Want to renovate? First, elevate your house, government says – Sun Sentinel
Article Synopsis – In response to the growing threat of sea level rise, local governments in south Florida are now requiring homes in flood-prone areas to be raised before they can be built or substantially renovated. A ‘substantial’ renovation is any work that amounts to 50 percent or more of the home’s value at the time the work is done. Complicating matters is the fact that some cities include past renovations when determining whether the new project amounts to half of a home’s value. The regulation, a result of new federal flood maps adopted in 2014, could affect the more than 700,000 homeowners in South Florida that live in flood-prone areas and carry federally backed flood insurance. To read the actual article click here.