Okay, So I'm ready to go. I just took the Cob Cottage Company workshop, but we didn't get very deep into floors and foundations (no pun intended). Here's the deal. My site has about a 17% slope. It loses about 41 inches from the west wall to the east wall. In other words, the west wall is 41" higher than the east wall. My thought was to take advantage of the slope and just plan for floor level changes that go with the natural level of the slope; a raised kitchen on west side and a sunken living/dining room on east side. I thought that if I could start with these floor levels before I start the rubble trench and foundation, it would save digging down 41" on the west side, which is what I'd have to do to get the whole site level as a starting point. Am I making sense? But if I start with floor level changes from the beginning, then I would have to build a foundation/stem wall on a slope, or tiered. I'm not sure that's a good idea.
So, question: Do I have to level the site down to the lowest level, then build my foundation on that level surface, then build the floor levels back up with fill dirt and tamping? Or can I start with the floor levels, save digging and take advantage of the already compacted dirt and find a way to build the foundation around that? In other words, does the foundation have to be level or can it be sloped/tiered to conform to the slope of the hill? I hope this makes sense. It's hard without a visual I know. Any help would be appreciated so much. I'm ready to go once I figure this out. And summer's a dwindlin'! Thanks . . . Clay (yes, real name)
