Slab homes and elevated
rebuilds in Houma
A slab-on-grade house is generally handled differently from a pier-and-beam one: the usual route to a raised house is to demolish and rebuild. Describe yours and independent local contractors quote it.
A free quote-request service. Local contractors do the work and quote you directly.
Why slab homes are different
A slab has no open space under the floor to work from.
Slab on grade
The floor is a concrete slab poured on the ground, with no crawl space beneath it. That is why raising a slab house is not the same job as raising a pier-and-beam house. Elevation of slab homes is generally handled as demolish and rebuild.
What Restore Louisiana says
Restore Louisiana's published FAQ states that it will not fund elevating a slab-on-grade house. Its elevation standard is the highest of several heights, and one of them is base flood elevation plus 2 feet.
Can it be lifted at all?
Contractors assess your house and quote what they would do. Some programs may not pay for what they propose, so find out what your program pays for before you sign.
What Terrebonne's program covers
The parish's current mitigation program covers elevating or demolishing and rebuilding qualifying homes. Applicants must hold an NFIP policy. The application window and cost share are for the parish to tell you.
When homeowners rebuild raised
Each of these is a reason people request quotes. None is a ruling on yours.
Substantial damage
Terrebonne's current program names homes substantially damaged by Hurricane Francine. Whether your house counts as substantially damaged is for the parish to decide.
Repeated flooding
Homes that have flooded repeatedly are another situation the parish program is set up for.
At risk, with flood insurance
The same program covers homes that are at risk and carry a National Flood Insurance Program policy.
Local code requires it
A slab-home owner may find the parish or city requires a certain floor height for new work. The permit office can tell you what applies to your lot.
How high is high enough?
Elevation is measured against base flood elevation (BFE), the flood height FEMA's maps set for your lot. Restore Louisiana's standard is the highest of several heights, and one of them is BFE plus 2 feet.
Put in two numbers from your elevation certificate to see roughly where the new floor lands. The math is simple: target floor = BFE + freeboard; the lift is the target minus your floor today.
Example: with a BFE of 8 ft and a floor at 3 ft, BFE + 2 ft puts the target floor at 10 ft, about 7 ft up. Enter your own numbers above.
A rough guide, not a determination. Your parish permit office and any grant program set the height you must build to, and some require more than BFE + 2 ft. Advisory BFEs adopted after a storm can differ from the printed map. No certificate yet? A licensed surveyor makes one: see elevation certificates.
What to have ready
None of this is needed to ask for a quote. Having it makes the first visit faster and the quotes easier to compare.
- Letters or damage notices from the parish, FEMA or your insurer
- Your NFIP policy declarations page
- Grant award or application paperwork, and any deadline
- An elevation certificate, a survey or a plat of the lot
- Square footage, number of stories and a plan or photos of the current house
- Your FEMA flood zone, if you know it
- Photos of every side of the house and the lot
- Driveway and yard access for demolition and construction equipment
Permits, grants and rules
Check each one with the office named. Programs and windows change.
Permits
Demolition and new construction are separate pieces of work. Ask the parish or city permit office which permits apply to each and who pulls them.
Grants
Apply through the program. We can't tell you whether you qualify. Contractors can quote work built to your program's rules once you know them.
Height
BFE comes from FEMA's flood maps and is sometimes replaced by an advisory BFE after a storm. Ask the parish and your program which height applies. Elevation certificates record the numbers.
License and insurance
Ask for the contractor's Louisiana license number and look it up with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation.
Before digging
A new foundation means digging. Ask the contractor to have buried lines marked through Louisiana 811 first.
Slab home and rebuild questions
- Slab homes: generally demolished and rebuilt raised
- Terrebonne program: NFIP policy required
- Cost to ask: nothing
Can my slab house be lifted at all?
Contractors assess that and quote it, and some may propose a different route. Slab homes are generally demolished and rebuilt on a raised foundation instead, and Restore Louisiana will not fund elevating a slab-on-grade house. Ask the program you are applying to what it pays for.
Will a grant pay to demolish and rebuild?
Terrebonne Parish's current mitigation program covers either elevating or demolishing and rebuilding qualifying homes. Check with the parish for the application window and what it pays. We can't tell you whether you qualify or how much you would receive.
What counts as substantially damaged?
The parish decides. Ask the permit office what they have on file for your house and what paperwork they need from you. Don't demolish anything before you know how it affects any grant or insurance claim you have.
Do I need flood insurance to get help?
Terrebonne's current program requires an NFIP flood policy. Keep your declarations page where you can find it.
Where do I start if the house is already damaged?
Photograph the damage, keep every letter from the parish, FEMA and your insurer, and ask the parish what applies before you hire anyone. Then request quotes here. Contractors can price work to the program's rules once you know them.
Other work on the house
- House elevationRaise the whole house on new piers.
- House lifting for repairsLift it, fix what's underneath, set it back down.
- House levelingSagging floors and doors that stick.
- Pier and beam repairRotted piers, beams and sills replaced.
- Elevation certificatesLowest floor and BFE, surveyed.
- Service areasTerrebonne and Lafourche towns.
Quotes for a raised rebuild
Tell us about the house and contractors who build raised homes in Terrebonne and Lafourche quote you directly, or message us on WhatsApp.
Free to request, no obligation. We pass your request to independent, licensed and insured local contractors. We can't tell you whether you qualify for a grant; contractors can quote work built to your program's rules.
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