Several issues would concern me..1st, how much slope from the rear of house to the 100 year flood limit? and not only the distance, but change in grade also..2nd) it is certain you can't do anything in the 100 year floodplain, and perhaps you can't do anything within a certain amount of feet from it.You'd likely have to carry flood insurance since the property is in the floodplain, but i forget if the house needs to be in flood zone or property does..

You need to contact a local insurance agent and get a quote on the home for insurance. They will look it up on the FEMA flood maps and quote you. The whole property might in a a flood zone and it is possible that the portion in the back might be in a more strict situation. There are codes and numbers and elevations that go with properties and portions of properties. Insurance agents really can explain this to you.

My property is in an A flood zone, but is separated in the middle where one part requires 12 foot elevation of home and the other part 13 ft. If the home was in front of the line it could be 12 foot elevation; if behind the line 13 ft. If the line was within the footprint of any part of the home, entire home had to be 13 ft or more elevation. The property 3 doors down from me is partially in a V flood zone which has major building code requirements.

Each lot is different and each part of each lot can be different.

Also - just being in a flood zone does not have to be a problem at all. Flood insurance is a couple hundred dollars a year in my case. You just have to know the rules and what the insurance will cost beforehand.

We live on property like this. You will have to carry flood insurance if even a part of your property is in the flood plain or a flood way. We have never flooded since the lot slopes up and the house is at the top of the slope. The insurance is about double normal homeowners insurance if I remember correctly.

My house is on 3/4 of an acre in the city of Dallas, TX. I have a creek running along the rear lot line and a 20ft ravine. 1/4 of the lot is in a 100 year flood plain.

I did not have to get flood insurance for my house (which I bought last year).

I'm in NYS. Our house sit and the yard are up high the other 8 acres are not we do not have flood insurance. When we bought there was an arguement about the flood insurance. DH got a map showing the elevations and where the house sat and the issue was dropped. Insurance company and the mortgage company both thought it was in a flood plain since the property borders both a creek and a river. The house however sits up high. DO NOT rely on someone else to come up with the right answer for you. Get your own map and double check whatever you are told. Only you truly have your best interest at heart. No one else.

Monzamess,

I am an insurance agent on Long Island (have been for 30 years). Klimkm is wrong and Rrah is correct. If the structure is not in a Special Flood Hazard zone (A and V zones), then you pay greatly reduced rates. B,C, and X zoned structures qualify for the Preferred Flood Policy and rates. If you want to email me your address, I'll run it through our Flood Zone Determination software and send you the report. You can email me throug the My Page link above.

That said, just because a structure is not in and A or V zone doesn't mean you're safe. A and V zones are in the 100 year floodplain, which means there's a major flood every hundred years. B,C, and X are 500 year zones. But these are statistics, and YMMV. 25% of floods each year occur in B,C, or X zones. That's why everyone should have flood insurance.

Kevin

I have never understood why people consider having to pay flood insurance such a burden. If I was near a flood zone, I would prefer to pay the flood insurance because then I would be INSURED if my house flooded. If you do not have that special insurance you are SOL when you flood. It sure seems like a no-brainer to me. I would rather pay the government-regulated flood insurance fee and be covered than be the house next door who was not in the zone and could not buy the insurance and flooded, too. Am I misunderstanding the situation? Please enlighten me if I am.

Hi, Nancy.

There are several reasons people don't buy flood insurance unless required. The most common is lack of awareness. Floods can happen anywhere, not just near water sources. Second, the cost in B,C, and X zones used to be higher, and the extra premium helped subsidize the A and V zone rates. So the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Plan) developed the Preferred Flood Policy. It's easier to apply for and less expensive. There's really no excuse not to have flood insurance now.

Kevin

"Am I misunderstanding the situation? Please enlighten me if I am."

Depends on the situation. Part of my lot is on a flood plain but my house isn't. The flood plain is down a ravine, 20ft below the house. The creek is a storm drain and doesn't carry a lot of water except when it rains hard. Short of the biblical flood, I can't imagine a situation where the water could actually reach the house.
So a flood insurance for this house would be money thrown away.

