If your house has flooded once, the odds say it will flood again. Elevating the structure above base flood elevation is the only permanent fix that keeps the house you already have.
Start with the elevation certificate
An elevation certificate from a licensed surveyor tells you the height of your lowest floor relative to base flood elevation (BFE). If you sit at or below BFE, you are paying for it every year in insurance and every few years in water.
Signs you are a strong candidate
- The house has flooded, or you have taken water in the garage or slab twice or more
- Your lowest floor is at or below BFE on the elevation certificate
- Flood insurance is a four-figure annual line item
- The structure itself is sound and worth preserving
- The home is pier & beam or a wood-framed slab home in decent condition
When raising is the wrong call
If the structure is deteriorated, if the lot has drainage problems that elevation alone will not solve, or if the cost of raising approaches the cost of rebuilding, a teardown and rebuild at elevation may be the smarter money.
The financial side
Elevation costs real money up front — typically $45,000 to $180,000 depending on the foundation, house size, and target height. Against that:
- Flood insurance premiums often drop dramatically once the new elevation certificate is filed
- FEMA and local mitigation grant programs periodically fund a share of elevation projects
- The house stops being a repeat-loss property, which matters at resale
What the project involves
Survey and elevation certificate, structural engineering, floodplain review and permits, utility disconnection, the lift on steel beams and cribbing, a new engineered foundation, then stairs, landings, skirting with flood vents, and new utility risers. Budget three to five months from start to finish, with the first six to twelve weeks spent on engineering and permits.
The first step
Pull your elevation certificate and your flood insurance declarations page. Those two documents tell an elevation contractor most of what they need to know to give you a real number.
