After being displaced by severe flooding in Hudson, Florida, Bobby Laramore and his wife spent nearly a year living in a trailer, waiting for the day they could return home.
That day finally came this summer, when their house — now sitting more than 12 feet higher than before — was ready. The couple made the decision to elevate their home after Hurricane Helene in 2024.
“It’s like a totally new house just moving back in it,” Laramore shared with Tampa Bay 28. “The peace of mind that my wife and I have now from where we were. There’s not a price tag on that.” (1)
Raising a house and its critical utilities above the Base Flood Elevation is a very effective strategy to protect a home from frequent flooding. In fact, the Laramores are far from the only Floridian couple to protect their homes from the increasingly destructive storms in the Sunshine State.
Their contractor, Joseph Fairley of Unified Foundations, said demand for home elevations has surged across Florida as more residents seek long-term protection from flooding. His company alone has about 20 active projects, and double that in the permitting stage.
While elevating a home is an effective strategy against flooding, it typically costs anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000, though complex projects can reach $150,000 or more. It all depends on the size of the house, the type of property and how high the home needs to be elevated. (2)
Accessibility is another variable: elevating a home often means adding stairs, and homeowners with disabilities will likely pay extra for ramps or lifts — potentially adding thousands to the total cost.
The investment can be steep, but so can the potential losses: flooding costs the U.S. between $179.8 billion and $496 billion in damages each year, and those costs are increasing with stronger storms and rising sea levels. (3)
When it comes to flooding, homeowners in high-risk areas may find it’s a matter of pay now or pay later. For example, the average cost to repair water damage in California was between $1,200 and $5,000 in 2024. (4)
For those in high-risk areas that are prone to flooding, this cost could become an annual expense.
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East Coast states are significantly more at risk of flooding, accounting for seven of the top 10 states with the greatest flood risk. Louisiana, followed by New Jersey and Virginia, sits at the top of that list. (5)
More than a third of Louisiana residents (38.4%) are exposed to coastal flooding risk. Florida follows with 17.5% of its residents exposed, making it the only other state above 10%.
Virginia experiences the highest frequency of coastal flood events at 158.7 annually. Meanwhile, New Jersey has the highest expected annual losses at $682,436 per 10,000 residents.
Programs like Elevate Florida aim to improve the resilience of Florida homes by making flood-prevention efforts more affordable. The initiative, launched by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, helps homeowners elevate, rebuild or relocate homes vulnerable to flooding through structure elevation, mitigation reconstruction, wind mitigation and acquisition/demolition projects. (6)
However, the funding is limited. The program received more than 12,000 applications from residents in 64 Florida counties during its application period from February to April 2025. Priority is given based on specific criteria — including flood risk factors — with applications reviewed on a rolling basis, leaving many applicants waiting for assistance.
Since Federal grant funding covers 75% of the project’s cost, homeowners must invest 25% into the project, and not every homeowner can afford the upfront investment.
FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program offers funding to various government levels as well. For example, Louisiana received $206 million in 2024 (7), while New Jersey was given $10 million for flood resilience projects in 2022. (8)
While the upfront expense can be daunting, elevating a home can significantly reduce flood insurance premiums, depending on the elevation level and flood zone.
According to The Penny Hoarder, elevating a house in a flood-prone area can reduce insurance premiums by 30% to 60%, while also increasing the home’s property value by up to 25%. (9)
In addition, flood risk reduction strategies — like installing flood openings and elevating utilities — can help lower insurance costs under the National Flood Insurance Program. (10) In Florida, where the Laramores live, the average annual cost of home insurance is $2,625, or $219 per month. (11)
A 30% to 60% discount on home insurance represents significant savings that should be considered when weighing the pros and cons of elevating a house, same with the added property value.
Of course, there are drawbacks to elevating a home. On top of the initial costs, those who decide to elevate their houses must find somewhere else to live during the process. And while elevating a home may protect it from flooding, the heavy rain and fast winds that often accompany tropical storms and hurricanes can still do damage to a home.
However, elevating a house in a flood-prone area can not only save your home, it can also save you some money on flood repairs and home insurance. And the boost to your property value is a nice little incentive as well. For those who enjoy their coastal homes, elevating the house above the flood-risk level could be well worth the initial costs.
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Tampa Bay 28 (1); Today’s Homeowner (2); Joint Economic Committee (3); Good Life Restoration (4); LendingTree (5); FloridaDisaster.org (6); Bill Cassidy website (7); New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (8); The Penny Hoarder (9); National Flood Insurance Program (10); NerdWallet (11)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
