And yes, your mad .
i am considering buying another house atm,but as its only 5 meters away from the river bank, (general river level is about 2 meters below edge of
garden) it has flooded a few times on the ground floor, about 12" deep at times. this has not occurred for probably about 5 years though.
basically the ground floor consists of a 25' x 25' double integrated garage, a downstairs wc,utility and 25' x 18' reception
room. none of which are lived in.
1st floor has lounge,kitchen,bathroom and 3 beds,
2nd floor has 2 x beds
as you look at the house from the front the garage is to the right and this is where the water can get in. and obviously there is no way of stopping
it from doing so if serious flooding occurs.due to the garage door.
now for a couple of questions;
1; if i were to tank all the internal ground floor walls up to 1 meter high, and put a couple of 6" steps out of garage into the other ground
floor rooms,raising the floor level,would this be adequate for insurance reasons to make the ground floor habitable? and insuring contents
2; its a stone built house and is reasonably old. i would say 1940's to 1950's. so is flooding likely to cause permanent damage? the
actual floods are only caused when localised flooding and extreme high tides occur at the same time so generally will only be flooded for a 3-4 hours
at a time maximum. and maybe on average once every 3-4 years!
3; what tanking systems work best to prevent water penetrating?
Yes
You're mad
Insurance companies won't touch you with each other's! (going on what I've heard after every flood anyway)
I doubt you would get a mortgage company either
And yes, your barking mad!
There was talk recently of the agreement between the government and the Association of British Insurers not being extended beyond the 2013 expiry
date. Currently insurers agree to continue insuring you (probably hiking the premiums) despite claims but once that agreement expires they can then
refuse you insurance.
Is it really worth the hassle of buying a flood prone house and would your car insurance not also rise if it is being kept in a flood prone area?
Bonkers, dont do it
Occassionally will become permmanantly very soon
Mad or insane - take your pick! Difficult to mortgage and difficult to insure = difficult to sell on. Plenty of places about with views of rivers rather than in them. This situation will almost certainly get worse not better, unless, of course, it is at an unmissable price because of it's flood history??
woof woof - barking - seriously talk to mortgage and insurance people before doing anything - they will tell you.
There is an upside to it. It will be great for fishing.
And yes, your mad .
if its the right price and location, and you like it, lots of people live with flooding, its just one of those things, mmaybe raise the garage floor and or put a bank around to shield the house, have some sand bags at the ready, if its only for a short period of flood, and you know it will happen, adapt and enjoy.
It'll be cheap then, if you have the cash... Mortgage and insurance be pretty difficult to get as per above
Fishing rights included!
On a serious note it is very cheap, but like you guys say, it's been for sale for quite a while and one sale fell though at last minute.
Several friends of ours were washed out by the big flood in 2008.
One of them has a house on the river at Morpeth, he has 9' ceilings, and at its worst had 7' in his living room.
He left the house on the friday night in a dinghy from upstairs, the Saturday was the big flood which trashed a lot of Morpeth town centre.
He still lives there, his insurance paid up without problem, his current policy is one he negotiated and is tied into for 5 years. He has various bits
of fittings on his external doors to add flood gates. Couple of scares since 2008, when he moves everything upstairs.
There are still uninsured houses in Morpeth not been touched since the flood in 2008.Since then a new bungalow got built on the riverside his garage
is the first level, with all living accomodation on the first floor. He regularly loses bits of his back garden, generally in November.
Sounds like this has been thought of by who ever built the one your looking at, might be worth having a chat with the local NRA guy, he will know the
water courses. It depends on the the locality, and how much your wanting to live there.
ie high insurance and the risk of your garage full of brown water every couple of years (sewage)
Buying a house close to known flooded areas are really a big no no. If you are trying to get a mortgage, you will find that you will most likely be
turned down flat. Like a ton of bricks. If you are paying cash for the house then you will find the insurances a big problem.
If you are really set on this property and there is no others around that will serve your purpose, your best bet will be to go to the local council,
tell them your problem, they should have a list of civil engineers who would come out and give you ideas and possible costs to put this property
right.
The mortgage company will keep a retainer of the money you are borrowing for the mortgage untill this flooding problem is rectified and then the
retaining monies will be then released.
