Building on a Flood Plain: A Calculated Risk

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Building a new home on a flood plain can be a risk, but it can sometimes feel like the risk is worthwhile. The land is commensurate with your needs and the location can be desirable. However, you are still taking a risk that the land might one day flood, and as such, building here needs to be a calculated risk, with the construction of the home reflecting this potential outcome.

Insuring the Home

Can you obtain comprehensive insurance for the property despite the fact that it's on a flood plain? The premiums need to be factored into your ongoing costs, and if they're too hefty, this can create future problems regardless of whether or not a flood occurs. And of course, insurance needs to be arranged and confirmed prior to the purchase of the land.

Designing the Home

Will building a flood-resistant home simply be too cost prohibitive? New home construction can certainly be undertaken to mitigate the effects of any flood, but there are a lot of variables, such as if the flood will ever happen, and if so, how severe it could be. What are some of the ways to minimise the effects of a flood on a new home?

  • The structure could be partially elevated on struts, allowing water to pass beneath the dwelling.
  • The frame can be aluminum as opposed to wood, meaning that it will not absorb moisture and potentially lose its structural integrity if it was to remain in standing water for an extended period of time.
  • The walls should be moisture-resistant, as in they should be constructed from material as non-porous as possible. This excludes standard plaster, but can include some types of stone and concrete. This is not the same as a water-resistant covering, since paint is not going to be able to repel standing water.
  • The insulation also needs to be moisture-resistant, ideally being able to dry within the walls without being extracted and replaced.
  • Does your plan (and budget) accommodate a split-level or two-story home? There is logic to this, since in the event of a flood, you can move all valuables to a higher level.

Naturally, the necessity for certain materials and the practicality of certain designs can push your costs up.

Wiring

Electrical and telecommunications wiring should be installed so that they run down from the ceiling, meaning that electrical outlets will be positioned higher up on the wall than in a traditional home. Any integrated technology should be of the plug-and-replace variety, meaning that hardware (screens, control panels) can be unclipped and moved out of harm's way in the event of a flood. It also makes upgrading your technology easier.

Sure, it can be a risk to build your dream home on a flood plain, but by ensuring that your home reflects the possibility of this natural disaster occurring around it, this kind of new home construction can be a calculated risk.

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13 November 2018

Remodelling Your Home

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