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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.

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    • CommentAuthorAMG
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021
     
    We have a 1970s bungalow in Fife that looks out directly onto the sea, approx 1.5-2m metres above seal level (behind a sea wall) that we will be renovating completely. What flood defences would you put into place now? The floor is suspended timber with a void of 75-80 cm and house foundations I imagine are off the rock.
    Timber suspended floor has no insulation btw.

    The sea wall will be one defence.
    The garden appears to be higher than neighbours and also slops downwards towards the shore.
    Would you consider waterproofing walls? Filling or closing the void? Take out timber floor and replace with concrete block beam slab? Any other ideas or would you sell up and not have the worry?
    Thanks
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021 edited
     
    Posted By: AMG1.5-2m metres above seal level
    oink oink!

    What does 'sea level' mean here? mean between hi and lo tides, or 100yr high tide or something? If the former it already sounds v slim; if the latter then I guess shd see you thro for a century or so - but the danger will be storms and tidal surges that go way higher than hitherto deviations from mean. All will depend on the sea wall - plenty of times waves will peak higher than your garden?

    The other thing will be water table, which will be saline?
    • CommentAuthorAMG
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021
     
    Sea level being the high tide mark. Not sure on what the highest tide has been in the past. So far despite various fife storms, nothing has come over the wall. The waves do crash onto rocks that take a lot of the energy out.
    Don't know much about sea water table.
    What preventative measures if any would anyone do?
    • CommentAuthorMike1
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021
     
    I'd certainly consider selling; it depends on your resistance to stress & financial position. In particular you may be able get insurance now, but that may become impossible in the future. I imagine that would restrict the potential buyers if you sell later - which may or may not bother you.

    Options if you stay? Maybe:
    Build a second floor containing all the key rooms, or at least convert the loft? Even rebuild on a pontoon?
    Build an elevated parking space
    Install everything necessary to live off-grid, even if only as a backup
    Fit an anti-backflow device to the drain(s), so you don't get sewage pushed back up into the house
    Move all low electric outlets to door handle height
    Position all kitchen electrical devices (cooker, washing machine, fridge) above worktop level
    Build kitchen 'units' in brick, rather than installing chipboard cupboards - or use commercial stainless steel units
    Replace the ground floor with solid (calculating to make sure the insulation won't float it!)
    Use tiles / other water-tolerant floor coverings
    Replace gypsum plaster / plasterboard with lime plaster & breathable paint
    Don't use water-sensitive cavity wall insulation

    Of course most of those are precautionary rather than preventative.
    • CommentAuthorjms452
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021
     
    Posted By: Mike1I'd certainly consider selling; it depends on your resistance to stress & financial position. In particular you may be able get insurance now, but that may become impossible in the future. I imagine that would restrict the potential buyers if you sell later - which may or may not bother you.


    +1

    especially in a few years after you have invested cash and hard work in it - most people think in terms of 5 years so it's probably quite sellable at the moment.
    • CommentAuthorphiledge
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2021
     
    The environment agency do a guide to flood protecting houses so Id start by reading that.

    First thing Id look at is how big is the flood plain behind the sea wall. If its small then it wont take much overtopping to get damaging water levels around the house. If its a large flood plain then likely youll not get the water very deep. Remember than so long as the defences dont fail, the tide is only at its highest for an hour or two.

    Unless you excavate around the house and fully repoint down to foundation level, brickwork will likely always leak. Youll likely get water coming in through the walls, air bricks, gas/electric cables/ducts, sewers etc etc. If you seal up all those and make some 1 metre high boards to seal doors, Id use the space under the suspended floor as a sump and install a fair size submersible pump powered from a generator stored above 1 metre or in the loft with the exhaust vented outside.

    Because your thinking about flooding and probablg taking some action, youll probablh never have s problem🤞
    • CommentAuthorShevek
    • CommentTimeJul 1st 2021
     
    Sell and move before it becomes financially impossible.
  1.  
    My 2d worth is wot Shevek said.
    • CommentAuthorphiledge
    • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2021 edited
     
    We're a good metre below high water spring tides and quite comfortable living on a reclaimed estuary shared with hundreds of other houses, a large retail park and a large industrial/comercial park a few miles away. We have a enormous flood plain to soak up any overtopping and theres a raised roadway acting as a dyke between us and the canalised river.

    How much risk the OP is at depends on the geography and the population. A couple of houses on a small flood plain, then expect to get flooded as maintaining sea defences for a few is lower priority. If its a town at risk then much more likely that someone is keeping an eye on the defences and upgrading as required.

    Its difficult to say if someone should sell up without knowing the details. Theres definitely no exodus from our area😁
    • CommentAuthorShevek
    • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2021
     
    Posted By: philedgeIts difficult to say if someone should sell up without knowing the details. Theres definitely no exodus from our area😁

    The problem is when it becomes easier to know—when you have the details—it will be too late. Nobody will want to buy and it may become uninsurable.

    And even if one's coastal property isn't physically at risk, that may not matter if properties near by are, because people will start thinking as above.
  2.  
    Move to somewhere at least 10 miles from the coast and 50 feet above sea level.
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