• FLOODS of '08 VIDEO
Have you thought about putting your house on stilts? Some people have actually done it! Others will be required to if they want to stay in their flood prone homes. One Coralville neighborhood that already went through that process, but, was it enough to keep their homes dry during the Floods of ’08.
15 years ago Kevin Kacena's home looked a lot different than it does now. The floods changed the landscape of his entire Coralville neighborhood.
"It was about this deep in '93 -- probably about 5 1/2 ‘’ deep and that was on my first level floor".
After that, Kevin decided to rebuild and elevate.
“I did 4’ footing and 8’ walls and it ran me right around $12,000. I'm talking '93 now -- I'm not talking 2008 -- 15 years later."
He's guessing the cost of such a project now -- raising his home 5 feet above the 100 year flood plain...has increased dramatically.
Of the 28 homes in the riverfront estates neighborhood -- all but 6 elevated their homes.
"Some of the people that elevated a foot about the 100 year flood plain got it again."
Many of those neighbors are rebuilding.
"I think they'll probably go a little higher this time."
When we talked to Kevin 2 months ago, his was the second house downstream from the spillway at the Coralville Reservoir. Now, that’s not that case. His neighbor's home, which wasn't elevated, was swept away with the water. The water that was just inches from forcing Kevin to rebuild…yet again.
"It was an inch, inch and a half below this joist."
Kevin is sure elevating is what saved him.
"I wouldn't do it any other way."
Elevating Homes