I hope this helps.
I went through this once and it was frightening and gave me nightmares through the day never mind the night.
I nearly lossed my marriage over it, but it came right on the night.
It might look like a big black tunnel to start with but eventually you get through it.
Mick
You can alter the external water defences to the house, but the drains overflow and push back into the house via the waste pipes you have.
I am not set on this house for definate, but if it could be bought for the right price and gradually done up over next few years, I am sure it would
prove a bit of a money maker!
Problem is I would need to borrow a load more money than I already have on my mortgage. Which may prove difficult.
just to note. the river is not very big and is fairly fast flowing. its around 3-4 meters wide and about 4 foot deep in the middle. not exactly the nile!
You're unlikely to secure a mortgage on the property. I've just bought my new home with a mortgage, it wasn't easy - and the house
doesn't have a history of flooding.
You're unlikely to get flood cover on the insurance, though this isn't rare these days.
You're unlikely to sell the house quickly if you need to.
If the above isn't important to you, you like the house, just buy it and enjoy. Life is short. That's what I've done in the past - I
bought a superb place next to a *huge* telecoms mast, I mean huge, really huge. Selling it when I was made redundant was difficult (cancer scares,
etc.), remains the biggest financial loss I've ever made. Really enjoyed though when I had it. Life is short.
I enjoy kayaking. I suggest you take it up too.
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
just to note. the river is not very big and is fairly fast flowing. its around 3-4 meters wide and about 4 foot deep in the middle. not exactly the nile!
i would honestly love to get into kayaking! i already have a mortgage and would probably have almost 40% equity in the new property. meaning i would be still borrowing 60% which may prove difficult! if i moved there. i would never move again. it would be a dream home to settle in. and has loads of living accommodation on 1st and 2nd floors. with 5 bedrooms. kit car could live on trailer in garage away from potential fllood risk.
I believe you can get fittings in your soil pipes to stop backflow. Failing than, run all downstairs wastes via a saniflow up to the first floor, and
drop it into a soil pipe up there. Thus backflow has to reach first floor to get in.
However, im not sure a small stream flooding would cause sewers to backflow immediately, depends on the local setup i suspect.
It could be that you can live with it and manage the problem, and insurance/mortgage might be the only problem.
Mate of mine used to live right by the river and when the weather was nice it was great
That flooded a few times and the river used to even come up through the floor in the lounge
The smell of Rat p*ss etc was awful and it used to take ages to dry out even with Dehumidifiers going full tilt
After about 3 years of trying he managed to sell it at a much reduced price
He also had all the insurance problems mentioned above (premium was very high and nobody else would quote)
Seeing what he went through i wouldn't touch one with a bargpole...
the thing is that the ground floor floors are all concrete and walls are all stone. so there is no wood to rot or smell etc, no carpets down. living
area is on 1st and second floor and i cant imagine 3-4 hours of 6"-12" flood water every 3-4 years causing too many problems! other than
insurance and mortgage.
if there was no 2nd floor,or groung floor was lived in,it would be a definate no go but in this instance i dont think its too bad!
To do proper due diligence on this one I would approach the local Council or other official bodies to find out if they had done 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 year flood lines - if they have it should be easy to check possible height of truly big floods in your location - also check what highest flood was in recent memory and how it equated to the above flood lines.
I actually live about 100 meters away from that house now. And from recent memory I'd say about 10 years ago there was 10" to 12" of flood/tide water on the ground floor
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/default.aspx
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
1; if i were to tank all the internal ground floor walls up to 1 meter high, and put a couple of 6" steps out of garage into the other ground floor rooms,raising the floor level,would this be adequate for insurance reasons to make the ground floor habitable? and insuring contents
You sound enthusiastic, your ability to borrow the money on a flood prone property will be a deciding factor. It is not flood resistant to 5 year events let alone 100 year events.......Cockermouth nearby?!....over 12"of rain there in 24 hours......I once bid in an auction for a cliff edge property in Devon, really cheap and still there 12 years later....
I would NEVER entertain it.