Be certain your topographical survey is recent enough to include the most recently-determined flood zones. When we bought our home the seller showed us the topographical from when she had purchased nine years prior. However, the more recent determination was closer to the house. More construction "upstream" means greater liklihood of wider flood path downstream. (We are borderd by a creek.)

Our sitation is similar to jrldh's, except we are above a pond that has a dam. The bank tried to claim our house was in a flood zone. The only way our house could flood would be for the entire eastern seaboard to be underwater. We just experienced a 500 year storm and had no issues. Houses all over town that had never flooded were flooded. We had to pay an expert to come out and verify we are not in a flood zone. It was clear from the maps, but apparently the idiots at Wells Fargo can't read maps.

I was quoted over $2k for flood insurance, and it wouldn't cover the basement (the only portion that could flood, even if the polar icecap melts). It would have been wasted money.

Hi, Sue.

It's likely your house will never flood. That's not to say it can't. You shouldn't have had to hire an expert to come out. That's something your insurance agent could have done for you. If you're in a B,C, or X zone, the max coverage is $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents. With $500 deductibles for those amounts a house with a basement or crawl is $352/yr. On a slab it's $317. Very inexpensive considering what's at risk.

I'd like to clarify another point. The basement is covered on flood insurance. What's not covered is personal property stored down there and any finishing. Basements were never intended to be living area, so the flood policy doesn't cover those that use it as such. Anything related to the operation or servicing of the home is covered: washer/dryer, refrigerator, pumps, furnace, A/C units, etc. In addition, flood waters can and do damage foundation walls as well as load up basements with a whole lot of mud, and repair and cleanup of these items are covered.

A misconception about the need from flood insurance is that it's only needed for overflow waters from ocean, bays, streams, lakes, etc. That's not correct. Damage from rainwater that inundates large areas is covered. For example, most focus on the coastal damage done by Katrina. However, there was a great deal of flood damage done hundreds of miles inland caused by the tremendous amount of rain that fell in a very short time. The water accumulated faster than drainage could handle it, and homes flooded, home that had never been flooded previously, and were in a 500 year floodplain.

The NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) needs to update its policy. It's sorely outdated but it is the only game in town. Congress is looking into getting this done.

Kevin

Kevin,

Well, the agent didn't offer. The bank claimed I was a zone A, and they require flood insurance for that. That is what I got a quote for, since that is what the bank required. The expert, who was also an engineer/surveyor, determined we are in X (which is clear from the map). The bank doesn't require insurance for zone X, so I never got a quote for that. Once it was determined we weren't in A, the issue of insurance was dropped.

The quote was nowhere near $350, I imagine because it was based on A. According to the map I have, the house is in zone X and adjoins zone A (a pond that runs over a dam into a brook).

Does that make sense. If it will only be $350 I might consider getting it. We do have a rider on our policy that covers "flooding" of the basement caused by backup of drains or septic. It was only about $24 per year, and seemed cheap since we have a septic system that pumps.

Hi, Sue.

Next time your homeowners insurance comes up for renewal you may want to shop for an agent that provides the service you deserve.

Federally insured banks are mandated to require their mortgagors to carry flood insurance up to the value of the loan or the maximum coverage for the risk (for a one-family home the max is $250,000) if it's in a SFHA (Special Flood Hazard Area) designated by zone A or V. If the risk is not in A or V they are no longer mandated, however some banks may have individual rules for their mortgages.

A quote for zone A could be significantly higher than zone X. There are a few other qualifications for getting a Preferred Policy, but basically if you're in zones B,C, or X your premium is $352 if you have a basement (or crawl) and $317 if on a slab. Rates are the same no matter who writes the policy.

The rider on your homeowners policy is for Water or Sewer Backup. It's a good coverage to have, but it's limited in scope. The usual amount of coverage is $5,000 but some companies offer higher limits. Unlike flood insurance, finished basements are covered.

HTH,

Kevin

Kevin,
Thanks for the great info. I read many websites on this at the time, and your explanation makes much more sense.

I decided on the water or sewer backup coverage after reading an article on CNN (I think) about insurance mistakes people make. I admit, it really bothers me that the insurance broker didn't mention this to me. If you can think of other useful riders (or know of a website that does), that would be great. I haven't been impressed with this broker, I admit.

