Thinking of Raising Your House? – Some Valid Reasons

When Europeans first settled in the Brisbane region, it was not long before they realised that to be comfortable in a sub-tropical climate, houses needed to be high enough to catch sea breezes and open enough to ventilate a steamy interior. As an added bonus, intermittent flooding caused little hardship when the muddy waters could swirl harmlessly under the homes, leaving the living areas intact.

Time and changes in architectural styles saw many variations on the original Queenslander as it came to be called, but a desire to follow overseas trends saw homes placed on concrete slabs on the ground. These proliferated not just in thousands, but hundreds of thousands during many years of dry seasons. A return of monsoonal floods over the last few years now has many homeowners questioning the wisdom of these decisions.

Get Living Space above Flood Level

As a business that specialises in house raising, we are experiencing constant enquiries from home owners wishing to raise their houses from ground level. Here at Black & White Houseraising and Restumping we have dealt with many distressed flood victims who want to stay in their current location, but want the best protection they can get from a recurrence of flooding.

Raising the existing dwelling above flood level gives them the security they need to live without fear of prolonged rain events. The added benefits they experience are an increase in the value of their property as it is now considered flood-free, and a reduction in insurance premiums for the same reason.

Create Extra Living and Storage Space

However, being flood-free is not the only reason we are seeing increased demand for our house raising services. With young people now staying in the family home well into adulthood, space is at a premium and the quickest way to create more living space  is to raise a low-set home. The lower level apartment provides accommodation and storage space without any loss of yard space. It could also serve the same purpose to care for an elderly parent.

Repair Problem Foundations

Old homes constructed before modern building codes came into effect can sometimes have problem foundations, and before undertaking major renovations, home owners need to rectify the situation. They contact Black & White Houseraising and Restumping for our assistance. We are able to raise the house and repair the foundations, leaving them with a building that has literally been renovated from the ground up, increasing its value and appeal to prospective purchasers.

We also undertake house raising just for the purposes of restumping the property. Many old homes were constructed on hardwood poles that have degraded over time and are no longer stable. Some home owners are happy with a low set home, but just want the stumps replaced with concrete ones. Whatever the reason, they contact Black & White Houseraising and Restumping for a professional result.