Flooding

[bgnzsavnh]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

It's unbelievable the amount of rain that has fallen in the last few days. Most unusual. We are all curious as to how much more we will see. This has got to be some sort of record rain for all of the coastal areas.

It was much worse in 1999 and 1993. Many of the splost drainage projects were initiated then. every 5-10 years we get this rainy cycle, the development puts pressure on the canals to handle larger volumes of runoff. During the dry periods, those low spots become developable

[Savannah2009]

Ardsley floods all the time.

[mrsnespy]

Originally Posted by Robert A. Johnson

Thanks to all. We are considering moving to the area and have previously looked in the Charleston area and were a bit concerned re the flooding there - seemingly much more serious than your area.

My husband is from Charleston and says that parts of Charleston are below sea level...so that would definitely cause some flooding issues. We have a higher elevation that they do, preventing the type of flooding that Charleston gets.

[uncleshal]

would anybody know if there is really bad flooding in Evans Georgia cause my girlfriend lives in that part of Georgia, & all I know is that it is close to Augusta Georgia. Some one please reply cause I'm kind of worried about her.

[mama4mia]

Is insurance higher in Savannah than most areas in Georgia due to being built in a swampy area?

Searching for homes in the area online, I noticed that there were no homes with basements and now it makes sense plus I am sure the red clay soil doesn't help. Some places such as in Houston Texas, this basement square footage is made up for in homes with extra square footage on the main living floors. Do builders in Savannah make up for this loss in square footage?

I have read previous threads, there is a lot of good info. Thanks to all!

[Padgett2]

Originally Posted by mama4mia

Searching for homes in the area online, I noticed that there were no homes with basements and now it makes sense plus I am sure the red clay soil doesn't help. Some places such as in Houston Texas, this basement square footage is made up for in homes with extra square footage on the main living floors. Do builders in Savannah make up for this loss in square footage?

I have read previous threads, there is a lot of good info. Thanks to all!

First, Savannah does NOT have red clay soil. It's sandy, coastal soil or it's drained, dried out swamp muck.

I don't understand what you mean by "making up for the loss in square footage"

A 2000 square foot house is 2000 square feet of what is consided living space. It does not include the non-living spaces like attics, garages or, if we had them, below ground basements. Those elements which are sometimes found in the basements, such as laundry rooms, storage, etc. are included within the floor plan of "living" space.

There are homes in the historic district that claim to have basements. This is what most of us would call the first floor. It's on the ground level. Those houses call the "first" floor that area above the ground level footage. This was where the kitchen and servant quarters were usually located. This type of constuction in practially unknown outside of the historic district. For example, standing in front of such a house, you would see a three story house. The owners may consider it two story with a ground level basement.

[mama4mia]

Padgett2, sorry for the miss wording. What I was trying to say is that since there are no basements, do most homes have a bonus room such as over the garage for a playroom or office.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by mama4mia

Padgett2, sorry for the miss wording. What I was trying to say is that since there are no basements, do most homes have a bonus room such as over the garage for a playroom or office.

It depends on the home. Some don't have garages.

Savannah has houses that range in age from unfinished new construction to houses that were built in the late 1700's. We don't usually have basements because of the high water table in many areas. Plenty of people have moved here (from places with basements) and tried building homes with basements only to find that they flood or are damp.

Insurance is high because of the great potential for hurricanes.

You can always use a spare bedroom, small den, or close in a carport or porch for a home office, if you need one.