Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
It is easier to read the Flood Zone maps if you remove the storm surge layer. I would post a more clear copy, but the pdf is too big to upload.
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land purchase
- Thread starter dunebug
- Start date
TooFarTampa
SoWal Insider
The yellow is Category 3 surge, the lighter red is Category 4, and the darker red is Category 5. As SJ noted it is much different from being in an actual flood zone where insurance is required.
Our primary residence is in a Category 4 zone, and flood insurance is not required but we purchase it anyway. Incidentally our house has been standing for 83 years.
30ashopper
SoWal Insider
Curious TFT, have you ever experienced any flooding or seen the water rise up "too close for comfort" during a bigt storm? I've been wondering about this since places like Grayton are completely within a surge zone, but AFAIK they've never seen the ocean come in that far. (Could be wrong about that though.)
30ashopper
SoWal Insider
TooFarTampa
SoWal Insider
That is an interesting question! My next door neighbor has lived in her house since it was built in 1950 and she has always claimed that there has never been rising waters on our street. Other streets nearby haven't fared as well. There are other streets on high ground that do flood a bit in major rains. I think this has a lot to do with drainage and engineering, less to do with topography. But I really don't know.
For quite a while now I have held the firm belief that if you look for the oldest, nicest homes you'll find the best land and storm surge protection. But 30-A is an anomaly in that it was largely undeveloped until recently, yet most of it is freakishly high in elevation. I would guess it was left alone partly because the Florida land boomers of the 20s didn't have much use for beach property. Anyway since my dad is an architect down here I have always been very aware of flood zones, storm surges, coastal construction, etc., and the first time I visited 30-A I thought it was the best place to buy I had ever seen.
No stilts required! for the most part at least ...
InletBchDweller
SoWal Insider
You have said this twice. Have you dug a hole 3 feet on a lot in Treetop yet??
AAbsolute
Banned
Yes. We had a hard time pumping water out of the footing trench. The County did not want us to bring in fill and the builder who sold us the plan and sat as the Town Architect wouldn't respond to our requests for plan modifications. We had to replace the Architect of Record that was the true Licensed Architect for him and hire an independant Florida Engineer. The developer's rep came out drunk at the end of our work day one evening bragging that it was his neighborhood now that his sister-in-law was gone and while me and my crew remained humble we eventually had to call the Walton County Sherriff in order to get him to give us some space. Of course as soon as we called the sherriff he was out of there like he had to go put out a fire. Before he sped away, he told us all the big plans he had to develop housing out there, but it's been 2 years and I don't know if he's started any homes yet. He may not be a licensed builder, but I don't know.
We've had much better experiences building elsewhere and were happy to hand off the job with our customers consent to another builder. I tried to purchase that land from Doodle in 1999 with the intentions to build apartments and was going to scatter the units on the uplands, but that's when Doodle, Pete and I had our meetings over a speaker phone at the small office trailer before Seacrest's Pool was complete.
I'm not a realtor or financial adviser. The only business plan that works for me there would be to buy lots for 60,000. I'd install concrete pier foundations with 2,300 sq. ft. 3 bed and 3 bath homes with bunk rooms and screen porches that some designer's term treehouses with comfortable interior's and bring them to the public at 445,000. I think the demographic who would buy there would take them at that price. I think a developer would have to develop a cluster of about 10 near the pool in a cohesive manner to take some of the mystery out of what the neighborhood intent was in order to pull it together.
Of course I could be very wrong. Only the future will show what will really work. :roll:
I would like to thank everyone for their comments. I am not a land surveyor but I can see by the terrain that there are issues at Treetop. In addition, for a seller to take a big lost one would wonder. I did not see any comments on Lakeside at Inlet Beach, does anyone have any information on this new development or some advice on where to buy in or around 30A for good price. 200k is the highest i will go.
Thank you
Thank you
There is a lot in Phase III in Watercolor listed for well under $200k (not a Phase IV lot).