Rising above the floods with the elevating house

The respective project by the Larkfleet Group of Companies  concerns an »elevating house« – i.e. a detached building (naturally without a basement) that a pump and eight jacks can lift as much as 1.5 metres above ground level in less than five minutes should flooding be in the offing.

This would naturally have to occur well ahead of the arrival of flood waters, and the residents would not be able to remain in occupation once the house had been raised above the ground. However, the building's infrastructure, such as water, sewage and electricity supply would remain connected through flexible piping and hoses and thanks also to rooftop solar panels.

As Karl Hick, CEO of the Larkfleet Group states, »The elevating house effectively eliminates the risk of flood damage to homes so that more land across the country can be approved for future home building. This will help to tackle the 'housing crisis' that is being caused by the demand for new housing far exceeding the supply.«

Patent applications for the 'elevating house' have been made both in Great Britain and on an international level, plus a five-year test-phase is due to start next year. If the principle works as its developers hope, the test house with its modular steel-frame design could also be disassembled and erected again at another site.