Flooded house? are we mad to buy?

hotpotato

We are thinking of buying a 150 year old terraced house that got flooded with monster rains three months ago for the first time ever. The flood was unwitnessed. There was unprecedented flooding in the city with Monster rain, a phenomenon thats increasing in europe. One month of rain in 24 hours on 24th 2011. If the rain was from the surface then we'd take a chance and buy it and flood proof it. If it came from underneath, or the side, we'd walk away. This is our dream house. We have small babies and have been looking forever. My heart is in this house but I want to take an educated gamble on the flooding with the help of experts obviously.

1. Is it possible to assess where the water came from post flooding?ie was it surface water thru doors and windows or did it rise up through the ground or come from either side? The property was cleaned of water post flood but that's all that was done.

2. Is it possible to tell whether that water had sewage in it months later?

3. Is it possible to block toilet pipes/drains per flood effectively?

4. We are getting a structural engineer in to assess it. Is there such thing as a structural engineer with special interest in flooding. What questions do I need to ask them. How many visits would I expect him to make to the property? What should I expect him to do? How go you assess foundations adequately/look for water entry points without ripping up ALL the floorboards, are penetrative moisture meter readings good? How long does it take to get a report? How can one definitely find out there is no flooding history?

Sorry for long winded questions. Would really appreciate some answers.

archtech

First thing to remember you will not get insurance for Flooding it the property has previously flooded or is considered in the view of the insurance company to be at risk of flooding. In terms of flood proofing a house or any property there's certainly a lot that can be done to migrate against flood damage, flood barriers at doors/openings etc, if there's conc floors, tilling all the floors would be helpful, however it the structure isn't fully waterproofed the flood waters can still penetrate the property through weak points, normally points like pipe penetrations etc.

Personally I would be very slow to recommend a property that has been flooded to a potential purchaser, particularly for use as a dwelling, having witnessed at first hand the effects of floods, in my former place of employment.

bbam

Even at a knock down price I feel you would be mad...

Possibly no insurance
Possibility of flooding again
What damage has been done

There will be another house for you to get excited about...

doctorjohn

Yes

writhen

Don't do it. As bbam said there will be other houses.

touts

Don't touch it. It may have been the first time in 150 years that it flooded and it may be a once in a century weather event but in recent years we have had a lot of once in a century weather event. Extreme weather looks to be Ireland's lot under climate change. Also it may be 150 years old but the last 15 years have more than likely seen huge development in the area so god only knows how the "natural flow" of streams and flood water has changed. If it has flooded take it as a bad sign of likely things to come. There are hundreds of houses for sale. Unless it is a price too good to be true then you will easily find an alternative for the same price (don't look at the asking price, find a house you want in a broadly similar price bracket and make an offer). If the price is too good to be true it probably is.

focus_mad

Echoing previous posts I would have to say yes you are "mad to buy".

The reasons being;

When you say the floods were unprecedented, there is no safeguard on it not happening again. You said it yourself in the first paragraph that you would "take a chance", but let's be honest this is probably one of the biggest purchases of your life so is it worth taking on such a risk?

On the points you have mentioned;

1. If it came through the thresholds that can be averted to a certain extent with drainage located at the doorways however there is the then risk of these drains not being able to cope with flood amounts of water.

2. I believe there are tests to determine whether there has been sewage in this flood water. Not 100% on the ins and outs of that process though.

3. Do you mean block the pipework to prevent flood water from coming into the house?

4. Also may be no harm contacting a building surveyor as they have a knowledge of defects, I.e dampness. I would say 1 / 2 visits? Other people may differ?

There is no easy way to assess foundations without digging unless there are signs of cracking etc that may lead the engineer to believe the foundations have moved etc.

I use a penetrate moisture meter and it's a case of testing areas a number of times to ascertain the troublesome areas.

If it was me I would steer clear. I know you have said its your dream house but can you Imagine the heartache if it flooded every year?

Lantus

The only way to flood proof a house is to knock it down and replace it with a boat.

Buying a house in a flood area is maddness. no insurance, the constant threat of being flooded and losing everything you own.

In the future we will need to remove these houses from flood plains to rebalance the natural systems we have destroyed because planners and progress made us believe we could beat nature. foolish to think so.

There should never be a debate as to whether to buy a house in a known flood area.

BryanF

Lantus wrote: »

to rebalance the natural systems we have destroyed because planners and progress made us believe we could beat nature. foolish to think so.

ha i think you'll find it has very little to do with planners and often more to do with the elected officials that you and I put in place..

muffler

Stick to the topic here please. Thanks.