Marcia Chambers Photo
Things are looking up — literally — for the DeRosa family, whose waterfront home in Short Beach was damaged by both Tropical Storm Irene and Super Storm Sandy.
The 100-year-old home at 294 Shore Dr. has been elevated above flood levels, and work on the new foundation is nearing completion.
“Now it’s the best thing we ever did,” said Mary Ellen DeRosa. “We left the dishes in the cupboards, and nothing broke. That’s how perfect it was raised,” she said. “It was the easiest thing, once we made the decision.”
Making that decision, and coping with storm damage, proved less easy. Mary Ellen and Don DeRosa had just finished making repairs from Irene when Sandy hit. The storm surge swept into the first floor and ruined appliances, flooring and walls.
Town Engineer Janice Plaziak, who also serves as Branford’s flood plain manager, ruled that the home was substantially damaged, meaning it had to be elevated or modified to meet FEMA regulations.
Plaziak said in addition to the Shore Drive location, building permits for elevation were issued to a home on Summer Island Road and on Fourth Avenue. Other homes that were substantially damaged are on Pine Orchard, Ark, and Hotchkiss roads. There was also one on Money Island in the Thimble Islands. “Most of them are not direct waterfront homes on the shoreline,” Plaziak said, explaining that they are near wetlands or along creeks.
“A lot of them are still waiting for proof of loss from their insurance companies,” she said.
The Planning and Zoning Commission adopted new regulations in January that allow residents in nonconforming neighborhoods to raise or modify their homes to meet FEMA standards without getting variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Click here to read that story. However, the renovated home cannot exceed the maximum height restrictions in the district, which is typically 35 feet.
Homes in Pine Orchard and Short Beach fall under the guidelines of their local zoning associations, not the Branford Planning and Zoning Commission.
The DeRosa family deliberated whether to elevate the house, which is their second home, or whether to tear it down or rebuild it. “It’s been challenging, mostly in the beginning when we had to make a decision,” DeRosa said. “I think lifting it was a good compromise, but it’s a scary thing to think about.”
Marcia Chambers Photo
DeRosa said the home is almost becoming a “poster child” for elevating a home, and other families facing the same problem have come by to check the progress. Here is a photo of their house as of yesterday. To elevate the home, holes were cut in the foundation and steel beams were inserted through the foundation. Jacks were used to lift the house and cribbing was put in place before the foundation was rebuilt. She said they decided to elevate it higher than required so a garage could be built underneath.
DeRosa said they are eligible for federal flood insurance reimbursement up to $30,000 after the work is done. She said it cost them $65,000 just to lift the home and do the foundation, which does not include the cost of engineering plans and reconnecting all the utilities.
Gary Lyon of Lyon Construction in Madison was working on the foundation when the Eagle stopped by. His company did the excavation and concrete work, after High Caliber Contracting of Milford lifted the house. “There are a lot of them going on,” Lyon said in regard to elevations all along the shoreline. “It’s challenging work.”
MORE HOME ELEVATIONS
Sam Stricker Photo
Over in the Pine Orchard neighborhood, long-time resident Jay J. Webb is facing the same dilemma as the DeRosa family. However, his home (pictured) at 6 Fourth Ave. is his year-round residence. While work is being done, the Webbs are staying with relatives who live nearby.
Webb’s home was also damaged in both storm Irene and Sandy when 18 inches of water from nearby Long Island Sound surged into his first floor. Since the home sustained substantial damage, he said he had to elevate it in order to make the repairs. “We want to stay there, so we’re going to do whatever we have to,” he said. “It’s a friendly neighborhood and everybody helps each other.”
The home is being raised about 5 ½ feet. Webb estimates it will cost between $80,000 to $100,000 to do all the work, including building new stairways. He has seen the elevation project on Shore Drive and said that elevating a home is a remedy, but it’s expensive.
Sam Stricker Photo
The building department has also issued a permit to elevate a home (pictured) owned by Pamela Putnam Smith at 101 Summer Island Road in the Pawson Park neighborhood. The work has begun, but she could not be reached for comment.
Plaziak said she has sent letters to two additional homeowners stating that their homes sustained substantial damage and need to be elevated or modified. They have not yet applied for permits. Six other homes are still being evaluated.
RISING SEAS
The League of Women Voters of the East Shore is hosting a regional roundtable discussion about the effects of rising seas and frequent storms on waterfront properties. The event will be held on Earth Day, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the community center at 32 Church St. in Guilford. Participants are expected to include FEMA officials; members of the Shoreline Preservation Task Force; the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and local officials, including representatives from Branford. The event is open to the public.
Plaziak, who has been the town engineer since 1994, said she did not have to issue any mandatory elevation letters before storms Irene and Sandy. She typically deals with elevation issues when a new home is built in a flood zone, or when someone is doing a major renovation.
A substantial damage certificate can be issued if a home sustained flood damages exceeding 50 percent of its value. When homeowners receive a ruling of substantial damage, they can qualify for up to $30,000 from the National Flood Insurance Program to elevate or modify their homes, if they have flood insurance. Homeowners who have a mortgage are required to purchase flood insurance if they reside in a flood plain.
Some people are taking precautions and are elevating their homes even though they are not required to. In those cases, they are not eligible for federal flood insurance funds. Plaziak said flood insurance rates are going up, and one way to lessen the cost of insurance is to raise the house.
“I think we’ll be seeing a lot more people elevating,” Plaziak said.
She said the $30,000 from flood insurance will not cover the cost of raising a home. Costs vary according to the type and size of home, and the difficulty involved. The permits issued for the three homes being elevated in Branford listed prices ranging from $39,000 to $75,000 just to elevate the homes, not including the other work. Plaziak said some homes cannot be elevated, and would have to be modified or rebuilt as an elevated home.
In general, an elevation of 12-feet is advised, but it depends on the location, Plaziak said. The elevation is determined by the flood plain elevation of the home — so if a home is already six feet above the floodplain, it would only have to be elevated another six feet.
Plaziak said most homeowners should be able to modify their homes and stay within the height restrictions, or they would have to apply for a variance.
Many shorefront homes are in nonconforming areas, which is why the Planning and Zoning Commission adopted the new regulations in January to make the process easier. Homes that are not in nonconforming areas already have the ability to modify them without getting a variance, as long as they stay within height limits.
The FEMA web site lists several ways to elevate or modify a home. An elevated home can be put on a new foundation or on pillars. If the home cannot be elevated, a second story can be added and the first floor would not be used; or the roof can be temporarily removed to extend the walls upward and raise the floor. The idea is to have the living quarters above flood levels.
All homeowners have to apply for building permits at Town Hall before beginning any work.
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I'm wondering why this house and any others are being built with a solid foundation under them, a foundation that will give way in a major tidal event or another hurricane. Solid walls buckle and cave. That's why coastal homes in other parts of the country, prone to flooding and hurricanes are elevated on pilings - so water can rush underneath. Nothing is undermined and the side walls under the house (to create a garage or parking places) are breakaway. Did anybody do their homework before just jacking and cementing? Was this option considered?