Ground-level terrace, any experiences in planning the slope?

Yep... this total sealing of the properties with stone and paving is really not nice.

With heavy rain and wind from the "right" direction, slopes and gutters help you little. Especially since the water in the corner can't flow away to the side if the wind comes from ENE.

And the kids can also sometimes put something round on the wooden terrace without everything rolling into the garden. In midsummer you can't walk barefoot when the sun is blazing down. In winter... well, everyone has to decide that for themselves...

We often don't agree, but this time I have to fully agree with you ;-) It only requires a little maintenance, I have never seen sanding. Personal experience: Bangkirai (but I don't like it anymore because of the color), thermo ash (great for the feet and a nice brown color), IPE (that was the highlight, but it’s very hard on tools because it's insanely hard – we had about 75 sqm of it). Next year I will build a new terrace again (because of a new house), also with wood. This is what IPE looked like – even after three years. I have no photos of the others – but more than cleaning and oiling (we didn't want it to turn gray) was not necessary. The thermo wood still looked like it did at installation after eight years (+ oiling). And that on the north side of the house.

With a bit of care, no problem.

I know a few people who have one ;) And that’s why I’m also building one out of wood, if the money is available. I find this stone and gravel mania really terrible...

Paving does not necessarily seal. Our 5mm joint allows enough water through during normal rain, and heavy rain always takes the downhill path anyway. Clinker bricks are also much nicer than the gray concrete ones. In terms of price, you obviously cannot compete with the €20 paving from the hardware store, but you can with the concrete stones marketed as higher quality. The problem with wooden terraces is that they are firstly quite expensive and secondly quite complex in construction, because you also have to build the substructure. And then there is the question of the wood. If you exclude tropical woods, most of the low-maintenance woods are eliminated.

However, I consider the substructure of a wooden terrace to be more suitable for self-construction than the base of a paved terrace. Building a frost protection layer of sufficient thickness, compacted, and on top a gravel bed over 30 m² (and more) with a slope and to an exact height is much more difficult than with point foundations, beams, and anchors. This relativizes the higher material cost after all.

This is not rocket science and requires little special equipment. In case of emergency, everything could be transported with a wheelbarrow, but a dumper with a self-loading shovel is more sensible as it protects your back. Vibrating plates can be rented everywhere for little money. And very important for own work, mistakes are easy to spot if you have a meter stick and a line level. Of course, the landscaper will hopefully hit the final height with his laser on the first try, instead of the fifth like an amateur. If you first set the edging, you can measure the final height for the area quite accurately using tightly stretched strings over the edging. It's mainly hard work then. Normal-sized paving stones do tolerate the occasional inaccuracy, the plate compactor smooths it out nicely. For the wooden terrace, it very much depends on how you build the point foundations. Many also do a gravel screed and then paving slabs and supports. Then you still have 80% of the paving preliminary work anyway.

Many probably also do gravel planning and then paving slabs and bedding. Then you still have 80% of the paving preparation work anyway.

Yes, that hardly saves any effort. Otherwise, your description is already a qed for what I meant. Beam substructure with drilled point foundations requires much less heavy equipment. But I’m also stepping way out on a limb, so far I’ve only built a fence and no terrace...
I will report back (in one to two years...)