First-timer build on a steep slope in NE Georgia

Hello all,

I recently purchased a property in NE Georgia, not too far from the Carolinas. It's only half an acre, but the plan is to buy up the end of the road over time (unpaved, somewhat eroded dirt/gravel road on a mountain, right next to the Chattahoochee NF). The property is a south-facing slope, and is rather steep. There's a good amount of vegetation compared to the neighboring properties. I've taken lots of pictures and can provide a sketch of the terrain if necessary. I should probably get it surveyed to see where my actual boundary lines are. I walked around & sketched some boundaries on my photos based on where my location on Google Maps settled in relation to the property lines shown on the app. I might also want to see about measuring out the dimensions of the building on the property somehow. Like I said, I have no idea how to go about things - aside from just doing it. The plot is in a residential area on a mountain. No HOA, though the county restricts minimum building size on R1 properties to about 630sqft.. which is fine. I've adjusted my dimensions accordingly. I think I had a <500sqft design before I read the ordinances.

I also came up with a "blueprint" for the house I'd like to build (pictures below). I read somewhere that hewn pine heartwood is better than round when building in Appalachia. Not sure if that's accurate; my memory has failed me before. Anywho, I'd like the basement level to be made from stone and lime mortar. Ideally it'd be my trapping/work area, but I worry that it would be too humid. I think if that's the case, and I can't use it for food storage, I may forgo the basement entirely. The living area will have a loft for sleeping.

I am working with limited monetary resources, but that's never stopped me from following through with an idea. I'm not sure where I'll be sourcing anything from, aside from maybe a couple of trees off the property.

Each square is 1/4" and 1/4" = 1'.

I'd like opinions, suggestions, and all of the advice ever. I've never built a house before - shoot, I'm surprised my rabbit hutch is still standing after almost two years!

Great project, my signature has details of rainwater collection and use.
- I suggest keep the water tank in the basement if you have a cold environment.
- What is the weather like?
- What is the steepness of the block?
- What soil conditions exist?
- Do you have a source of rocks/ stone?
- Getting a survey of the place is important so you build on the correct block.
- What will you do with waste water, power, heating and cooking?

Sierra, your plans look great and well thought out.

For a rainwater collection system, I would suggest looking into the works of Brad Lancaster:

https://permies.com/wiki/51855/Rainwater-Harvesting-Drylands-Brad-Lancaster

His website:

https://www.harvestingrainwater.com

He also has a YouTube Channel which is on the book link.

Hi Sierra;
Congratulations on your new property.
You're not quite at this point yet in your build, but when you get to how to heat things, come over to the Rocket mass heater forum and check them out!

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Sierra;
Congratulations on your new property.
You're not quite at this point yet in your build, but when you get to how to heat things, come over to the Rocket mass heater forum and check them out!

Actually it's quite a good moment to already think about the heater and integrate it nicely within the structure, accounting for it's placement, size, heat distribution, chimney, etc

Cristobal Cristo wrote:

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Sierra;
Congratulations on your new property.
You're not quite at this point yet in your build, but when you get to how to heat things, come over to the Rocket mass heater forum and check them out!

Actually it's quite a good moment to already think about the heater and integrate it nicely within the structure, accounting for it's placement, size, heat distribution, chimney, etc

If I ever build a house, the RMH is going next to the bathroom. That is one place I do not want to be cold. It would also open up possibilities to heat water for showers, baths, etc.

Nice basic concept. My first comment is, where is the bathroom? Even in Georgia, there will be times of the year when you will not want those functions to be outdoors.

You mention southern exposure, but the porches are deep enough that you will get no direct sun inside even in midwinter, except in early morning and late afternoon. Are you planning cold-weather enclosures for the porches? If so, you can get plenty of useful solar gain that way.

The stone basement looks lovely and if you have the time and energy to build it, I think you will love it as a cool refuge in hot weather. All the porch roofs, combined with proper drainage, can keep water away from the basement walls pretty well. Do you have clay soil? That would need lots of drainage gravel backfill on all sides. You will need a big truckload of building stone for the whole basement; I don't know how expensive that would be in your region. 7' high walls would need at least 16" thickness of stone, maybe more depending on the character of your stone. 2' at the base and tapering to 12-16" at the top would likely be reasonable. Given your slope, a walkout basement is pretty much a given as you will need to build those walls anyway.

Jordan Holland wrote:If I ever build a house, the RMH is going next to the bathroom. That is one place I do not want to be cold. It would also open up possibilities to heat water for showers, baths, etc.

I would definitely recommend to take this suggestion seriously. I regret a little that I did not leave the space for the kitchen stove/bathroom heater on the bathroom/kitchen wall.

One more little point - the stairs to the loft need to end up in the middle half of the loft, as the part near the sidewall will only have around 4' of headroom. The line halfway between ridge and eaves will be halfway between 7 1/2' and say 4', or less than 6' clear. How tall are you? I think you need to raise the ridge to around 8 1/2 feet clear.


Another note - you show the walls as lines with no thickness. You need to allow 4 1/2" to 6"+ for stud wall structure. Some types of wall need more, and the three basement stone walls will reduce a 15' x 24' exterior to about 12 1/2' x 20'.