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House Elevation – Crawlspace Issue Unresolved
I’m a homeowner in Texas in SFHA Zone A. We were approved to have our home elevated through the FEMA grant program (HMGP). Since the minimum required elevation/lift was only 2.1′ we elected to not have flood vents and to have the grade around our home built up to the elevated level of the slab and taper down to the original surrounding grade. Our understanding was that the contractor would backfill the void created by the lift, therefore we wouldn’t have a crawlspace. However, the contractor didn’t backfill and we now have a fully enclosed crawlspace approximately 26″ high under our house. It’s my understanding that in my area, a crawlspace is unacceptable whether it’s above or below BFE, which is 34′. The county has a 2′ freeboard requirement so technically I think BFE for my home is 36′ (DFE). There’s even discrepancies between the initial EC and the under construction EC of approx 1′. The two surveyors used different benchmarks which I assume explains the 1′ difference. I’m looking for a credentialed consultant who can help me out with this and would also appreciate any options on the subject. It’s a mess and only getting worse. Any help would be appreciated.
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