It does not pay to repair walls around enclosures under elevated buildings (unless the walls are shear walls). The Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP) covers damage to the foundation elements required to support the building. Although 2.5 feet of water entered the storage area through the flood vents, instead of a large bill to repair the breakaway walls, says Dan, “I just had to power wash the walls.
BREAKAWAY WALLS INSTALL
Now, when a hurricane moves into the Gulf, he relocates the stored items to the loft until the threat passes.ĭan’s idea to install flood vents in the breakaway walls was tested in 2005 when Hurricane Dennis flooded the neighborhood. He built a loft space in the garage adjacent to the storage room. Knowing the enclosure will flood during future hurricanes, Dan decided to take another precaution to better protect their stored property. Float devices automatically open the vents during a flood to equalize pressure from floodwater so the walls shouldn’t break away until the water gets deep enough for significant wave action. The vents are insulated to allow the storage space to be air conditioned to minimize mold growth in the humid months in the Gulf. He researched hydrostatic pressure and discovered a manufacturer making engineered and certified flood vents, which could help limit future damage while still protecting the primary structure from wave and surge forces.ĭan then had his builder install the flood vents when replacing the breakaway walls.
Many of their neighbors had significant water damage, and several homes were completely destroyed-leaving families homeless and some facing repair bills higher than $250,000.ĭan decided he wanted to do something different when repairing so the breakaway walls wouldn’t fail so easily in future storms. I never anticipated a storm surge that would take everything away, and much of it was irreplaceable,” says Dan. His NFIP flood insurance policy covered some flood damage to the building, but not to the stored belongings, the latter of which Dan estimated were worth about $20,000. Dan estimates it cost about $24,000 to repair the flood damage. In terms of damage to the building, high winds caused minor siding damage. The storm surge associated with Ivan delivered floodwaters considerably higher than the “100-year” (1-percent-annual-chance) level, causing widespread damage throughout the area.Īlthough the Sluka’s main living area was undamaged, when the breakaway walls failed as designed, everything inside the storage area-tools, tapes, personal papers-was washed away. The Sluka’s home performed as designed during Hurricane Ivan, but not quite the way they’d hoped.
During hurricane seasons, he made sure everything was moved so it stood at least 4 feet off the floor. This is where we put things we didn’t have room for,” says Dan. “There isn’t a lot of storage in the main living area. In the years before 2004, when Hurricane Ivan hit the Florida Panhandle, Dan stored his tools, sporting equipment, tapes of past music concerts, and filing cabinets with several years of archived work and personal papers in the enclosed area under the home. The outside air-conditioning unit is installed on a platform several feet above the ground. To improve wind resistance, the house is built with 2”x 6” studs, hurricane straps, windresistant shingles, and hurricane shutters on all doors and windows. The Sluka’s builder surrounded the area under the home with breakaway walls-walls designed to detach during a powerful surge so the home remains structurally sound.
BREAKAWAY WALLS CODE
The code for their county allows areas under elevated homes to be enclosed and used for storage and parking. Their builder used wooden pilings to strengthen the structure of the house against storm surge and to raise the main part of the house several feet higher than the minimum height required by the county. However, because they are only 1,000 feet from the water, they decided to build to the more rigorous V Zone standards. The Sluka’s property is located in Zone AE. “We wanted to take precautions because we knew about the possibility of hurricanes.”
“We wanted to exceed the building code that was administered by the county at the time and asked our builder to use the most recent edition of the code issued by the International Code Council,” says Dan. OKALOOSA COUNTY, FL - Dan Sluka and his wife, Dottie, moved from Detroit, Michigan, to the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2001 after building their dream home in a Special Flood Hazard Area a few miles east of Pensacola, with a view of the Santa Rosa Sound and the Gulf of Mexico beyond.
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