Adjacent property elevation

[Lou]

Hello All,

I plan to build a waterfront home in Pasco County Florida this year. The first floor elevation vs. the BFE is clear. My question is regarding the elevation of the parking “slab” under the first floor. I have not found what the elevation should be relative to the crown in the road, and more importantly can I match the elevation of a 1960's neighbors home which everyone suspects elevation is higher than current building code?

Thanks.

Lou

 

[mark handler]

That is a decision that can only be made by the AHJ. there is nothing in the building code that allows a deviation of a zoning code.

 

[steveray]

Talk to the AHJ....The building code likely does not care. As Mark indicated, zoning would have the answer and it should be on your site plan for them to approve...

 

[my250r11]

Ask the local floodplain manager, they can probably help you also. In general parking is okay but the construction of walls and egress need to meet certain requirement in flood zones.

 

[Lou]

Thanks for every ones input. I searched the local building code and Florida building code but couldn't find anything regarding the ground floor elevation relative to the road but I may not be using the correct search terms. Outside of an official answer neighbors have told me everything from soup to nuts. One response caught my attention, a friend told me the county could not object to my house's elevation matching a neighbors elevation due to water runoff and the close proximity to the houses.

In any case I will update with what I find. Naturally I want to maximize the elevation due to frequent high tides and minor flooding.

 

[ADAguy]

What is sites elevation relative to the coast and other standing/flowing bodies of water?
Last hurricane through the area?

 

[Lou]

The elevation of the lot varies 2.2 - 4.9, I don't know if this is mean high water or mean water level. The area was hit with hurricane about 60 years ago, there was a flood in the early 90s.

 

[Paul Sweet]

It would be a local zoning or floodplain issue, not building code. Flood waters should be able to flow over the parking area, and not be diverted onto other properties.

Have you had soil borings taken and evaluated? Some coastal areas have highly compressible muck far below the surface, and if you put in too much fill it will compress the muck and cause the ground to settle.

 

[Lou]

The geotechnical survey indicates I will need to drive pilings to support the columns. I haven't considered whether the slab will settle or not. The soil is mostly crushed limestone and silt from the canal dredging.

The county refers to FEMA for floodplain management. I hope to get started this spring I should have more answers then.

 

[ADAguy]

Sounds full of potential issues, consider your investment and intended length of stay. Can you get flood and hurricane insurance?

 

[north star]

$ ~ $

Lou,

As others have mentioned, discuss this thoroughly with
the AHJ and a certified Floodplain Manager BEFORE
doing anything.........You may be opening up a very large
can of expensive worms [ so-to-speak ].

If you DO decide to pursue this, you should document,
...document, ...document and document some more.
Get everything in writing.......The neighbor's elevation
and property are not your primary concern.......Finding
out for certain about your plans; in writing, should be.
IMO, I strongly recommend that you perform a VERY
thorough "Due Diligence Investigation" beforehand.

Also, ...are you aware that Pasco County has a lot of
Sink Holes ?.......This is one link to a map of Sink Holes
in Florida.......There are other maps available online.
http://www.earthtech.com/residential/sinkhole-truth/florida-sinkhole-locations/

Are you sure that you really want to build here ?
Talking about a true "Money Pit"... Aye carumba !


$ ~ $