As noted in several posts, the repairs and water proofing that we did in 2009 after flooding in the November northeaster worked in terms of avoiding having to rip out water saturated materials and also kept the water levels lower during flooding from Irene. Nonetheless, they did not keep the water as minimized as we had hoped. The result? We are likely looking to installing three battery powered sump pumps to take care of flooding in the future in the lowest areas of the house. The bigger effort - assuming we can pull it off financially - would be to add a third floor to the house and have the main kitchen, dining area and living area on the top floor. We'd benefit from greatly enhanced water views and be free of having to move such extensive amounts of furniture, etc. from the first floor when faced with a hurricane threat.We will be working on plans and feasibility issues. Conceptually, when completed, the house would look very different with the faux mansard added in 1999 before the boyfriend bought the house stripped off and a two story porch added across a portion of the new front facade and a totally new roof line and an elevator for easy higher floor access from a resale perspective. The first floor would remain largely as is, although the staircase would be reversed in direction and much of the heavy furnishings would be moved to the third floor once completed. In short, the first floor would be turned into more of an upscale recreation/party area with a first floor kitchen (which is already fully in place) for such events. A friend is going to help us see if any government assistance is available so that we can "evacuate" the flood prone portion of the house. A friend who is an architect will be helping with design ideas and layout. I'll keep you advised as things develop.
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