There's a house being built along the south half of my block. I walk by the lot every day when I walk my dog. The form boards for the building pad are in place. The building code for my area requires that the finished floor elevation must be a minimum of eighteen inches above the crown of the road. I remember when fill was being brought in. It looked like three different types of soil due to the different colors. A good portion of the lot was very wet after the hurricanes last year. I took a picture of the lot survey that's in the permit box, but I can't find the picture right now. The house is being built along the very south side of the lot because a good part of the lot is labeled as marshland, I think.
I never thought of it before, but doesn't a structure sink into a building pad? The finished floor elevation might eventually be several inches less than what's required. If I was putting a house on that lot, I'd have it built a foot higher than what is required. I hope the homeowners know the history of water intrusion into the area. I say probably not, and they'll have to add drainage structures to their property in the future.