With storms intensifying, rainfall increasing, and sea levels rising, waterfront property owners have to get more creative. For some, that means moving to higher ground, but for others, it’s just moving the house higher. House lifting has long been a strategy for waterfront real estate, but it is now becoming a far bigger business due to climate change.
“The more that things flood, the more there’s going to be a need for it,” said Mike Brovont of Wolfe House and Building Movers. He’s been in the house-lifting business for more than two decades.
While the danger from rising water is high, the risk of lifting the house is actually not. Experts in the field say it is a precise, gentle, almost delicate practice that happens very slowly and carefully. In some cases, homeowners can leave their furniture inside the homes.
“There’s always risk but over the years, we’ve definitely come up with ways to mitigate that risk quite a bit,” said Brovont. “Now, really, most houses can be lifted without any expectation of damage. A lot of times we can even lift them without any cracks in the drywall.”
Advertisement
Related Stories
Design
What Gen-Z Buyers Really Want in a Home
The fervor of planning for Millennials in the home building industry has now pivoted to Gen Z. So, what does this new generation want?
Building Materials
Lumber Leads Building Materials Prices Higher in March
Overall, the cost of building materials rose during March, with softwood lumber, gypsum products, and concrete all seeing price increases. Only steel mill materials saw price drops
Demographics
Post-Pandemic Trends: Working From Home
A greater share of workers are still working from home than before the pandemic and they're concentrated in the information, professional, and financial services sectors