3.1.1. Elevation and Re-Location

Houses can be elevated to prevent floodwater from entering them. This method is mostly applied to new buildings in flood zones, but it can also be applied to existing buildings, though at higher cost than new buildings. The cost estimates for elevating existing buildings (Table 1) is in the range of ~\$19,000–194,000 for buildings in the United States—depending on the type of building and how much it must be elevated [16,29,30]. Factors that determine elevation costs include the following: Condition of the house, electrical and plumbing adjustments, grading, excavation, permits, labor and insurance [31]. Elevating buildings in larger cities such as New York are more expensive due to higher labor costs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) [29], for example, estimates elevation cost at \$194,496/building, which is much higher than the estimate made by Jones et al. [30] (maximum \$102,888). Furthermore, Jones et al. [30] estimate the costs of adding "freeboard" (elevating the base floor of a building above the required 1/100 flood levels) for new buildings and for different foundations types. In developing countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, the cost for elevating houses in rural areas is estimated at \$1287–2574 per house, depending on whether the stilts are made from bamboo or reinforced concrete. This is similar to the results found by Lasage et al. [18] for elevating houses (+2 m) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (\$1544–3088 per house). The USACE [29] estimates the re-location of buildings at \$353,537, which includes labor cost, building a new foundation, distance to transport, special permits, house dimensions, and road obstacles. Maintenance costs for elevation were not considered in this study and are probably low (<1%).


**Table 1.** Cost for elevation (U.S.\$) and re-location of buildings.
