Corpus Christi Island New Homes Not on Stilts? (Howe: to buy, subdivision)

[localuser89]

Looking to buy a summer home south of the bridge near Bob Hall Pier, but very few homes are on stilts. They all have living areas on the ground floor. I grew up on an island further up the coast, so I am confused why homes are on the ground level in a VE/AE flood zones. For example, new homes are being built in AE EL 9 zones on ground level instead of 9ft off the ground. Can someone explain why this is like this here?

[jackalope48]

Heights are based on mean high tide. So 9 feet requirement isn't 9 feet above the ground. Padre Isles(the large subdivision south of the highway and Lake Padre were land formed when originally platted. They stacked the dirt excavated for the canals on to the remaining land. As a result most of the streets are at 6-7 feet and the houses get built on another 2-3 feet of lot/foundation elevation. Some of this is the result of North Padre having stricter Dune Protection requirements and maintenance so unlike places up the coast there is still a storm protection barrier.

That being said plenty of people still think it's nuts. I've seen a couple houses out there that are "secretly" stilts houses. Look at 15317 tortuga ct. as an example. There is a staircase outside because the stilts are encased within the house and the walls below that level are breakaway. That's a perfectly legal way to do it even in a v-zone. You just can't use the bottom floor for living space (a bedroom or kitchen, etc.)

[T Block]

I would build a beach house on 8' tall, 2 1/2" diameter, 304L tube floor-joist-end holders. The 304L would set directly in concrete footings and 4' deep. The 304L tube would have a 304L flat plate welded to the bottom and a 304L L-angle welded to the top that a floor-joist would sit on and bolt-to. Then I would attach 1" nominal thickness edge-layered cedar boards to the perimeter of the floor-joist-holders to protect the 304L from the salt air. The thin boards in the weather would actually make a ramshackle beach-look. And the thin boards would tend to break-off in a big storm and allow flow under the house. Attach the thin boards with short small-diameter 18/8 screws.

Actually, the 304L floor-joist-end holders could be made without welding but with bolting instead. For instance, with a bird's eye view, take a 304L channel shape, with legs pointing East and bolt it to a 304L L-angle that has the bolted surface pointing North. Then cut the channel shape to the height of a floor-joist while continuing the L-angle up the side of the floor-joist. The floor-joist then sits on the channel shape and bolts to the side of the L-angle.

[T Block]

Originally Posted by T Block

I would build a beach house on 8' tall, 2 1/2" diameter, 304L tube floor-joist-end holders. The 304L would set directly in concrete footings and 4' deep. The 304L tube would have a 304L flat plate welded to the bottom and a 304L L-angle welded to the top that a floor-joist would sit on and bolt-to. Then I would attach 1" nominal thickness edge-layered cedar boards to the perimeter of the floor-joist-holders to protect the 304L from the salt air. The thin boards in the weather would actually make a ramshackle beach-look. And the thin boards would tend to break-off in a big storm and allow flow under the house. Attach the thin boards with short small-diameter 18/8 screws.

Actually, the 304L floor-joist-end holders could be made without welding but with bolting instead. For instance, with a bird's eye view, take a 304L channel shape, with legs pointing East and bolt it to a 304L L-angle that has the bolted surface pointing North. Then cut the channel shape to the height of a floor-joist while continuing the L-angle up the side of the floor-joist. The floor-joist then sits on the channel shape and bolts to the side of the L-angle.

But if two wall studs are used at each floor-joist location, then one wall-stud sits beside the floor-joist while the other wall-stud sits on top of the floor-joist with everything bolted to the floor-joist holders. Then a ceiling-joist can sit on one wall-stud and bolt to the side of the other wall-stud. The entire house bolts together. However, a bolted blocking, using brackets, is needed near the tops of the wall studs because there is no header
.