Sue,

Sewer backup coverage, while great to have, isn't the biggest mistake you can make. After all, the coverage is usually limited to $5,000 so that's the size of the mistake you made if you didn't have the coverage and suffered a loss. Here are some of the coverages that would be a mistake not to have:

Guaranteed or Extended Home Replacement

This pays for repairing or rebuilding your home even if that cost exceeds your coverage amount. Companies do require that you insure your home for its full replacement cost (not market value), accept annual increases in coverage based on the increase in local construction costs, and notify them when you make any improvements to your home. This coverage is especially helpful in catastrophes when prices soar. Lately, though, companies have begun limiting the excess coverage to 25% or so above the policy limit. Still, it's a valuable endorsement and is not very expensive. Keep in mind, though, the company will only pay to rebuild the way the home was before the loss. Changes required by new building codes are excluded.
Which leads us to...

Ordinance or Law Coverage

I've been an insurance agent for 29 years. I've never sold a policy without this coverage, even though most people don't have it on their policies. As stated above, insurance companies exclude the additional costs to bring a damaged home up to current codes. These cost can be significant, often running tens of thousands of dollars. This rider adds the coverage back on, though it's usually limited to no more than 10% of the dwelling limit. Very valuable coverage. If your policy does not have this coverage, it costs about 10% of your base premium to add it.

Personal Property Replacement

The standard homeowners policy covers your personal property for covered perils. However, the company will deduct depreciation from your claim. There's a formula for figuring the depreciation, but simply, they'll pay you for what the item is worth used. For example, buy a pair of jeans for $40, have them destroyed in a loss, and the company will pay you $40. However, if you've worn them and they are now used, maybe they'll pay $5, because that's what they're worth to someone else. Multiply that difference on all the things you own and you would be out a lot of money. Many policies have been improved, or you can add at additional cost (again, about 10% of the base), to include full replacement value coverage. So, whether those jeans are new or used, you'll get $40 from the company.

Personal Liability

This coverage protects you from monetary loss from a lawsuit, not just at home, but anywhere. If you're playing golf, and hit someone in the head with a golf ball, you're covered. There are exclusions, like it's not covered if involves a motor vehicle or is job-related. Standard homeowners policies limit this coverage to $100,000. I suggest raising that to $500,000. Cost is minimal, maybe $25 or $35 per year.

There are some other coverages that I suggest, but these are the biggies.

HTH,

Kevin

Our property is in a flood plain. We had to have flood insurance when we first bought, required by the mortgage lender. Cost about double the homeowners ins. at the time.
We had an elevation survey done (about $375). It showed that the house was 6.1 feet above the flood plain. We applied to FEMA for a LOMA (letter of map ammendment). It was granted, mortgage co. droppped requirement for flood ins. and insurance co. reembursed us for flood insurance premium.
Minimal costs to us, big savings down the road.
Kathy G in MI

Kevin, that was very informative. Thanks.

Mel

Good for you, Kathy. Banks are often wrong on their information about flood zones and even worse understanding what they mean. I get very frustrated fighting banks about correcting misinformation for my clients. Glad you prevailed.

Elevation certificates, when not required, are a gamble that can pay off. In your case it did. Many times they do not. The LOMA may make you eligible for a Preferred Policy now. 25% of floods are in B,C, and X zones, so the little expense for the policy can pay off big.
------------------------------------

Mel, you're welcome. Glad to help.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin. Time to call my agent. My policy anniversary is September and I was planning to switch then anyway.

Would the Ordinance or Law Coverage be cheaper when the house is new because it already is up to code?

You're welcome, Sue.

You would think Ordinance or Law Coverage would be cheaper for new homes, but it isn't. I speculate part of the reason is the coverage is generally limited to 10% of the dwelling amount, so even on old homes there's a limit of what's paid. Second, new homes receive a discount of up to 20% already. Third, building codes can change rapidly. For example, in Florida much more stringent building codes regarding hurricane protection became effective in 2002. So a 2001 house that suffered a loss in 2003 would have to conform to the new 2002 codes, even though the home was only two years old.

