Flooded Home

[Tom Bender]

It has been my great good fortune to have never been flooded, but I have a question for those of you who have. But first of course my condolences for your loss. I can only imagine the distress. So this question for those who have been able to rebuild. How have you rebuilt differently, vinyl flooring instead of carpet, that sort of thing? Lessons for the rest of us.

[Jim Koepke]

My reply isn't an answer to your question. It is about something seen in the news.

Search > flood insurance to increase < to see reports about how flood insurance is going through a big change.

One report mentioned the rates may climb by as much as 18% every year over the next few years.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

My grandmothers solution after the second flood was to sell the house and move to an apartment a few blocks away. Her house was in the middle of the block built over a buried culvert as a community cabin then sold as a home. It was downhill from the side walk. When the culvert plugged up it flooded. a few feet up until it could flow over the sidewalk.
It sold for under one million about 15 years ago in Berkeley CA.
Bill D

[Alex Zeller]

I'm not sure how much you could do. Just putting tiles down isn't going to prevent the wood under the tiles from getting soaked. I guess if it's quick enough maybe things would dry. Some of the homes I've seen the damage isn't just the water but everything it brings with it. The silt, mud, and sand get everywhere.

[Bruce Volden]

I've helped relatives (recently) with a flood. Flooring was the LEAST of concerns. Total basement re-do, drywall, some studs, furnace, water heater, softener, electric panel and some outlets
Upstairs--drywall, kitchen cabinets (all), stove, fridge and a myriad of other stuff (curtains...)
But you do need flooring and it won't be the biggest concern.

Bruce

[Jim Becker]

Probably the number one thing to consider if the building is located in a flood prone area is raising it such that living spaces are above the so-called "worst case" event and the structure under it is beefed up to withstand being submerged in current. All the other things, regardless of material, are going to remain at risk, especially if it's a wood frame structure.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Structures in New Orleans and North Carolina in flood or hurricane areas now are built on 12' of CMU block. Anything in the basement area (in the block area) is expendable.

[Erik Loza]

I worked with a guy who owned a beach vacation home in Port Aransas. It was on pier and beam but not of the stilt-type construction and drywall interior. Basically, there was some sort of crisis with his house every hurricane season. "Is the roof going to fly off this time?/Calling around to see what relative could go make sure the place didn't flood/Got to take a few days off work to board up the windows/etc." Every September was this way. It seemed like such a hassle and ticking time bomb that I asked him why he even still kept the property. The answer was that it was in the family for so long/couldn't afford to sell it/"for the kids", etc. Basically (in my opinion) a bunch of excuses that boiled down to sunk cost.

Nobody voluntarily wants a flood-prone property but it seems that the reality is that there are a lot of folks who are in the this space where they own such a property but but are either unable (or unwilling) to build around these facts.

Erik

[Brian Elfert]

My previous house would flood the basement if the sump pump failed. It had full finished basement with carpet. I just pulled up the carpet and let it dry if it flooded since it was always fresh water. No desire to change to a hard surface that could handle the water since it only happened every few years at most. The city has since redone the street with new storm sewer. I talked to the new owners and they said the sump pump runs way less since the street was redone.

I think it is crazy how much taxpayer money is spent on flood prone properties. My uncle owns a house right on the Atlantic coast in New Jersey. It was destroyed by hurricane Sandy. Government gave him a $175,000 grant to rebuild the house. He had to elevate the house on top of an eight foot "basement" that is designed to flood. I would have rather the state just bought the property and not allowed a house to be built there.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Seemed like half the county was flooded when hurricane Agnes hit my hoe town. Water was 12 ft deep out through the commercial district where all the car lots and warehouses were. My parent's home had 4 or 5 ft of water in the basement and everything in the basement was ruined. I personally have never had a house that was in a flood zone or where it was even possible to flood. All have been on hill sides high above any streams, etc. I am currently several hundred feet vertically up hill from a stream. When the stream floods it may grow from 10 ft across and a foot deep to 40 ft across and 10 ft deep. It is a mighty force to watch, but still far below our level. I did experience a terrible storm surge once while at the beach. The access roads were all under three feet of flowing water. The surf broke through the barrier dune in a few places and the overwash extended across two highways to the bay behind. Our beach place rocked and swayed with the hurricane winds, but the ground we sat on was never under water. We were still about 7 ft above the surge. If I purchased a beach property now, it would be On one of the higher points. I'd build it up if I had to. Recently saw one surrounded by giant 2 ton blocks of concrete stacked three high all the way round and the house was still up on stilts even though the lot was elevated up about 7 ft above the surrounding land and that was on the bay a mile inland from the beach.

[Bob McBreen]

My vacation home in the cascades flooded. Big mess. We had the whole house lifted eight feet. Under the house was designed for flood water to flow through & not be damaged.