Episode 128: Enclosures and the Different Types

In episode 128 of the Flood Insurance Guru podcast we are discussing enclosures. We want to look at three things

1. What are enclosures
2. What are the types of enclosures
3. What are the guidelines for enclosures

So what exactly is an enclosure?

FEMA defines enclosures as walled in areas below the lowest floor of an elevated building. Its important to know that the National Flood Insurance Program only allows enclosures below the base flood elevation to be used for

1. Vehicle parking
2. Building access
3. Storage

There are two types of enclosures

1. Non Breakaway
2. Breakaway

Let's look at non breakaway enclosures. These are enclosures that have solid foundation walls like break or masonry. When water comes into a building with non breakaway walls it can have a major impact on the foundation and the structure of the building.

Normally if the non breakaway walls are destroyed so is the building. Many times when you see homes crumbled from flooding along the coastal areas it's because of non breakaway walls.

This is one reason why floodplain management departments do not allow homes with non breakaway walls in V zones also known as coastal zones. While they are still allowed in A zones they still are not recommended.

If you decide to have a non breakaway enclosure in an A zone you need to know that proper flood openings will be required to allow water to move under the main surface.

Now Let's look at breakaway enclosures. This type of enclosure has strict guidelines especially in coastal areas. First of all lets get a good understanding of the design of breakaway enclosures. These enclosures are designed for when flood water hits the walls give in without impacting the structure or foundation.

Breakaway walls must meet the following guidelines in V zones

1. Flood resistant materials
2. Meet certain design requirements
3. Certified by a design professional

Breakaway walls must be designed to break free under the larger of the following allowable stress design loads:

1. The design wind load
2. The design seismic load
3. 10 pounds per square foot (psf), acting perpendicular to the plane of the wall

It's also important to understand that flood insurance policies do not pay to replace breakaway walls in V zones. Whether you have breakaway or non breakaway its important to understand that when you have enclosures you will have higher flood insurance premiums.

This is why it's recommended when having an elevated building not to have an enclosure. Many private flood insurance companies do not use this as a rated floor. Just recently we had a customer that did not have an enclosure on their elevated beach home. As a result their flood insurance premiums were less than $200 a year.

While that is rare it's not unusual to see a $2000 rate with an enclosure.

So maybe you have further questions about enclosures? Maybe you want to learn how you can lower your flood insurance rate? Then make sure to visit our website. You can also check out our YouTube channel or Facebook page where we do daily flood education videos.