Terrace planning - Use the terrace later as a winter garden

Hello everyone!

Work on the construction of our new single-family house will begin shortly. We are building without a basement – with a slab on grade, and since the plot consists practically only of peat soil, we need to perform a soil replacement.

Now we are also planning a somewhat larger terrace, which, if possible, should also be used as a conservatory at some point.

We would first like to know how to lay a foundation for such a terrace (it adjoins the house directly and is about 20 sqm in size). For example, should a soil replacement also be done in the area of the terrace, should the slab be extended or enlarged (we have also read about strip foundations for a terrace?!?) or can one simply compact gravel and soil etc. and build the terrace on that???

Our earthworks contractor advised us against enlarging the slab because this is apparently the most expensive option. On the other hand, we naturally want to choose the option that offers the greatest possible stability and are also interested in combining as many tasks as possible.

We look forward to your responses and wish you a nice Sunday in advance!

the Häuslebauer50plus

Our earthworks contractor advised us against enlarging the base plate, as this is probably the most expensive option.

Not only the most expensive option but also the worst option. With that, you create a thermal bridge as described in textbooks.

Regards

I always get inspiration from the magazine Häuser. Great magazine with ideas for everything around the house!

Hello,

The work on the new construction of our single-family house will begin shortly. We are building without a basement – so with a slab on grade, and since the property practically consists only of peat soil, we have to carry out a soil replacement.

Hopefully you have taken these additional foundation costs into account in your ancillary costs.

We are also planning a somewhat larger terrace that, if possible, should also be used as a conservatory at times.

That should be taken into account in the building application. You cannot simply make structural changes later – i.e. after the completion of the new building.

We would first like to know how to found a foundation for such a terrace (directly adjacent to the house and about 20 sqm in size). Should, for example, a soil replacement also be carried out for the terrace area, should the slab be extended or enlarged accordingly (we have also read about strip foundations for a terrace?!?) or can you simply compact gravel and soil etc. and build the terrace on that???

That depends. If it remains – even after completion – an open terrace, the choice of the surface is inseparably linked to the foundation of the terrace. For tiles, you need to have a concrete slab poured; for everything else, a compacted gravel bed is sufficient.

Our earthworks contractor advised against enlarging the slab because this is probably the most expensive option. On the other hand, we naturally want to choose the option that offers the greatest possible stability and are of course also interested in combining as many jobs as possible.

Does he know that you might be considering a closed conservatory, regardless of what the building authorities would say? E. Curb has already answered regarding possible problems in connection with a slab. The costs for the terrace slab should be in the range of €90.00/sqm.

Kind regards