We bought a lakefront lot that doesnt have a lot of elevation change. A site survey we had said it was sandy to atleast 5 feet with no water table issues.
I hate to lose out on not having a basement but I think most houses/ranches look very weird/dated (most of them anyway). I figured I can probably go down atleast 4 feet based on frostline alone. Debating designs that may look symetrical, had even considered a raised rowhome look
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Victorian with large front porch and turret. Well you asked
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chron.com%2Frealestate%2Farticle%2FMeet-the-Jetsons-House-in-Miami-a-Wonderful-12282614.php&psig=AOvVaw3GiTEHbc8Fg7S5M_CDi0Ct&ust=1639942116553000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAgQjRxqFwoTCKCJhMyK7vQCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAU
Here is an idea
Interesting to say the least
With a lakefront home, you probably want to understand the flood potential before finalizing the design.
It is prudent, with what we know, to plan for a 500 or 1000 year flood event when you are considering building space to use below the current ground level.
https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps
Vacation homes in hurricane prone areas are frequently elevated, with parking or storage below and open design to limit the impact of flood waters on the main structure.
If you are not the only house on the lake, it is probably a consideration to think of how high you build and how this looks to other homeowners on the lake. Are there agreements, regulations, or other restrictions you have to follow?
I went thru a whole process with FEMA, we're in the 500 yr floodplain but the lake is dam controlled so theres no worry about flooding. I had considered putting house on piers, but when the board of health said they dug down 5 feet and still didnt hit water I figured why waste space with a crawl, just raise basement
You may not understand what 500 year floodplain means, and if it matters a whit that there is a dam there.
why not just dig even lower and put a full basement in? (and plan on it flooding sooner or later.
How high above the usual lake level (or the dam) is the house location?
Its a very gradual slope to the lake. If I had to guess maybe 5-6 feet above the lake and about 150 feet back from it. My concern is the wetland near the house are marshy and I figured that may mean a high watertable
Good thinking. Also, understand that the water table moves up and down with the weather. after a dry spell, with sandy soil the water level will move closer to the lake level. When it rains for a while, however, and when moist soils near the lake have frozen, you likely will see higher water levels, (and a wet basement) Having verification that the water table is below the frost line (at least some of the time) will simplify your construction. you probably will be able to excavate and install footings and a foundation and not worry about doing so underwater.
I would go the other way, and elevate the house a bit above grade, but keep the crawl space modest. would be best if the bottom of the crawl space was above grade as well, but if not, you would be smart to plan on it getting wet. (when locating HVAC and other utility equipment)
Do you know where the elevation level of the edge of that 500 year flood zone is? where does that translate to your house location? You would be smart to build the house so that the first floor is above that level, and plan for anything under it to get wet.