Frequently Asked Questions

We specialize in raising houses to protect from flood, custom home building, home renovations, metal fabrication and helical pile installation.

Reduced Flood Damage: Elevating a house above the base flood elevation (BFE) significantly reduces the risk of flood damage during a flood event. This can save homeowners a substantial amount of money on repairs and insurance claims as well as increase the resale value.

Lower Flood Insurance Premiums: Flood Insurance, if still offered for your home, increases each year. Many flood insurance policies offer reduced premiums for homes that are elevated above the BFE. By raising your house, you can often qualify for lower flood insurance rates, resulting in long-term cost savings.

Increased Property Value: Elevated homes tend to have higher resale values because they are perceived as safer investments. Buyers are often willing to pay more for homes that are less susceptible to flood damage.

Property Tax Savings: In Florida, ad valorem taxes are collected on the just value of non-exempt properties, which includes home additions that expand your home's square footage. The unique advantage of raising your home, made possible by Bill HJR 1377, is that it won't increase your home's assessed value. This means you can expand your living space without increasing property taxes.

Environmental Benefits: Elevated homes can contribute to preserving natural landscapes and habitats. By minimizing the need for extensive flood control measures, you reduce the impact on local ecosystems.

Expanding Your Living Space: Your affection for your current home and neighborhood is undeniable. Yet, with soaring mortgage rates and the escalating value of real estate, trading up seems nearly impossible. Opting to elevate your house for extra living space offers a practical and sensible solution.

The actual lifting process for an average home typically takes around 10 to 12 weeks. However, the majority of the time is spent in the engineering and permitting phases. Currently, these stages can take up to 16 weeks to complete before the physical work begins., an average home can be lifted within a 10 to 12 weeks. However, the engineering and permitting stages are where the bulk of the time is invested. Presently, we are encountering a timeframe of 16 weeks to finalize these essential steps.

There are many financing options for your home lift.  If you're willing to do some research and have a great deal of patience, FEMA offers a Flood Mitigation Grant Program and the State of Florida also has a Resilience Program that may be able to provide funds.

If you prefer to go the more immediate route, JAS has set up a financing program with a local Tampa Bay lender that can provide you with a Home Equity Line of Credit to fund the lifting of your home.

During the actual lift process, which takes about 4 to 6 weeks, the home cannot be lived in due to the inaccessibility of the home during the lift.  Once new stairs are installed, the home may be lived in once again.

Yes, but the difference is typically minor. The majority of the cost is tied to constructing the new foundation that supports your home, which remains largely the same whether you raise it by 3 feet or 12 feet. The only variation is in the material cost for taller concrete piers, but this is usually negligible compared to the overall project cost.

Helical pilings are an ideal choice for stabilizing foundations, especially in soft soils like the sand and dredged soil commonly found in Florida. While they may be more expensive than wood or concrete push pilings, their unique design allows them to resist both tension and compression forces effectively, providing unmatched stability in challenging soil conditions. Helical pilings are also highly resistant to shifting soil, making them a long-lasting solution for foundation support. Installation is quick, with minimal vibration and noise, preserving surrounding structures and landscaping, like your neighbor’s pool. At JAS, we prioritize top-quality materials to ensure your home’s stability and durability, which is why we exclusively use helical pilings for newly elevated foundations.

JAS Builders and Payne Construction Services bring together decades of experience and a shared commitment to precision and quality, delivering a complete turn-key solution for homeowners looking to raise their homes in Florida. By merging Payne’s 50+ years of expertise in safe, exact structural lifts with JAS Builders’ dedication to premium craftsmanship and seamless finishing, we elevate homes that stand out for both their resilience and aesthetic appeal.  With JAS handling the intricate finishing details and Payne managing the precision lifting, your home will be elevated with both safety and beauty at the forefront, giving you peace of mind and a home that stands the test of time.

Learn more about Payne Construction here:  https://paynebuildingmovers.com/

We offer a workmanship warranty on all projects, and we stand behind our work.