Does anyone know when the requirement that any enclosure (below BFE) in a zone V must be less than 300 sq. ft. (even if it has breakaway walls)? It seems like it was about 1999 when the El Cert form was changed to include square footage of enclosures and garage space.
I did an elevation certificate on a house built in 1984, which has a large garage enclosure below the living area, and below BFE, with break away walls ... the guy is getting rated as if the garage floor is the lowest living space because the enclosure is more than 300 sq. ft.
I know this isn't going to help him, since FEMA has eliminated grandfathering, but it might be helpful if I can explain to him that prior to 1999 (or whenever the law was changed) the house was "in compliance", after 1999 it was "grandfathered", and post 2012, it's out of compliance.
I tried FEMA searches but I can not pinpoint when this 300 sq. ft. rule went into effect.
I'm also going to document a few of these instances, and send the info to my congressmen and senators.
Its just gonna get worse. Many people who had LOMA's are now founding them nullified by the new flood maps. I'm sure that's gonna go over well.
You might try emailing Wendy Lathrop(sp)...you might find her contact info in POB magazine.
Yeah, at this point, it's not even going to matter. there is also a limit to the amount of paneling/wallboard/drywall you can have on the enclosures, AE or VE.
If these changes go through as planned, you might as well stick a fork in Florida surveying. Even though Florida has PAID way more than it's ever taken out of the FEMA program, we are going to get rocked in October. And I don't mean that in a good way.
AJ
There is a Senator in Lousianna working to "fix" the reform bill, and she seems to have a good grasp on the problems and how they will bankrupt certain homeowners. This is from May, and I'm not sure if any progress has been made, but I'm going try to throw her some support.
http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=3751
Here's an update from today.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/08/how_controversial_biggert-wate.html
Some quotes of what's to come ...
"That's insane," said Robert Taylor, a homeowner in Des Allemands, La. Taylor said the new law and flood survey would bump his premiums from $400 to more than $28,000 a year. "This community has been here since 1923 and has never, ever flooded. Ever."
....
"A bigger impact could be felt by people whose homes met previous building standards or were deemed at lower risk under previous flood maps but will face higher premiums soon. Under the old system, they could retain their old rates, since they followed the rules at the time they bought or built their home. The new law will phase out such grandfathered rates, starting late next year.
...
"The worst part is my home was worth $230,000 this Jan. 1," Taylor said. "As of right now, my tax assessor tells me because of this flood insurance issue my home is worth $35,000, basically the lot."
Good old Mary, I just never understood why she voted to pass the Biggert-Waters Act in the first place.
And for that matter, so did just about everyone else.
The story goes, that for final passage, this bill was placed inside a larger bill that was placed inside an even larger bill. Apparently, a "no" vote had big implications in shutting down essential parts of the government. The Sen. from La. claims that during a debate she tried to warn people that future changes would have to be made to the flood insurance portion of the bill ... but voted for it anyway. Dumb way to run a government, but I'm sure many of them thought they were voting for the greater good.
Anyway, I bet if you had asked any of those senators what "PreFIRM" and "FEMA's Grandfather Clause" meant, on the day of the vote, you probably would have gotten a blank stare ... I think many of them have become better informed over the last few months. I found quotes from both the Florida senators talking about the need for revisions or postponement of Biggert-Waters, so at least their is a discussion happening in Washington.
Agreed, a dumb way to run a Government.