A guide to house raising
There are beautiful old houses across the entire Northern Rivers. Built from a mix of precious rainforest hardwoods, sometimes harvested from the original Big Scrub, they’re often located in the path of the big floods that have become a regular part of life up here.
After the 2022 disaster, the NSW State government launched several programs to help change the way we live on our floodplains. One of these action plans is to elevate our houses above likely future flood levels and out of harm’s way.
Why raise your home?
House raising preserves buildings. It allows them to continue sheltering and protecting our families, as they’ve done for many decades, and it lets people continue living and thriving in our region. Thankfully, timber homes have been designed and built in a way that makes this process fairly straightforward.
Introducing the handbook
This handbook is made to assist anyone considering raising their home – old or new – to protect themselves from future floods. We acknowledge this option is not available for everyone.
Whether you’ve qualified for government assistance, or you’re just taking the initiative, our goal is to help you think through the critical issues in order to make your project truly successful. Which, in our book, means both lifting your home to a safer level and carefully considering the challenges and opportunities this creates.
Who is this guide for?
In the handbook, we explore how the raising process works, what types of houses can and can’t be raised, and the regulations around development approvals. We also dig into the topic of how high you should go, and what the pros and cons are for each height.
Making informed decisions
It’s important to note that all the info in the handbook is general in nature, based on observations around a broad set of issues, and possible results. Nothing here is specific design advice for your building.
Understanding the process for a better outcome
By law, you’re required to work with licensed professionals – builders, engineers, architects – throughout the process to make sure any strategy for your place has been developed by trained professionals.
We’re here to help decide what’s best for you, before hiring anyone. This way, you’re in a good position to drive your project towards a clear and well-considered outcome.
What is house raising?
Sometimes called restumping, or house lifting, house raising is a flood mitigation strategy that involves physically raising an existing structure to a higher elevation, and sticking it on new columns, so it’s safely above a predicted flood level. It works particularly well with older timber homes.
Houses can be raised to various heights, determined by local regulations, as well as the building’s location in relation to expected flood waters. Typically houses are raised to the point where they’d remain safe from the highest recorded flood level.
The process is both strangely primitive and highly sophisticated, with houses jacked up on basic blocks of wood at some stages (think Jenga), and custom-made footings and engineered steel beams at others. A successful project requires specialised equipment and qualified tradespeople throughout.
Helping protect properties, while allowing people to stay within their community, makes house raising a valuable flood mitigation option, particularly when others are too costly or impractical.
House raising should always be part of an overall risk management plan, not a stand-alone solution, because even though a raised home might be out of the reach of floodwaters, there’s still other dangers.
Roadmap
The process of raising your house can seem daunting so we’ve broken it down in 10 key steps.
There may be government grants available to help you raise your home. Carefully consider the specific outcomes you want for your project. This includes the height you aim to raise the house to, as well as some of the other design features outline in the handbook.
The timing will vary depending on the size and complexity of your project, how long it takes to obtain development consent from your local Council, as well as the availability of licensed contractors.
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At the beginning of your house raising process, you will liaise with local government planning authorities to secure any necessary approvals required for raising your house. Contact them to check the requirements they have.
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Check if you are eligible for any government grants, such as those available from the NSW Reconstruction Authority, and make an application. If successful, consider the offer. Is it best for you? Can you contribute extra funds?
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Obtain a high-level cost estimate by talking with building professionals and other homeowners who have raised their house.
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Consider your finances and how you will pay for design, planning approval and building costs.
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Work with a licensed building professional who will provide engineering and building design plans that will meet your needs and budget, and can be used for Council approval requirements.
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Find a licensed contractor and obtain a quote for the work.
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Submit a Development Application (DA) and Construction Certificate (CC) application to your local Council. These are necessary to obtain consent to raise your house.
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Finalise and sign a contract with a licensed building contractor to raise your house.
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A building contractor raises your house up. Inspect the progress of work, approve the completion and pay your contractor. If a problem arises during the process, discuss it immediately and resolve.
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An Occupation Certificate is needed at the end of the project. This is issued by the building certifier after a satisfactory final inspection of the building works. You can use either Council or a private certifier for this certification.
More information
NSW Reconstruction Authority Resilient Homes Program
The Resilient Homes Program helps communities recover from disasters. It also makes eligible homes in high-risk areas more resilient to the impacts of future disasters. This program is being delivered by the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA).
Understanding planning requirements
When it comes to raising your home, there are different requirements depending on where you live and what you’re looking to do.
Keep in mind when raising your house that your development has to also comply with all relevant planning controls, including height requirements.
To make a start, contact your Council’s planning and building services department. They’ll help you understand the rules that apply to your property. Check your Council’s website below for more information.