Flood Resilient Project

Aviva teamed up with Norfolk County Council to install flood resilient alterations to a house in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The objective was to show what can be done to minimise the effect of flooding.

The property belongs to Cotman Housing Association and is one of around 20 in the immediate area that have been flooded a number of times over the last few years. The flooding is caused by a large drainage ditch behind the house, which is unable to deal with above average amounts of water. However, the resilient repairs put in place help recovery time for all types of flooding.

Tracey Nunn, 30, was the tenant in the house when the alterations were done, she'd grown used to flood water lapping at her front door:

"Since the house was re-fitted I definitely had a greater peace of mind," said Tracey.

"Before, when we had a flood warning, we had to move all our belongings upstairs and empty all the kitchen units. You couldn't go to bed at night for fear of water rushing into the house as you were sleeping. But the last time this area was seriously flooded I just had a trickle of water that came through the flood guard on the front door, so it was a mop and bucket job, everything else was dry and safe. Some of my neighbours weren't so lucky they were left with soaking wet carpets and furnishings."

"If ever the house was seriously flooded again I know it would just be a matter of wiping down the walls and maybe a bit of decorating instead of waiting weeks for everything to dry out."

Aviva spent around £30,000 installing resilient measures in Tracey's house, but making just a few changes to your home could seriously reduce the damage that flood water can do. The cost is also drastically reduced if the measures are carried out when a property is undergoing significant refurbishment or repair - for example following flood damage.

Simon Black, head of flood mapping at Aviva, says:

"If you live in a flood risk area resilient measures could certainly help you get insurance and in some cases keep your premiums down. More importantly, such measures could prevent dirty flood water sloshing through your home and reduce the amount of time you have to leave your home while your property dries out - if you have to leave at all."

"Obviously in Lowestoft we refurbished the whole house, but we would advise all those in flood areas to think about small changes that can be made to their homes."

"If the flood is likely to be shallow the use of relatively simple low cost measures could even stop the water coming in the first place. As with all structural changes it is important to seek specialist advice, in this instance from professional civil engineers. The National Flood Forum has a list of companies that specialise in this field."

Aviva, and its partners, installed a range of measures to make the property more flood resilient.

• Ceramic tiled floors replaced vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles.
• The skirting was re-fitted with flood-proof material.
• Walls re-plastered up to 1 metre above floor level with Limelite Renovating Plaster - to limit the dampness seeping into the walls.
• New internal doors, frames and linings were fitted to make them easier to remove.
• The builders installed all the main appliances on plinths, new steel kitchen units with base units raised off the ground and raised electrical points above flood level. A new waste system and double-check valves to stop waste water coming through the pipes into the house have also been fitted.
• The front and back doors were also re-designed to accommodate flood guards which help prevent water entering the property in the first place.