Water Damage Guides · Flood & Storm Damage

Water Damage in a Raised Louisiana Home

A raised Louisiana home sits above the ground on piers or a low foundation, and that height is its protection. It keeps the living space above the water that runs across the ground, and it gives the house a crawl space beneath the floor where the pipes and the wiring run. But a raised home is not immune to water damage. Water can still enter from above, through the roof or the walls, from inside, through a burst pipe or a failed appliance, and from below, through the crawl space. The height helps. It does not make the house waterproof.

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This guide describes raised-home construction in general terms, explains where water collects in a raised home, and how drying works under and inside the home. It makes no claim about the construction of any specific home. Homeowners in Lake Charles and Monroe live in raised homes as often as anywhere else in the state, and the water damage restoration page explains what a professional inspection generally covers.

Raised-home construction in general terms

A raised home sits on piers or a low foundation, with the floor lifted above the ground and a crawl space beneath it. The living space is above the ground level, the pipes and the wiring run beneath the floor in the crawl space, and the house is reached by steps. It is a common form of construction in Louisiana, where the ground is low and the water table is high, and where raising the house keeps the living space above the water that runs across the ground in heavy rain. The height is the point of the design, and it is what the house is built around.

A raised home is not a single design. Some are raised a few feet, some are raised higher, and the crawl space beneath can be shallow or deep, ventilated or enclosed. The details vary with the house, the ground it sits on, and when it was built. What is common to all of them is the space beneath the floor, and that space is where the pipes run, where water can collect, and where the house is most vulnerable to damp from below. This guide describes raised homes in general terms only, and it makes no claim about any specific home's construction.

Where water collects

Water collects in a raised home in three places: above, inside and below. From above, it enters through the roof or the walls, and it shows as a stain on a ceiling or a damp patch on a wall. From inside, it comes from a burst pipe, a failed appliance or a leaking fitting, and it shows as water on the floor or a damp patch on the wall. From below, it collects in the crawl space, from rain that runs under the house, a leak in a pipe beneath the floor, or floodwater that has risen and receded, and it shows as a damp smell in the house, a soft floor, or damp patches on the walls low down.

The water from below is the hardest to notice, because it is out of sight. It rises as damp into the floors and the walls above it, and it can cause damage for months before anyone looks underneath the house. The water from above and from inside is easier to see, but it can still travel inside walls and under flooring before it shows. In all three cases, the water does not stay where it entered. It spreads, and the inspection is what traces where it has gone. The emergency water removal page describes the removal step that follows an inspection.

Water Damage in a Raised Louisiana Home — Louisiana water damage guide

Drying under and inside the home in general terms

Drying a raised home means drying under it and inside it, in general terms. Inside, the drying follows the usual sequence: air movement and dehumidification, with progress checked by moisture readings in the floors, walls and ceilings. Under the house, the drying depends on what is found in the crawl space: standing water is removed first, and then the structure beneath the floor is dried, with the readings taken in the floors above to show whether the moisture is falling. The two are connected, because damp under the house rises into the floors above it, and a house cannot be properly dried inside while the space beneath it is still wet.

Access to the crawl space is professional-only work, and the drying under the house is planned by the professional from what the inspection finds. Do not go into the crawl space yourself, and do not try to dry it with household fans or heaters. The structural drying and dehumidification page explains the drying step in general terms, and the flood damage cleanup page describes the sequence that follows a flood.

No construction claim for any specific home

This guide makes no claim about the construction of any specific home. Raised-home construction is described here in general terms only, and whether any particular house is raised, how high it is raised, what kind of foundation it has, and what is beneath it, are matters for the house itself, not for a general guide. If you are unsure how your home is built, the building plans, the inspection report from when you bought the house, or a professional inspection can tell you.

For homes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, as across Louisiana, the advice is the same: watch for the signs of water in all three places, above, inside and below, note them with dates, and get a professional inspection. A raised home is built to keep water out, and it does that well, but it is not waterproof, and the water that does get in needs the same careful drying as in any other house.

Steps, piers and the ground below

The ground below a raised home is part of the house, and it is worth looking at in general terms. Water that pools around the piers, or that runs under the house after heavy rain, is water that can collect in the crawl space and rise as damp into the floors above. The ground should slope away from the house, so water runs away from it rather than under it, and the vents in the foundation should be clear, so air can move through the crawl space. A vent that is blocked, or ground that slopes towards the house, is a problem worth noting, even if the house itself looks dry.

Do not go under the house to check the piers or the ground yourself. Note what you can see from outside, and tell the professional when they visit. For homes in Shreveport and Lafayette, the water damage restoration page explains what a professional inspection generally covers, and the ground below a raised home is the part of the house that is easiest to forget and most important to keep dry.

Key Takeaways

A raised home sits on piers or a low foundation, with the floor lifted above the ground and a crawl space beneath it.
Water collects in a raised home in three places: above, inside and below.
Drying a raised home means drying under it and inside it, in general terms.
This guide makes no claim about the construction of any specific home.
The ground below a raised home is part of the house, and it is worth looking at in general terms.

Questions About Water Damage in a Raised Louisiana Home

What is a raised Louisiana home?

A home that sits above the ground on piers or a low foundation, with the floor lifted above ground level and a crawl space beneath it. The height keeps the living space above water that runs across the ground, and the pipes and wiring run beneath the floor.

Where does water collect in a raised home?

In three places: from above, through the roof or walls; from inside, from a burst pipe or failed appliance; and from below, in the crawl space, from rain, a leaking pipe beneath the floor, or floodwater that has risen and receded.

How is a raised home dried after water damage?

In general terms, by drying under it and inside it. Inside, air movement and dehumidification dry the floors, walls and ceilings, checked by moisture readings. Under the house, standing water is removed first, then the structure beneath the floor is dried. Access to the crawl space is professional-only.

Is a raised home safe from water damage?

No. The height helps, but it does not make the house waterproof. Water can still enter from above, from inside and from below, and the water that does get in needs the same careful drying as in any other house.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Emergency Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the water damage restoration page explains how the full sequence works when water has reached more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across Louisiana. See water damage restoration in Covington, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.