How to build a flood-proof house - Grand Designs Magazine
The Grand Designs amphibious house in Buckinghamshire has great views across the Thames

How to build a flood-proof house

As flood risks become increasingly prevalent, we take another look at the Grand Designs house designed to be flood resistant

By Hugh Metcalf |

As the UK finds itself in the grip of increasingly extreme weather, Grand Designs magazine takes a look at how the self-builders behind the amphibious home in Buckinghamshire built a flood-proof house…

The Met Office has reported that 2019 was a year of UK weather extremes, including record-breaking high temperatures and significant rainfall. Across the UK, rainfall was above average in March and for most months from June onwards, with several incidences of flooding in the second half of the year. Autumn rainfall records were broken for Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire.

This weather pattern repeated in 2020, with the wettest February on record, the sunniest spring, a heatwave in the summer and a day in October breaking rainfall records. It was not only the UK’s third warmest year, it was also one of the top 10 wettest and top 10 sunniest.

amphibious house from grand designs on lake

Planning consent for the amphibious home required lengthy discussions with the Environment Agency. Photo: Darren Chung

The latest assessment by UK Climate Projections, the Met Office’s climate-analysis tool, points to a greater chance of ongoing warmer, wetter winters – so with rainfall levels set to increase, what can be done to protect the one-in-six homes in England currently at serious risk of flooding? As the UK becomes wetter, there’s little doubt that investment is needed in innovative design and construction solutions for flood risk areas.

Self-builders considering buying a plot can check the Environment Agency flood maps to check the site’s risk level. But building a home that can adapt to rising water is possible, as demonstrated by Grand Designers Andy and Nicki Bruce’s amphibious house back in 2014, a UK-first designed by Baca Architects.

As the UK finds itself in the grip of increasingly extreme weather, Grand Designs magazine takes a look at how the self-builders behind the amphibious home in Buckinghamshire built a flood-proof house…

The Met Office has reported that 2019 was a year of UK weather extremes, including record-breaking high temperatures and significant rainfall. Across the UK, rainfall was above average in March and for most months from June onwards, with several incidences of flooding in the second half of the year. Autumn rainfall records were broken for Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire.

This weather pattern repeated in 2020, with the wettest February on record, the sunniest spring, a heatwave in the summer and a day in October breaking rainfall records. It was not only the UK’s third warmest year, it was also one of the top 10 wettest and top 10 sunniest.

amphibious house from grand designs on lake

Planning consent for the amphibious home required lengthy discussions with the Environment Agency. Photo: Darren Chung

The latest assessment by UK Climate Projections, the Met Office’s climate-analysis tool, points to a greater chance of ongoing warmer, wetter winters – so with rainfall levels set to increase, what can be done to protect the one-in-six homes in England currently at serious risk of flooding? As the UK becomes wetter, there’s little doubt that investment is needed in innovative design and construction solutions for flood risk areas.

Self-builders considering buying a plot can check the Environment Agency flood maps to check the site’s risk level. But building a home that can adapt to rising water is possible, as demonstrated by Grand Designers Andy and Nicki Bruce’s amphibious house back in 2014, a UK-first designed by Baca Architects.

Image: Darren Chung 

Built in an area prone to flooding, on the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, Andy and Nicki’s home is constructed on a concrete box, or dock, that forms the basement level. Mechanisms, known as dolphins, ensure that the timber-frame house rises with the water level. And should the area flood, there will be no damage to the house or its contents.

The project took just under two years to complete. Along the way, the construction was halted for nearly 12 weeks because of extensive flooding along the Thames – ironically – which left the site at least four feet under water.

the exterior of the flood proof house from grand designs

Zinc cladding wraps around the building’s exterior on two sides. Photo: Darren Chung

For more ideas on building a flood-proof house, the National Flood Forum provides practical advice and a directory of retrofit products and services designed to reduce the chance of water getting into a property.

RIBA has also recently published Retrofitting for Flood Resilience: A Guide to Building & Community Design by Edward Barsley. Aimed primarily at architects, engineers and urban planners, the book highlights ways in which the built and natural environment can be adapted to reduce the severity of the negative consequences of flooding.

Watch the amphibious house episode of Grand Designs on All 4

 

Do you have concerns over flood risks to your home? Share your thoughts with us by tweeting us @granddesigns or post a comment on our Facebook page

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