HTH,

Kevin

I do not know what type zone I am in. And I don't know how I would find out.

I do know that no one around here is allowed to put in a (pertains to a permitted new construction or remodel only) finished basement - or a finished walk out basement. And when we built our garage we had to have a topographical survey down to the square foot. Even though there was one on file at the county that had down to the square yard.

We also had to build the garage out of treated lumber and only overhead power to it. FIL also built a garage at the same time as ours, and he had to get a certificate from army corps of engineers in order to have it built in the location he wanted. (they do and have flooded) I think they are in a floodway?

Our area has never flooded - our neighbor has lived here since 1940 and her home never flooded yet.

But we still must retain flood insurance and everyone along the river that I have talked to has to.

There are certain areas downriver from us where the people can only build new homes that are on concrete pilons so the river can flow under their home. There are homes that were built there in the 1920s that are now up for some kind of government grant where they can qualify to have those homes also raised up on pilons.

So they are VERY serious about buildings on flood plains in my area. It may be that the flood insurance we carry is required by the mortgage lender. Once we no longer have a mortgage we may be able to drop it. (?) Although I don't know that I would want to.

Note: Also - my county has a reputation for being "difficult" in construction circles. So this may also be a factor.

You can order fllod plain maps from the FEMA website. I think I paid 50 cents each.
Kathy G in MI

Thanks for all the responses; gives me plenty (more) to think about!

I just checked the fema map at the fema.gov site.

My property is in AE zone which is: base flood elevations determined... whatever that means.

And a teeny tiny part is also in Zone X. No structures in either of these zones though.

@finesse - http://www.houzz.com/user/finesse-gwC

an you contact me please? I am on LI too and need a new broker for my home, auto & flood insurances. Follow me here & that will allow you to message me! Tku -Lisa

Hi, Lisa,

Thank you for the opportunity to earn your business. I hope you found some of what I posted about home and flood insurance helpful.

Two things about me have changed since I made these posts in 2007. I moved to Florida and continued in the insurance business for another ten years. Last year, after nearly forty years as an insurance professional helping thousands of clients like you, I retired.

I don't think I'm allowed to post commercial links, but I can give you the name of the agency I worked at for the twenty-three years before moving to Florida. There are very good agents still there, and they would be happy to provide you information and pricing. Contact Regan Agency in Babylon and tell them Kevin referred you.

BTW, my earlier posts you read had the username finesse. That was before Houzz merged with GardenWeb. When I registered on the new Houzz forum, they had me change my username to Kevin L.

Good luck, and have a great weekend, Lisa,

Kevin

Kevin did you by chance know Metro DI Agency?

Thank you everyone, much appreciated ! :) -Lisa

Not really, cpartist. Though I am a CLU, I mainly did P&C.

You're welcome, Lisa. Good luck.

Part of our property is in Zone A. Where I want to build is on the edge of it. Where the house is Going to be is Zone X. Will i still need flood insurance if I build 5 ft above Zone A or will I be required to have flood insurance because it's so close to A ? Would our insurance be any cheaper if a foot of our house ended up in Zone A and building up 5ft. On the FEMA map it's fuzzy so not sure if the back of the house is out. Our land is flat. And it's the only place to build without being in Zone A all the way because power lines run thru other parts of property. I'm getting insurance but trying to figure out if it's cheaper being almost in all X flood zone.

Hi, Tina,

If any part of the structure is in Zone A you will need an Elevation Certificate and if you have a lender they will likely require you carry flood insurance.

Now you mention 5 ft above Zone A. Do you mean the elevation of the lowest floor in your home, including basement, is five feet above the BFE (Base Flood Elevation) for your property? If that is so then flood insurance should be very inexpensive for you. Every foot your lowest floor is above the BFE the lower your insurance. My home's lowest floor elevation is at 11 feet and the BFE is 8 feet. This means I'm 3 feet above the BFE. My flood insurance for $250,000 building coverage is just over $300 per year and I am in Zone A. At 5 feet over, it will be a lot lower than that.

When this is calculated, they round up, so if your lowest floor elevation is at 10.6 feet they will round up to 11 feet. If it's 10.4 feet they will round down to 10 feet.

