The conversation around architectural solutions for flooding within the city of Calgary has been very real and alive since Alberta’s 2013 flood. As we near the third anniversary of the Alberta Flood, we are reminded how important flood mitigation solutions are for riverside homeowners in our city.
Many Calgarians have rebuilt and moved on, but will the homes withstand future floods? Ranger Homes is leading the way in residential architectural adaptation, by providing a thoughtful solution for rebuilding within the flood fringe.
Nearly three years ago, after meeting a Bowness couple whose riverside home had been wiped out by the floodwaters, custom homebuilder Ranger Homes was hired to provide a unique solution for rebuilding within the flood fringe.
“It meant everything for us to be able to move back here. Bowness has a real and genuine community spirit. It was this way before the flood and has only strengthened since the flood. We feel supported by the sense of kinship here,” explains the Bowness Homeowner.
The couple’s home was not included in the 79 flood-damaged Alberta homes that were bought for more than $100-million by the province back in 2013. The couple was in love with the beauty of the location they had chosen as home and because they were certain that they wanted to rebuild here, they decided to finance the rebuild without any financial assistance. As engineers and homebuilders, Ranger Homes considered this from a financial and practical standpoint.
“We wanted to come up with a home that would not only be everything the clients were looking for, but also provided a sustainable design that would safely withstand a future flood with a minimum of damage and cleanup,” says President and Owner of Ranger Homes, Andy Kolaczek.
To ensure the home could withstand future floods, the fully flood mitigated dwelling was rebuilt on 10 concrete piles, socketed into bedrock. Above this point, the 2,794 square foot bungalow is constructed like most other homes. It looks like a typical house but it has no basement and sits well above the 1 in 100 year flood level. If floodwaters were to rise again, the elevated home would remain safe, as the water would flow beneath the main floor, rather than through it.
“After having to demolish our flood destroyed home, we feel a great sense of achievement and safety having taken all of the possible measures to build a fully mitigated home,” remarks Ranger Homes’ Bowness Client.
The new home exceeded the owner’s expectations and met the requirements put forth by the City and Province. “We are proud to provide an inventive example of the residential adaptation this city needs. We look forward to leading the way in offering innovative flood mitigation solutions for Calgary homeowners,” says Andy Kolaczek.