Greetings, let’s get started. Factory-made engineered flood vents are very expensive. Some are a hundred bucks each. Let’s make enough for an entire block foundation for the cost of one of those factory jobs. So here is the disclaimer: don’t take my word for anything, but I don’t mind if you look over my shoulder. You are the one who wants to build in a floodplain, you were warned, see the big sign: “I’d turn back if I were you!” ?
So, welcome to my little wordpress pages on dancing with FEMA in a Floodplain, also known as a Special Flood Hazard Area. We asked for it, now we have to solve the puzzles of learning to dance FEMA style. It’s not all that bad, but check your attitude at the door please. FEMA wrote our Floodplain Bible, and is in complete control. If you don’t like it, you should list your property for sale with an auction house, realtors may not touch it?
We have to have these flood vents. Fema allows us to use standard foundation vents and even soffit or cornice vents, as they also meet the guidelines. I picked the metal 8×16 inch louvered vents to put in the second row of block work in my foundation. The soffit vents will go two places, in the garage door bottom panel, in the 3 foot metal passage door, and in another door accessing the crawlspace. If you need in there, just go ahead and build a real door. I’m too old to crawl through tiny difficult openings.
Okay, I’ve done some calculations and here they are: 1. The metal 8×16 inch louvered vent is good for 84 square inches unimpeded. 2. The 8×16 inch soffitt vent is good for 70 square inches unimpeded.
FEMA Flood Vents, Non-Engineered, Meets Code :) 