The “Upside-Down” house, also known as the “Walk-out” plan, is common in the Austin, Texas area due to our sloping terrain. Often times we find that the lots with the best lake or Hill Country views also sit high on a ridge and slope from front to back. With this in mind, property owners have one of two options for their Austin custom homes:
- Build a traditional one story or two story home and have the back of the home 10 or more feet out of the ground, or
- Work with the topography and design a home that enters at the main level with the secondary level below.
Sterling Custom Homes has mastered the art of pouring the challenging slabs associated with the Upside-Down home. The slab itself is actually the product of three separate slab pours. The first pour is at the bottom level, called the lower slab. The second pour is a vertical slab wall that will connect the lower and upper slabs. The vertical slab wall needs to be waterproofed and have drainage installed to protect the lower level of the home from water penetration. The final pour is the upper slab, which only encompasses a portion of the main level of the home. The remainder of the main level will be supported by trusses over the lower level.
One of the benefits of this design application is the dramatic views that can be obtained from the main level of the home. The drawback is that the pool is usually not visible from the main level, which is often a safety concern for families with young children. For an expert lot evaluation to determine the best design application for your complex lot call the pros at Sterling Custom Homes.
