3 Reasons Your Texas City Home Needs to Be Lifted

a house that is on stilts next to a body of water

Elevating your Texas City home can help you avoid becoming one of the millions of Americans whose houses face the threat of destructive floods every year. Although raising a structure above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) isn’t easy or cheap, lifting your home is one of the few things you can do in order to protect it from rising water, particularly if you live in a flood-prone area.

Besides allowing you to prevent or reduce flood damage, lifting a Texas City home brings along three more benefits that indicate some very good reasons why you should consider elevating your house.

Lower Flood Insurance Premiums

When it comes to flood insurance, the premium is typically based on the flood risk associated with the property in question. The lower a property’s susceptibility to damage from floodwaters, the lower the insurance premium will be.

The most important factors that affect flood insurance premiums usually include the flood zone designation, type of policy, coverage limits, and deductibles. Additionally, raising your home above the community’s BFE can help you mitigate your home’s risk of flooding, which will result in a lower premium. Besides elevating your home a few feet above the BFE, lifting your utilities and specific appliances, such as the HVAC system and water heater, as well can lower your insurance premium even more.  

Once the home lifting process is complete, you can acquire an elevation certificate, which documents the elevation of your home’s lowest floor and confirms compliance with the community floodplain management ordinances. This certificate is issued by the NFIP and used by insurers to determine the value of your flood insurance premiums. Without an elevation certificate, insurers may assume that your property is at higher risk for flooding and offer you a higher premium than the one you could obtain if you have the certificate. 

Extra Space For Your Texas City Home

When lifting a Texas City home, there are 2 main elevation techniques a contractor may choose: he can leave the home in place and add a second story to it OR lift the home and extend the existing foundation or build a new foundation from scratch. Irrespective of the elevation method, recommended elevation will create more space in your home. But lifting your home won’t only allow you to add extra space. You may also be able to select a different floor plan that could improve the flow of your home and increase its functionality.

In addition to getting more usable space, home elevation could save you a lot of money and hassle. First, elevating your home can be less expensive than selling your current house and buying a new one. That’s because you don’t need to pay realtor fees and get a mortgage and cover the closing costs associated if the sales price of the new property is higher than that of the home you own. Not to mention that you won’t need to relocate and move all of your possessions. Additionally, lifting a home can be less expensive than repairing flood damage. It’s also important to know that floodwaters can cause severe damage to your home and may even leave it beyond repair. 

Higher Market Value

Lifting your home above the BFE could boost its resale value, offsetting at least some of the costs associated with raising the house. In general, elevating a home can increase its market value in 2 ways: by expanding its floor space and by reducing its risk of flooding. While a bigger home is typically more expensive than a smaller one, a lower risk of flood damage can make your home more desirable compared to other properties in the area that haven’t been lifted. As a result, you can sell your home faster and for more money.

Elevating a Texas City home is a complex project that may sometimes require a large financial investment. However, the cost can vary greatly, depending on the overall condition of the foundation and home being raised, the elevation technique recommended, and how high the home needs to be lifted. Lifting a home may also require additional modifications that need to be made in order to ensure the home and foundation can withstand the elevation process. As well, entrance doors, stairs, handrails, and other elements may need to be replaced or adjusted to the new height once the home is lifted to its final elevation.

In spite of all the costs and hard work involved, home elevation remains the best defense we have against flooding. But to get all the benefits of lifting your Texas City home, it’s critically important to enlist the services of a reputable house lifting contractor that has the knowledge, experience, and necessary tools to manage any elevation project in a timely and cost-effective manner. To schedule a free consultation or to learn more about the home elevation process, feel free to contact our specialists today!

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