Should houses built on flood plains be built on stilts?

Question

Why not 2 meter stilts and a rubber boat kept under the house?

To those who say"don't build on flood plains" have you realised we have run out of space?

http://www.optimumpopulation.org/opt.more.ukpoptable.html

To the American answerers I should have said: "Have you realised the UK has run out of space?"

It HAS and if you don't bother to look at the links below which prove this then I am unable to comment fruther

http://www.optimumpopulation.org/opt.imagine.html

Answer 1

Well i suppose its a good idea only as a last resort, (I'm talking as if we shouldn't build on flood plains at all).

Answer 2

I presented that same suggestion to our county board of supervisors when they decided to build on a flood plain in this area that had been set aside strictly for farming through a government grant. Contractors and builders don't really care. They are take-the-money-and-run people who don't even live in the area. If city hall is corrupt and only wants to make money for themselves under the table then you are set up for another Katrina. Better stilts and a boat than a major flood with loss of lives. We are still fighting our corrupt city hall in Merced, CA. The problem has gone all the way to the state capitol and we will not give up.

Answer 3

Yes they should be built on stilts, and you try not to build on a flood plain, but that is were the water for the city will be. And we haven't ran out of space, I don't know where you live, but live in the US. Mostly California and while LA is very crowded, 50 miles away there is open space almost as far as the eye can see. Plus the fact that every place outside of a major city as vast amounts of open land.

Answer 4

We haven't run out of space no matter what anyone tells you.

If you packed the entire population of the planet together at the density of New Delhi, we'd all fit in New Jersey.

btw... stilts can get washed away in floods, too. Instead of a rubber boat underneath, building the house on pontoons so it would float when the stilts wash away would be a better idea.

Answer 5

Good idea, but then the stilts have to take the weight of the house, so brick becomes less viable, and the British climate isn't really suited to the cardboard boxes Floridians live in.

People keep saying we should not build in these areas. Well maybe the answer is for you to not BUY in those areas. Stop buying, and developers will look elsewhere. There is, though, only a finite amount of land available. It really is time to take a bit of the green belts and build on those.

Answer 6

They should be built at a height that future floods are unlikely to reach bearing in mind the latest understanding of the threat of higher flood levels caused by climate change. That means they will often need to set on piles to underpin the foundations to the appropriate height.

Answer 7

I think if you buy a house on a flood plain you should get a free boat, and a very good pump , it might be an idea to invest in some feathers and a pair of flippers!!!!

Answer 8

Farmers want their farm on flood plain because that's where the rich soil is. Our cities are built on flood plains because that is where the river empties in the lake or gulf or ocean---a good site for trade, or shipping.

Answer 9

Houses shouldn't be built on flood plains, full stop. If you lived in the Fens you'd notice that houses are already built on a floating platform. You can't see it but it's there.

Answer 10

Certainly better not to build on flood plains.
However,the Dutch people build houses that float should flooding occur.
The services are supplied to the house via umbilicus, and they should know about flooding.