Good luck with your build.

Kevin

I just received a denial to my LOMA request from FEMA. The local floodplain maps were recently changed and my home was now designated as being in an SFHA, Flood Zone type is AE. We paid for an Elevation Certificate which revealed that the only portion of our home that is in the new flood zone is a 3 inch area of the last step at the bottom of a staircase going out of the back of our home. No part of the actual structure is in the floodplain except the last step of a 16 step staircase that extends about 10 feet out from the actual structure. We appealed to FEMA and they said that if ANY part of the structure including any portion of any step or staircase is at a lower elevation then the designated floodplain elevation (BFE), the ENTIRE STRUCTURE is considered to be in the floodplain and flood insurance is required. So, because 2.4 inches of my bottom step is in the floodplain, I'm required to buy flood insurance @ $450 per yr. And there's no appeal from this. We live in the Columbia SC area and 3 years ago we experienced a 100 yr type flood and at its highest level of flooding, the lake was still about 50 feet away from that lowest step. Very disappointed with the results of this adventure into government agencies/policies and how they work against tax paying citizens.

HU-976132351 , sorry to hear this. Surprised you can't make a change some how and do an appeal. Our bottom board of the house is 6.1 feet above the flood plain.

I got our LOMA back in 1998. Good luck to you. Kathy G in MI

Frankly, I'd rather pay the $450 a year for the safety of having the insurance. Look at all the people in Houston who were not even in a designated flood zone and what happened to their homes. Now without flood insurance they are hurting. In the scheme of things $37.50 a month isn't a huge deal.

We moved to SC from MI in 2015. Lived in Michigan for 65 yrs and loved every minute of it, but it was time to retire and escape the cold winters. Never had a flood plain issue in Michigan.

Just because you have never had a flood issue you need to start looking around at the record rainfalls that have started falling like in Wisconsin during June, 7-13 inches, and again recently. While I am just outside of a recognized flood plain so can not buy flood insurance last year on Aug 21-22 KCMO had 13+ inches of rain overnight. Parts of Wisconsin according to NWS maps had even more than that. The reason I am mentioning that much rain is that normal home insurance will not cover any damage only flood insurance. Various weather groups have been warning for several years that there would be an increase in this type of downpours. These are creating 500 year plus floods. When I last looked to see if I was eligible there was a $10,000 deductible. Just cleaning out my basement was $15,000 without covering any of the contents. If you have more than bare walls in your basement or the entry is close to the ground surface you need flood insurance.

Edited to add a link over to Hot Topics where they have been discussing the August floods. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/wisconsin-aug-2018-flood-events-dsvw-vd~5461053?n=31

And then there were the two 1,000-year floods in Ellicott City, MD, in less than two years!

Yes, I know that "1,000 year flood" does not mean it happens once every 1,000 years; it's the %-age chance of a flood each year. For "1,000 years", the chances of flooding are 0.1% each year.

My point is that just b/c you have a low chance of flooding, doesn't mean it won't happen.

Can you alter the step to get rid of that 2.4" that extend into the designated flood plain, and the resubmit?

I could but it would cost a bundle. It's a brick staircase that extends out about 10 feet from the main structure. The bottom step ends at a concrete patio/deck. So, I can either reconstruct the staircase and redo the entire cement patio. It would cost at least $4K and I wouldn't be ensured that it would remedy the situation.

Anyone can purchase flood insurance. It costs more for those who are in a flood plain or floodway, but you can still purchase it. Many homes that are not in flood plains will still flood. Last number I read was about 25% of flood claims come from those not in a flood plain.

If you can alter the step and then have another elevation certificate submitted, you may be able to get a better price on the insurance. I know that when we submitted an elevation certificate on our last home, it saved us over 1K a year. You live in the house long enough, it pays for itself.

I have not looked for a couple of years and things changed but at that time State Farm was the only one selling it in this area. They declined to offer coverage outside of a recognized flood plain. It may be a state regulation that flood insurance is available to everyone or a change in the law since I looked probably 8 years ago. One thing that most people do not realize is that any water that is on the top of the ground and enters your house is considered by most insurance companies to be flood water.