I often meet with clients who have purchased property in flood zones who really don't understand what flood zone they are in, and the affect this will have on the design of there dream home.

There are two flood zone that in the coastal high hazard areas that need to be addressed. The first is the V zone this is the area that most of your typical beachfront or island home fit into. The second flood zone is the A zone which would be your typical coastal flood area, homes that are further inland but still have a potential for flooding from high waters.

A home located in a V zone has to be designed to take the most punishing effects Mother Nature can dish out and survive somewhat intact. Homes in V zones have the foundation designed to allow fast moving water, debris and waves to flow below the elevated home. This is done by having the home elevated on piles, columns or piers which give minimal resistance to floodwaters. This will allow the water to flow completely through the bottom of the elevated structure.

This is why homes located in a V zone will typically have wood louvers, lattice or screening around the bottom perimeter. The perimeter screening is more commonly known as "breakaway" panels. These breakaway panels are designed to break a way from the home and leave only the structural members in the event of a flood.

Home that are in an A zone have far less restraining requirements when it comes to foundation design. Typically A zones will require the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters through flood vents. This will allow the floodwaters to reach equal levels on both sides of the wall. Homes located in A zones are typically not exposed to high water velocity or waves. They are usually located inland but still in close proximity to a waterway. In the foundation design your perimeter can use virtually any material that will allow for the integration of the flood vents into the foundation wall.

All homes located in any flood zone has to have their lowest structural member located above the Base Floor Elevations (BFE). The BFE is the level of the base floodwater usually in feet, in relation to a specific benchmark that is expected in a serve storm. The BFE is a determining factor of how high your first living floor has to be above the benchmark. This is one reason most newer beach homes are so high above the ground.

Often you are not allowed any electrical or open pluming drains below your BFE except for one light switch and one outlet. This is why showers and sinks at most beach houses just drain right on the ground and not into a drain. This is to keep the integrity of the sanitary sewer system in event of a serve flood. Any area below the BFE cannot be used as livable space in any way. There have been many examples where the owners have gone back and made the ground floor into mother in law suites. This activate should always be discouraged as it may affect your homeowners insurance along with the integrity of the home.

Many older home where built before FEMA developed its standards for homes located in flood zones, so you will often see homes where they are built on low crawl spaces or even slabs that are right off the beach. One thing to be aware of, if you renovate, repair or any other improvements exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure, you will have to bring the entire home up to the new building codes and flood zone requirements which will something's make the project unfeasible.

I hope this article will shed some light on to the mystery of flood zones. Your local governments may have different requirements when it comes to floor zones so always check before you start on any project. You may also check out the FEMA web site for updated information on your local flood zone. You may also be able to work with FEMA about reclassification of your home if it in an older floor zone.