looking at building a house in a flood zone

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building a house in a blood zone

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Sounds dangerous

My as bad as you'd think. The gun-ament subsidizes the insurance rates so it's still affordable.

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I am looking at building a house in a flood zone: VE

What would be a rough estimate for yearly cost?

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yo brah its all about the elevation of your designed home

Find out what the base flood elevation is, and build at a higher elevation than that. Could be as cheap as $200/yr

I built in an AE, and our premium for the maximum amount under the federal program is roughly $600 a year. Keep in mind it only insures up to around $210K of the value of your property.

You can always LOMA or LOMR it if your property meets the requirements.

So here's the deal. If you want to build in a flood zone, just budget enough cash to build up enough of a dirt pad on your lot so that your slab-and the surrounding ground (including the pad for your HVAC) is elevated anywhere from 6 inches to a foot above what's known as the Base Flood Elavation.

You can easily work on this with your builder/GC and the Engineering Firm that comes out to "shoot" your elevation.

Once this is done and your home has as a CO, you can submit for a LOMA through FEMA. A LOMA stands for a Letter of Map Amendment that states that based on the amount of dirt you brought in and the subsequent raised level of your home, that you're no longer in danger of flooding based on the BFE (Base Flood Elevation).

This is simple and is done routinely. Just make sure you follow up with your contractor. It's easy to "tell" a homeowner you brought in dirt and then say, "oops...oh well I'll pay for the policy for two years," or some BS like that. The devil in those details is that their builder's risk policy is super low compared to an actual homeowner's flood risk policy, and you may have trouble filing a claim if you actually do flood. Even if you don't flood, when its time to cover your home after he's done, that sticker shock will be EYE OPENING.

So build in wording into the contract with the GC that puts teeth into the fact that you want dirt and the slab built up ABOVE BFE a minimum of 6 inches to a foot*

*-I suggest six inches to a foot because every few years or so, the maps are updated. When that occurs, the adjustments usually occur in 6 inch to 1 foot increments. Meaning if they adjust up, you may still be above the adjusted BFE.

But don't let your GC BS his way around bringing in dirt. Don't be afraid to use an Engineering firm he has no relationship with. One hand might wash the other if they have a pre-existing understanding. For those that act like it doesn't happen, think again. I've seen it.

Last but not least, it should be part of Parish Building Codes that homes cannot be built below BFE these days anyways. Build up anyway so you can get out of the flood zone, get your LOMA and avoid flood insurance.

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Last but not least, it should be part of Parish Building Codes that homes cannot be built below BFE these days anyways.

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It is. You have to get elevation markers done and your slab better be above that elevation or you will not get a permit to continue.

Ours was initially going to run 4600/yr. yes, 4600 per year! We got a flood elevation reading and our house was 5.5 ft above flood plain. we raised our AC unit and now we only pay 280/yr. i would get a flood elevation reading done to see where you fall and build above that flood plain.