Kent couple safeguards home with extra storey

A husband and wife have decided to add a third storey to their home in Yalding, Kent as a contingency plan to avoid being affected by flooding.

Several areas in Britain have been devastated by floods in recent months, which has left many families to deal with damaged houses and loss of possessions.

Tim and June Chapman found their home in Yalding, which is located on the banks of the River Medway, devastated by flooding back in 2013, which left them spending 15 months in emergency accommodation.

When the Chapmans were finally cleared to move back into their home, they decided that this would not happen again, and instead of purchasing sandbags to block the doors and windows, they raided their savings and built a third storey to their 1980s detached house.

They eventually spent £240,000 on the renovations, which saw the installation of concrete flooring so that water would not leak into the house and rise up through the floors. The addition of the third storey allowed the couple to relocate the lounge and kitchen up from the ground floor to the first floor, meaning that evacuation from the house will be quicker and easier should the need arise again.

The last owner of the house had installed a four-foot concrete skirt around the house in an attempt to reduce the risk of flooding. The couple did not stop there; a further half a floor was installed in the garage to install a generator for back up hot water and electricity should the house flood again.

This, combined with the installation of concrete flooring, lowers the chances of the couple being devastated by flooding to the extent of the 2013 incident.