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Houses able to float being developed to address flooding

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An innocent question (Score: 2, Interesting)

by fnj@pipedot.org on 2016-06-09 20:23 (#1GPBW)

If you're afraid your house might be flooded out, and you're bound and determined nevertheless to build it in such an unsuitable place for whatever reason, why not just build it on stilts in the first place, rather than go to all the trouble to put in stilts AND a mechanism to allow it to ride up on those stilts?

The articulation to allow it to climb and descend the stilts constitutes a vulnerability. What if one or more points binds, and it cocks and jams because it's trying to rise crookedly?

Re: An innocent question (Score: 1, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-06-09 21:05 (#1GPG8)

I don't want to be too negative but there's definitely a case for simplicity.
The articulation to allow it to climb and descend the stilts constitutes a vulnerability. What if one or more points binds, and it cocks and jams because it's trying to rise crookedly?
There's an episode of Grand Designs (S14E7) "The Floating House" [1][2], it looks like the same design. They had ballast under the basement floor to help it rise smoothly. You'd have to check it often or have it automated (more points of failure).

Another thought I had was silt washed under the house. Then it may not sit flat or sink to the original level.

[1] http://www.constructionmanagermagazine.com/news/amphibious-grand-design-ready-take-water/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Designs_episodes#Series_14_.282014.29

Moderation

Time Reason Points Voter
2016-06-10 22:42 Interesting +1 fishybell@pipedot.org

Junk Status

Marked as [Not Junk] by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2019-03-13 04:38