Hey again. I spent last night on the site, tried to get more accurate measurements.
Would be on a whole 10°,15° in parts. I reckon a straight drive should be fine. With careful planning and design of course.
The property is sloped, with the house site close to the top of it.
It is however 3/4 or 2/3 the way down a small mountain. The water shed of the area is substantial. Flowing over hard clay and rock it appears to pick up pace, with erosion gullies here and there ( a small or manageable gully does enter and exit the property).
Property water will be harvested and gravity fed. A small pressuriser maybe be called for in the future but shouldn't be a drama of it is.
I had a go marking contours with what I had at hand ( small A frame, plank of
wood, level and rope) and got enough information to know a few new things.
1) make/use better tools
2) shouldn't have more than a few decent terraces to make a big difference.
A zig zag driveway could be beneficial, however with restraints and a good design I think I will be able to create property with a straight driveway and have it absorbe any inefficiencies with superior system overall.
The time between earth works and house construction will be significant.
I hope to have a stone sealed drive way before june-ish which will be the rains. So making a structurally sound alright driveway in the dry or a wet season is my goal now. Cheers to everyone for you ideas and help. Even though I am young enough to know better, I don't, so any tips about this site or posting will be helpful.
Cheers again
Jesse