The five types of floodproofing. Know your options!

The five types of floodproofing. Know your options!


6 minute read

Floodproofing is adjusting, remodeling, or rebuilding your house or any other construction to make it more durable and safe in case of flooding. Thinking about floodproofing their property, many people just stick to the most familiar solutions. There is a sense in such an approach. Indeed, there is no point in mending something that has been working for ages.

floodproofing

However, due to climate change, global warming, and some other factors, floods are not just happening more often, but their character and potential change from one year to another. In other words, the good old sandbagging may not work for your property anymore simply because you won't have time to build the dike if a flash flood is on the way.

That is why in this article, we decided to go over the 5 fundamental means of floodproofing so you could learn your options and maybe find an alternative that will work better for you in the future.

Why is it essential to floodproof your house?

Is there a point in floodproofing if the floods in your area are not something life-threatening? Let's go over the main benefits of proper floodproofing:

  • It saves you a great deal of money. Any kind of water damage devalues your property and will eventually require some serious investment into mending;
  • Most floodproofing solutions are much cheaper than your losses in case of flooding;
  • You can ask a higher price for your floodproofed estate once you put it on the market;
  • floodproofing allows you to take control over your future, gives you peace of mind and confidence;
  • Even if water gets into the house, floodproofing will minimize its damaging impact on your property.

The types of floodproofing.

Now that we talked about why you may want to floodproof your property, let's talk about your options. In fact, there are at least 5 of them. 

It is essential to understand that you can mix and match different floodproofing methods or adjust them according to your current situation, landscape, type of property, and other factors.

In some cases, you may become a victim of several different types of floods in the same area, and in this case, a kind of floodproofing may simply not work for a particular type of flood.

For example, sandbagging that we have already mentioned and which rem, as one of the most popular means of floodproofing, is useless when it comes to intense flash floods which may cover your area in a matter of several minutes absolutely unexpectedly.

That said, let's explore the 5 fundamental types of floodproofing.

Relocation

floodproofing

It may sound pretty illogical or otherwise noticeable, but relocation is one of the primary types of floodproofing.

No, we don't suggest that you just leave your property behind, grab your things and move to a""dry"" town. Relocation as a floodproofing method means moving the property itself to a safer place.

This method of floodproofing is not only available for trailers or tiny houses, as you might have thought. In fact, many buildings can easily be relocated using special techniques. Experienced contractors who are familiar with such procedures can quickly relocate a cottage and even an apartment building.

The idea is to relocate your house into a more floodproof place. It can be a high place on your own property or even a different lot in a safer area.

This type of floodproofing makes sense if floods threatening your property are higher than 6 feet, which means that no other available means to block water away will be efficient.

Elevation

floodproofing

Like relocation, this men's of floodproofing makes perfect sense if you face extreme floods with water regularly going above the 6-foot mark.

Such floods are standard for coastal areas and settlements located next to large water bodies like rivers or lakes.

That is why buildings are often constructed elevated there from the very beginning. However, an experienced contractor may easily promote any building preventing water from getting directly into your living room.

Floodwalls

floodproofing

It is another permanent floodproofing solution, which is considered pretty efficient for many areas. Building a concrete wall as tall as possible around your property will add some privacy to your backyard by preventing water from getting on your land.

However, floodwalls have their pitfalls also (pun intended). If your landscape is not even, and floodwater may change currencies next to your property, floodwalls may simply fail in the face of such a flooding event. That is why this level of floodproofing is mainly recommended to flat, wide-open areas.

Wet floodproofing

floodproofing

This method means replacing building materials and furniture, and appliances on your property with special floodproof ones.

This method makes sense if you get regularly exposed to slow yet frequent floods, which often cause significant damage to basements, garages, and the first floor. Such floods may happen at least twice a year due to heavy rainfall and other precipitation. Therefore floodwalls and sandbagging dikes may simply appear inefficient against them.

Wet floodproofing will require some serious investment and a very detailed approach to the choice of materials and technics you are planning to use. Those materials should be resistant to rust, fungus, and other natural outcomes of water damage.

Flood barriers

Unlike all the types of floodproofing listed above, flood barriers are not some kind of permanent construction. Technically those are shutters that block water off your house sealing door passages, gates, and sometimes even windows.

The main benefit of flood barriers is that this floodproofing method does not require any professional assistance or special skills to be installed. It will literally take you several minutes to deploy your flood barriers and even less time to remove them once the water retreats.

Another benefit of flood barriers is that they hardly take any storage place and, unlike sandbagging, can be reused multiple times.

Contact Dam Easy Flood Barriers today and learn about our innovative floodproofing solutions. We shall gladly answer all your questions and create a personalized kit of flood barriers that will perfectly match your property's measurements and architect peculiarities.

Flood Barrier Door Dam - Ultimate Flood Gate

Flood Barrier Door Dam - Ultimate Flood Gate

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DAM EASY® FLOOD GATE - DOOR DAM    Floods are becoming more common around the world. What was once a 100-year phenomenon is now a seasonal trend that homeowners must deal with.   That’s EXACTLY why you need this Dam Easy Flood… Read More

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