Expanding home in a Flood Zone (2014, house, buy)

[desihorn]

Anyone know about the rules for expanding a property which is mapped in a 100 year zone. I was under the impression that you cannot do it and have to rebuild but was told today by a contractor that you can do that as long as the foundation for the expansion meets the city guidelines (on height). Thank you !

[North Beach Person]

That's likely true. Where you have to watch out is having the addition adding 50%+$1 to the base appraisal. You would then have to bring the entire structure, new and old, up to current flood plane levels.

[ToyYot]

The contractor is right and yes, beware of the 50% rule. Check your tax assessment for the structure value, you're allowed to renovate to 50% of that figure.

[marksmu]

The exact rule is that the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) needs to be above the flood zone. The BFE is the top of the slab for a concrete foundation. To repair/rebuild/expand the 50% rule states that if the value of the work to be done exceeds 50% of the value of the structure then you need to bring the entire structure up out of the flood zone. For a concrete foundation that means tearing down/rebuilding.

[tstone]

I used to live in the 500 yr flood plain and after some time the 100 yr crept within a few hundred feet. I had these grandiose plans of expanding the house outward but over the long term it looked like a huge waste of money. I ultimately decided to just have a new roof put on, sell out, and buy the house I wanted that wasn't in a flood plain.

[desihorn]

Thank you guys. Extremely helpful. That 50% + 1 is sounds almost impossible in the Memorial area in an old construction unless all you want to do is add a bathroom or something.

[travelguy_73]

To make sure I am understanding, if my Improvement value (structure) is $300k per HCAD, then to expand my living space footprint or any other major work, I can spend up to $150k? The house was renovated in 2014.

Would that mean afterwards the value would be ~$450k, and if a flood struck, I could then spend up to $225k in repairs?

We would like to eventually add another bed/bath to our house, and it's good to know what the limits are.

[SandyJet]

Originally Posted by travelguy_73

To make sure I am understanding, if my Improvement value (structure) is $300k per HCAD, then to expand my living space footprint or any other major work, I can spend up to $150k? The house was renovated in 2014.

Would that mean afterwards the value would be ~$450k, and if a flood struck, I could then spend up to $225k in repairs?

We would like to eventually add another bed/bath to our house, and it's good to know what the limits are.

Minus land value. Just value of the structure itself.

[travelguy_73]

Originally Posted by SandyJet

Minus land value. Just value of the structure itself.

The numbers I show exclude the land value, so it seems like I would be technically OK.

[ToyYot]

Originally Posted by travelguy_73

To make sure I am understanding, if my Improvement value (structure) is $300k per HCAD, then to expand my living space footprint or any other major work, I can spend up to $150k? The house was renovated in 2014.

Would that mean afterwards the value would be ~$450k, and if a flood struck, I could then spend up to $225k in repairs?

We would like to eventually add another bed/bath to our house, and it's good to know what the limits are.

Your structural value will not go up by the contract value of the work you're having done, it will be quite a bit less.