Cost of Home Insurance

[BrevardREALTOR]

@cinewman Progressive won't quote for us unless we exclude wind coverage. Did you have to do this? We're in Indialantic and I just checked because we've had Progressive auto forever and they give us great rates.

[BrevardREALTOR]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

It will vary by what you choose to insure. It will vary by when your home was built, what it is built with-wood frame, concrete, etc. . If you are on the island or closer to the river it might be more. because not many companies will even write a policy and they have to go with Citizens or without if they don't have a mortgage that requires it. Being an older home we don't have shutters and hurricane clips on all the roof. I also don't have flood insurance but got a quote of $388 on that from 2 insurance companies( we aren't in a flood plane) I have the city coming out to trench the swale in front of the house next week, though, so hopefully the water standing from past heavy rains this summer won't happen when and if we have a tropical system come through this year. Shutters and the clips are the next expense on our remodel of this old house.
I know if you go inland about 75 miles rates are cheaper but don't know if being 15 miles inland makes a difference or not. A cat 3 hurricane is probably still a cat 3 hurricane anywhere in Brevard when it hits so insurance probably calls it all on the coast. Don't know.....we closed on our house so fast I just had to find quick insurance so we could close. If we really had to tear down and start over I doubt the insurance would be enough. I know the $80,000 contents wouldn't cover what is inside because of my parents experience and my brother's experience when their homes burned.

Hi Rabflmom. There is a lot of talk about adding swales in Indialantic to decrease flooding, and I was just wondering how well it worked for you?
Thanks,
Wendy

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by BrevardREALTOR

Hi Rabflmom. There is a lot of talk about adding swales in Indialantic to decrease flooding, and I was just wondering how well it worked for you?
Thanks,
Wendy

That was a quote from a few years ago. Swales only work as good as your neighbors do. Basically it is a small easy shallow grassy dip at the edge of the road and will help keep water from flooding yard, but alone not good for heavy rain. 3-5 inch rain in a couple hours it will come up in the yard with a swale. In Palm Bay our houses are built higher than those on the beach. Fill is brought in for every house built so they sit higher than the streets. What the city does is come out and make a trench in the middle of the swale for the water to flow to the canal better when it rains.

If the neighbors don't do the upkeep, too, it can still back up some. Empty lots are also a problem since the city can only do lots where they are asked to cut the trench. That said it worked really well after they came out. It got the water out of our yard after big rains, but it clogged at the empty lot next to us-especially since the house beyond the lot sort of built a driveway without a culvert pipe under the drive so they could park their pickup on the empty lot. If the pipe under drives on the street get blocked or is higher than the swale water stands. Also on streets where the swale sort of goes over the drives without having a culvert pipe under the drive water sits on the drive.

That said even with the empty lots stopping the quicker flow to the canal, we have not had water halfway up the yard like before. The swale did fill up and go out in the road in the 10 inch? rain after Irma. We still have water sitting in the swale going no where so we can't mow it right now. We need it dug again. Part of our problem may be the new builds on our street. When they come and clear the lots they fill a drive through the swale so the big trucks can drop the fill for the house to be built on, so it is blocking water flow until the houses are built and they build the driveways to the garages.

My question would be....when they cut the swale in the yards will it make the roads higher than the lots so water runs off the streets and into your houses? Houses on the island are mostly built on the same level as the streets. Where will the water in the swale run too? Does Indialantic have canals or will it go into a sewer system?

[BrevardREALTOR]

@Rabflmom Our storm water goes into the sewer system and then the Indian River Lagoon. My understanding of the swales they are proposing for Indialantic is that they'd basically be serving as mini "ponds" to collect the water during storm events and them absorb into the ground over time. It would be diminishing the water traveling down the roads & into the sewer system. It would also keep some portion of the water from the low lying homes that tend to flood. Our house is not in danger of flooding so it would be to help those in the neighborhood that can and/or have flooded. Yes, I think the water would be flowing from the road to the yard. I guess I need to get more clarification on this since I'm not entirely sure I am correct. I do know it's voluntary at this time so it will be sporadic yards that choose to have it, rather than a system of swales. Thanks for your response and thought out questions. I'll need to check with my town council to find out more details.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by BrevardREALTOR

@Rabflmom Our storm water goes into the sewer system and then the Indian River Lagoon. My understanding of the swales they are proposing for Indialantic is that they'd basically be serving as mini "ponds" to collect the water during storm events and them absorb into the ground over time. It would be diminishing the water traveling down the roads & into the sewer system. It would also keep some portion of the water from the low lying homes that tend to flood. Our house is not in danger of flooding so it would be to help those in the neighborhood that can and/or have flooded. Yes, I think the water would be flowing from the road to the yard. I guess I need to get more clarification on this since I'm not entirely sure I am correct. I do know it's voluntary at this time so it will be sporadic yards that choose to have it, rather than a system of swales. Thanks for your response and thought out questions. I'll need to check with my town council to find out more details.

Sounds more like a small retention pond and would have to be deeper than our swale that allows water to move to a canal. The standing water is mosquito breeding heaven so you may want to ask what the plans are to prevent this from happening. With over 30 inches of rain in Sept. and October, we still have water in our swale. Once ground is saturated it is harder to be absorbed and evaporation from sun takes over, but it can take time and it just keeps raining here.