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4 Smart Ways To Flood-Proof Your House

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Your residential house is most likely your biggest and most expensive investment&period; It is also your private and safe abode that can protect you and your family from various elements&period; With that said&comma; you need to take necessary precautions to keep it safe from other elements and natural disasters that can damage and destroy it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Flood is one of the main concerns of many residents&comma; especially for those living in flood prone areas&period; Although it is recommended to avoid building a house in flood-prone areas&comma; there are some perfectly built houses in the real estate market that are too tempting to pass up&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">To that end&comma; many homeowners&comma; such as yourself&comma; face this kind of problem every time the rainy season starts&period; If you have a house that constantly gets flooded during heavy rainfall&comma; you need to consider flood-proofing your home to prevent water damage&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; center"><img class&equals;"aligncenter" alt&equals;"" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;farm9&period;staticflickr&period;com&sol;8459&sol;8023108474&lowbar;960482b575&period;jpg" width&equals;"530" height&equals;"405" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What Exactly Is Flood-Proofing&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">These are steps taken to prevent the damages and destruction caused by flooding to a building&period; Flood-proofing a residential house requires homeowners&comma; architects&comma; and home builders to engage in detailed evaluation of the possibility of building a house in high-risk flood-prone locations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">In addition to structural measures&comma; these steps also involves preparing plans to initiate emergency measures in case of flood&comma; such as moving furniture and valuables to the upper area of the house&comma; blocking openings&comma; and safe evacuation procedures&period; Although flood-proofing is not the cure for flood problems&comma; it is still an excellent and smart way to lower the potential damage&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">The benefits of taking necessary precautions include the following&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Protects your home from possible damage<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Save time and money in case of another flood<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Increase the property&&num;8217&semi;s value<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Lower homeowners insurance costs<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Preventive measures are usually less costly than repair costs<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Lower your anxiety in case of another heavy rainfall which might lead to another flood&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>How To Prevent Your Home From Flood<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Dry Flood-Proofing<&sol;strong>&colon;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">This preventive measure refers to the structural changes applied to your house&period; Basically&comma; it means sealing your home to keep it dry&period; Here are a few tips to do this&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>The walls must be coated with rubberized sheet or must have special waterproofing compounds&period; The walls can also be made of brick&comma; concrete&comma; or stone&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>The openings must be temporarily sealed with sandbags or detachable shields&period; The areas you must seal include the doors&comma; sewer lines&comma; vents&comma; and windows&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Remember though that this preventive measure is not advisable for areas that experience floods that reach up to two to three feet above ground level&period; In addition&comma; it is also not recommended for homes with basements or crawl spaces&period; As a tip&comma; you must ask your contractor whether dry flood-proofing can protect your home from flash floods&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Construct Flood Walls<&sol;strong>&colon;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">You must consult your home builder who is familiar with the flooding tendencies of the region before constructing flood walls&period; This will help them evaluate what kind of flood wall they can construct to protect your home from water damage&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Elevate Your Home<&sol;strong>&colon;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Another option is to elevate your house&period; For instance&comma; you can raise your lowest floor above the most likely flood level&period; If your house foundation was damaged from the previous flood&comma; you will need to repair the foundation first before considering this procedure&period; Elevating the house is one of the cheapest and most practical options&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify"><strong>Install Warning Systems<&sol;strong>&colon;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Installing this type of system is beneficial if your house has a basement&period; This system will warn you in case your basement starts to flood&period; This will provide you with more time to prepare for the flood and to decide what you should do before the flood gets out of hand&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify">Lastly&comma; you must also purchase a homeowners policy that can provide coverage for flood&period; You must look for a policy that can protect you from flood damage&period; If your home insurance only covers wind damages&comma; you must get a separate flood insurance policy to protect your house from this kind of disaster&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h5>Citations&colon;<&sol;h5>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>University of Salford Press&period;&&num;8221&semi;Flooding&&num;8221&semi;&period; September 25&comma; 2012&period; Online Image&period; Flickr&period; July 19&comma; 2013<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h5>Featured images&colon;<&sol;h5>&NewLine;<p><span class&equals;"license">License&colon; Creative Commons<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span class&equals;"source">image source<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This guest post is written by Kris Hopkins who recently remodeled her home and followed these simple flood-proofing methods&period; She also recommends her readers to purchase a flood insurance policy at Advantage Insurance Agency&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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