You only need to get flooded out just once, and your insurance costs would rocket. (let alone trying to re-sell it later on) Flooding WILL have an
effect on the resale price, and also the desirability for other buyers to buy it in years to come. You are already concerend about this property, and
its not even yours (yet). Think what others would be thinking if you owned it and then try to sell it.
Not to mention the heartache and Ballache of having to get the place dried out, sewage removed, replastered, lost personal items that cannot be
replaced, and then filled with new carpets, furniture etc. Its rare that the insurance company will stump up for everything you claim for. So you
could be out of pocket as well if it floods.
Think long and VERY HARD about this. Its probably the most expensive purchase you will make in your life (a House). Play safe and dont get it
wrong.
It wouldnt matter how cheap it was... I would NEVER buy on a flood plain.
Sorry... But Its TOO big a issue to get this wrong.
Good luck with what ever you decide.
Slight confusion in mortgage details. I would be selling my current house and moving into the house mentioned. Not 2 seperate mortgages. Thanks for the comments though.
Ok silly idea time but...
Instead of trying to tide proof the house, could you not creat an embankment type of thingy round the garden to stop the water getting near the
house.
Also in terms of how long water damage can last for, property's in Harwich still have problem with where they were flood'd back in the
1950's (or was it 60's) even though they havn't been flood since!
And lastly, just because you are willing to put up with 'a little bit of water' now, how are you going to feel 10 or 20 years down the line,
things you happily laugh off when your younger ain't so funny the older you get. Especially if you can't sell the house becuase of the
flooding when you are fed up with it.
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
Slight confusion in mortgage details. I would be selling my current house and moving into the house mentioned. Not 2 seperate mortgages. Thanks for the comments though.
Some good advice in this video regarding this quandry house buying advice
Cheers,
Bob
Apologies if someone else has already commented as follows - I couldn't be bothered to read all four pages 
Is the house actually in a fluvial flood plain? Does the area benefit from flood defences? Have you checked this with the Environment Agency?
If you PM the postcode I'll check for you.
Dan
Yes... you are!
One word for you: MOULD not good. Please consider this carefully before you regret it. Insurance is the least of your issues. Those scoundrels try to weasel out of anything, whether you live by a river or not.
spoken with estate agent today, and they say there is no problem with house insurance at all. under £200 per year with boarderway from carlisle. but no contents on ground floor insured for flood damage
Did you ask them about getting some flood prevention in? I'm thinking building up a bank at the end of the garden might well be the easiest 
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
I'm thinking building up a bank at the end of the garden might well be the easiest
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
spoken with estate agent today, and they say there is no problem with house insurance at all. under £200 per year with boarderway from carlisle. but no contents on ground floor insured for flood damage
Your Estate Agent is right....until 2013 currently
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/blog/2011/dec/19/insurers-deplore-lack-progress-flood-insurance
I once designed a block of apartments at the side of a river. My client was told that the Planning Application was opposed by the River Authority so
before the Council met, he arranged a presentation to locals including councillers at a local hotel with nice pictures and wine / cheese and crackers,
and some polite conversation. The site was in a prominent position and was prior to development an eye-sore. The Planning Committee met, the advice of
the River Authority was ignored and the scheme went ahead.
A condition was that the floor level should be 600mm above the 20 year flood line which coincided with the 100 year flood prediction.
Having got Planning Approval my job was done.
Several months later I got a phone call to say the foundations were being dug and after rain was already in flood. Work was suspended till it dried
out.
About a year later, severe floods hit the country with pictures in the paper of typical flood stories, and there was a picture of my design with the
Fire Brigade helping residents out of their apartments by rubber boat cos they were cut off. The 100 year flood line as predicted occurred that
year.
The River Authority had warned that as various towns got larger and more areas got paved over, the ground could not absorb the rain and so water
courses flooded. It would only get worse.
The point is :
- Dont risk it not happening cos it will, and it will get worse.
The NRA did have guidance on protecting properties with removable boards to go across doorways, etc which might be worth reading, but you now have the
facts. Its upto you to consider the risk.
I've registered on this site just to make this point.
[Edited on 22/1/12 by BryanC]
quote:
3; what tanking systems work best to prevent water penetrating?
