Planning and landscaping hillside homes

de Sunset Books · Publicada por primera vez en 1965

Introduction: **Going the extra mile is what makes hillside living an adventure** Many of the first men lived on hillsides, in caves, for reasons they seldom or never stopped to think out. Hillside home sites have been popular through all the tumultuous ages of man since the stone ages. Increasingly the desire to live high on a slope has become a reasoned one. In our present state of civilization the old business of having a good angle on the tiger when he charges hardly matters at all. In fact, the simple problems of daily life are a bit tougher on the hill than they are down on the flat. It is the going of the extra mile that makes hillside living attractive, or even an adventure. The hill dweller can usually make good use of all the ideas he can gather. He knows that designing a hillside house, building it into its site, and living in it afterwards without inconvenience often calls for the most careful consideration of a number of absorbing problems. When planning the house, a host of questions press for answer: Should the house face into the view or take it in sideways? should the terrace be on. the view side or the blind side of the house? where should the family car be stored? on a hillside site, what rooms should be planned for street level? how plan for outdoor living on a site that would delight a mountain goat? how is a deck supported? what plants thrive on a slope? and what can be done to prevent or stop erosion? Often, the advantages peculiar to living on a hill exact their price. With the view may come a glare problem. The gentle uphill breezes sometimes sang together and scourge the house and garden. Careful interior planning is needed to prevent development of tiring stair traffic. The soaring freedom of the deck often calls for a stabilizing element to make it seem safe and secure.