$200K+ Engineering Screw-Up May Force Alabama Couple, Neighbors Out Of Custom-Built Homes

In Autaugville, Alabama, the Montgomery Advertiser reports:

• Jim and Lisa White stand inside their home at Cottrell Landing subdi­vision, not knowing if engi­neering errors will force them to leave it because their house does not meet floodplain ordinance standards.
• Two years after they moved into their custom-built home that sits alongside Swift Creek, they learned it was constructed five-feet below the required flood ele­vation. It wasn't just their home, but the homes of four other fami­lies in their subdivision of six houses.
• The Whites, whose home is 10 feet off the ground from the front lot line, have been told to fix the problem at their own cost. That's some/thing they can't af­ford to do. "I want someone to step up and take care of this," Jim White said. "We've been trying to get the issue taken care of outside of a lawsuit."
• The Cottrell Landing homes are in violation of the Autauga County Floodplain ordinance, which requires that their homes' finished floor elevation be con­structed 1 foot above the base flood elevation, which is de­termined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• The Whites recognize the danger of floods. It's hard for them not to as they follow the cresting waters of the Mississippi River and the damage it is causing as it flows through state after state until it reaches New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
• The Whites' home was built high above the nearby waters, just not high enough. "Their situation is more unique," said David Bufkin, Autauga County engineer. "The houses were built and they used an erroneous benchmark and it messed all of them up, so all of the houses are off, about 4.5 feet too low."
• A little more than four feet may not sound like much, but raising the house would cost more than $200,000 and not raising it could cost them their home since they could be forced out of the house if it is not in compliance. The Whites said they and their neighbors built their houses to comply with what they were told were the building requirements.

For the story, see Engineering errors may force families out of homes.