Cost of elevating/raising house in floodplain area (Houston, Seguin: buying a home, neighborhoods)

[testmo]

Oh Christ am I gonna buy a house in meyerland???? I doubt I can beat any investor and not sure how I feel about trading one never flooded home in a flood plain for one that has in a "better" area.

I drove around meyerland today. Some streets are still a mess and some homes still have piles of home garbage on the street from tearing out

[travelguy_73]

Originally Posted by testmo

Oh Christ am I gonna buy a house in meyerland???? I doubt I can beat any investor and not sure how I feel about trading one never flooded home in a flood plain for one that has in a "better" area.

I drove around meyerland today. Some streets are still a mess and some homes still have piles of home garbage on the street from tearing out

You might want to expand your search outside Meyerland proper to Braesmont, Maplewood, Marilyn Estates, Barkley Square, etc. Many of those homes are very similar to what you find in Meyerland, have equally tough deed restrictions, but a lower price point (since most aren't zoned to Bellaire High, though many (most) go to the same MS and almost all go to very good elementary schools.

The "teardown phase" of the sections most affected (nearest the loop and Meyerland Plaza) is going to start in earnest, and I think you will end up with a lot of $1M homes next to original homes. If you like the original homes, in areas that have never flooded, then seek those areas out...that's the majority of the area.

[Meyerland]

Only a few homes flooded in Marilyn Estates, Barkley Square and maplewood South. All the ones on Braeswood South, a few behind the grocery store. The ones on Chimney Rock were fine. They redid all the drainage on that side. It's still a very affordable area.

People here in Meyerland would rather sell to an individual and investors pay bottom dollar.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

There is no way to raise a house on a slab. Meyerland certainly can flood. Go find some old people that live in the area and knock on their door. Ask about the flooding in the area. Areas in the same neighborhoods can flood much more than others.

Your assertion about not raising a slab house is terribly inaccurate. Raising slab houses has become quite common and cost effective. Yes it seems a bit miraculous, but so does the iPhone at times. Many people are raising their slab homes even though it's costly because replacing it with the raised infrastructure is even more costly.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by diggity101

This would not be practical/feasible from a cost and engineering standpoint. You would be better off bulldozing.

Your assertion about not feasible to raise a slab house is terribly inaccurate. Raising slab houses has become quite common and cost effective. Yes it seems a bit miraculous, but so does the iPhone at times. Many people are raising their slab homes even though it's costly because replacing it with the raised infrastructure is even more costly. And the dramatically rising flood insurance rates give the raising costs a quicker payback.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by Michelle Morris

FEMA flood insurance can cost upwards of $5000 per year if you're in a flood plain, and can not be put on a payment plan of any kind.

All flood insurance is ultimately underwritten by FEMA and FEMA is forcing gigantic rate in order to cover their costs. Avoid those rate by elevating your house. And look for an elevation specialist to raise slab house, not a foundation repair/foundation leveling company.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by texas7

I'm in a flood plain, never flooded and my flood insurance is like $400/yr.

You probably just haven't gotten the news yet. If your floor elevation is below your FEMA calculated BFE, your rate will be rising dramatically.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by jomaple

I was just told by a foundation repair company that it would cost 85K to 100K to raise the slab of a 1400sf house by just 4 inches!!! This house had 1.5 inches of water during the recent rains and flooding. It is really expensive to raise a slab, but you cannot rebuild a house in that amount of money, so you have to figure out what your options are and maybe take out a home equity loan if you've lived in the house long enough and would like to continue living in that area.

Most of the cost of raising is for the first 1 foot. The cost of raising 2 feet more or 10 feet more is only incrementally more money. Best to go higher and be worry free and get low cost insurance. You'll want an elevation company to do the work. This is not just a leveling of part of the slab... it's the whole slab.

[Project Manager]

Originally Posted by diggity101

This would not be practical/feasible from a cost and engineering standpoint. You would be better off bulldozing.

Raising a house 4 to 20 feet can be cost effective versus flood insurance and definitely versus starting over. Talk to a true home elevation company, not just a foundation leveler.

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by Project Manager

Raising a house 4 to 20 feet can be cost effective versus flood insurance and definitely versus starting over. Talk to a true home elevation company, not just a foundation leveler.

So what is an approximate cost for raising a single story slab house with a footprint of 50'x50' say 3 feet?