If you live in a flood zone you have to do a Flood Zone Build. Be sure you take all precautions possible by using the stem-wall method for your foundation. By using this method vs. a solid concrete foundation, the builder is able to gain height. Height in a flood zone is always a good thing when building new. With this particular new-build, the 2-story Victorian house required a 3′ foundation or “stem wall”. As you can see in the photos, the floor joist are stacked (on top of the foundation and not hung, giving us 1 foot in height. To this day (23 years later), this house has never flooded.
Foundation – Stem Wall
In addition to this foundation, we went on to add a new foundation to the property’s 200 year old Victorian home which was previously on a dirt foundation and redwood frame. The house was leaning. The method on this project was to lift the house, frame the foundation, then set the home on top of the new stem-wall foundation.