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
the thing is that the ground floor floors are all concrete and walls are all stone. so there is no wood to rot or smell etc, no carpets down. living area is on 1st and second floor and i cant imagine 3-4 hours of 6"-12" flood water every 3-4 years causing too many problems! other than insurance and mortgage.
if there was no 2nd floor,or groung floor was lived in,it would be a definate no go but in this instance i dont think its too bad!
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
the thing is that the ground floor floors are all concrete and walls are all stone. so there is no wood to rot or smell etc, no carpets down. living area is on 1st and second floor and i cant imagine 3-4 hours of 6"-12" flood water every 3-4 years causing too many problems! other than insurance and mortgage.
if there was no 2nd floor,or groung floor was lived in,it would be a definate no go but in this instance i dont think its too bad!
Concrete and stone won't rot, but they are absorbent (of, not stone, but the mortar joints) and they will soak the water up, and they will smell. And take ages to dry. I think masonry takes a month for every inch to dry.
And don't underestimate the hassle of even small floods. If you car is parked there, it may get written off, anything wet may well need to be thrown away.
For all the potential grief, it really isn't worth it.
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Yes
You're mad
Insurance companies won't touch you with each other's! (going on what I've heard after every flood anyway)
If it were me and I had my heart set on buying, I would look at flood defense or even a sump pump of some description. Just to keep the water out of the buildings, rather than stop the flood. Could be costly though, and e size of pumps required could require three phases.
i have now been in contact with insurance and current owner just to try and get some answers. it appears that the property has only been flooded once
in the last 20 years due to a massive tide and bad flooding,which resulted in a damaged washing machine which was on the ground floor.
insurance covers building and all contents including ground floor for under £200. and some flood defenses have apparrently been installd to stop water
getting into the garage.( i have not seen what these are yet)
think i might go and check it all over with a good builder friend of mine who actually lives in the house i mentioned previously about 30-40 yards
away!
my main concern is any potential damage which could have already occured to the property in previous years as i would be tanking out all walls and
floors on ground floor and use it as a gym and store for my trailer.
itt never ever floods from localised flooding as its location is good in that respect,even the largest fo floods can not raise the river level even
close enough to overflow. the problem is when freak tides occur at the same time.
i think i should go and check the property properly and look at flood defenses
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
i have now been in contact with insurance and current owner just to try and get some answers. it appears that the property has only been flooded once in the last 20 years due to a massive tide and bad flooding,which resulted in a damaged washing machine which was on the ground floor.
insurance covers building and all contents including ground floor for under £200. and some flood defenses have apparrently been installd to stop water getting into the garage.( i have not seen what these are yet)
think i might go and check it all over with a good builder friend of mine who actually lives in the house i mentioned previously about 30-40 yards away!
my main concern is any potential damage which could have already occured to the property in previous years as i would be tanking out all walls and floors on ground floor and use it as a gym and store for my trailer.
itt never ever floods from localised flooding as its location is good in that respect,even the largest fo floods can not raise the river level even close enough to overflow. the problem is when freak tides occur at the same time.
i think i should go and check the property properly and look at flood defenses
quote:
Originally posted by contaminated
quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
i have now been in contact with insurance and current owner just to try and get some answers. it appears that the property has only been flooded once in the last 20 years due to a massive tide and bad flooding,which resulted in a damaged washing machine which was on the ground floor.
insurance covers building and all contents including ground floor for under £200. and some flood defenses have apparrently been installd to stop water getting into the garage.( i have not seen what these are yet)
think i might go and check it all over with a good builder friend of mine who actually lives in the house i mentioned previously about 30-40 yards away!
my main concern is any potential damage which could have already occured to the property in previous years as i would be tanking out all walls and floors on ground floor and use it as a gym and store for my trailer.
itt never ever floods from localised flooding as its location is good in that respect,even the largest fo floods can not raise the river level even close enough to overflow. the problem is when freak tides occur at the same time.
i think i should go and check the property properly and look at flood defenses
Start by putting the postcode in here.
http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=531500.0&y=181500.0&topic=floodmap&ep=map&scale=3&location=London,%2 0City%20of%20London&lang=_e&layerGroups=default&textonly=off#x=531500&y=208019&lg=1,&scale=3