Design for floodproofing and durability in South Florida

The recent flooding impact on daily life reminds of the vulnerability of South Florida not just to sea level rise and high tides, but flooding from rain. Weather impacts and flooding are no longer isolated incidents, and appear to increase in frequency and intensity. Traditional weather patterns are changing and storm events occur outside of their associated seasons. The design of your home needs to take these climate related changes into account. 

The Florida Building Code (FBC), FEMA flood maps, and local ordinances provide a baseline for new home construction as well as major renovations and additions. The base flood elevation (BFE) for any property can be found in the FEMA flood maps https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home. Some local municipalities have adopted ordinances to increase the BFE to a design flood elevation (DFE), such as Miami Beach using a DFE of BFE +1’, or North Bay Village using BFE +2’. Designing to these standards is required for any new home. Renovations and additions exceeding a certain value are considered a “substantial improvement” and are also required to comply. 

Sebastian Eilert Architecture has been designing projects to a higher standard from its inception in 2006. With our focus on sustainable, durable design – “Nachhaltig” in German – we have elevated homes beyond the code required minimum flood levels for years and have also strongly focused on the implementation of higher sustainable standards for water conversation, operational energy savings, and improved inside air quality.Browse previous posts for more details on these topics.

These design choices are not only smart decisions when it comes to the construction of the new home or major addition, but also ensure that operation and maintenance are optimized to protect your home, your investment. 

Let SEA help you raise your home.