I just know that they have motorbikes!

Thanks Fella "will hopefully live", Not exchanged yet!! Yup next door have underground garage with pathfinder you are correct ;-) - Although the owners arent there and it is rented out I believe. But there are lots of ingenious ideas all up the lane, so no issues with precedent, or making more use of the space - just coming up with something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!

Edited by edo on Sunday 4th April 16:42

[Waugh-terfall]

I only live the other side of the railway (past the ponds) from there so might pop over there later and get you a house name and check whether they definitely have had their re-done or build from scratch for you if you want?