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'Flood Mary' Urges Property Owners to be Flood Ready

The last thing you want is for your home to become flooded. 

After one of the driest summers in recent years, experts are warning of an increased risk of surface water flooding this autumn. 

With the ground hard and dry, heavy or prolonged rainfall may struggle to soak away, meaning communities across the UK could face increased risks of flash flooding through the autumn and winter months.

Property flood resilience expert Mary Long-Dhonau OBE, also known as Flood Mary, is urging homeowners to act and be ‘flood aware and flood ready’: “After such an exceptionally dry summer, many communities are understandably worried about the wetter months ahead," she told That's Home and Household. 

"Dry, hardened ground simply can’t absorb water quickly, so even a short, sharp downpour can lead to surface water flooding. Being prepared is the most important thing you can do, and I therefore encourage homeowners and business owners to create a ‘flood to-do list’ to stay one step ahead.

There is also another problem, floods caused or encouraged by drains that often haven't been cleaned in 40 to 50 years.

Over the past two winters, Mary has spoken to over 2,000 people while visiting newly flooded communities with the Floodmobile and FloodPod. Time and time again, she was asked the same questions: “Where can we find trusted advice on flood resilience products, and where can we buy them?”

In response, Mary has produced a brand-new Making Your Home Flood Ready Directory - a free and impartial practical guide packed with tips, tools and trusted products. From flood doors and barriers to recoverable kitchens and simple, low-cost preparedness tips, the directory helps homeowners understand what’s possible and where to turn for support.

It also includes Mary’s popular Flood To-Do List, which is a quick, step-by-step checklist to follow when flood warnings are issued.

In addition, the directory includes advice from Flood Re, plus information on flood insurance, PFR surveys and even how 'greening up' your garden can help to reduce local surface water risks.

Continues Mary: “Unfortunately, most people don’t research flood resilience measures until flooding happens to them. This directory is designed to be a first stop, giving people the knowledge and confidence to prepare now and be ‘flood ready’.”

Access the new PFR directory here: https://floodmary.com/attention-introducing-the-new-property-flood-resilience-pfr-directory/

Designed as a trusted, independent resource, the directory brings together information on proven products, practical strategies and expert specialists, also making it an invaluable tool for flood risk management teams and local authorities delivering flood alleviation schemes.

www.floodmary.com

Also check out https://www.floodre.co.uk for advice on flood insurance.

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Architect-Designed Home With an Urban Front Door

Adrian Small, partner at Cowper Griffith Architects, discusses the design of this special home in North Norfolk. 

He tells That's Home and Household:

"The property is designed as an upside-down house with primary living spaces on the first floor to make the most of the sea views. Each first-floor pavilion has a vaulted ceiling and glazed gable ends. 

The design is based on a trinity of elements, the three pavilions, three chimney stacks, organised within a classical proportioning system. Square shapes repeat throughout the design, with square windows, square flint panels, square door openings, etc. 

"The front door, which was our recommendation to the client, is made up of two squares, one on top of the other. We're impressed by the door's structural integrity for security and resilience to the North Norfolk coastal weather.

Rising from the masonry plinth are three expressive chimneys, each splitting into three stacks. They are intended as strong sculptural objects that help connect the upper storey 'pavilions' to the brick lower storey. They are functional too, providing an open fire to the sitting room, a wood-burning stove to the study, and ventilation to the kitchen.

The house employs sustainable technologies, chiefly by avoiding heat loss through the highly insulated deep cavity walls and first-floor steel-framed pavilions, which are insulated with carbon-neutral wood fibre. The house is heated throughout via underfloor heating driven by an air source heat pump, which also heats the domestic hot water supply."

FACTILE: Urban Front doors are beautiful, functional, and highly secure. All three of these elements are of equal importance when we design and make doors. We never compromise safety for design aesthetics.

The door pictured here is a Pivot Ridge in iroko finished in oil (1200mm by 2346mm) with matching side lights and a BZ5 handle. Photography by Andy Stagg @studiostagg.

Their bespoke doors are made in Britain and can be commissioned in a range of different designs and materials – various hardwoods, bronze, and steel. They offer a free moodboard design service to help clients choose the right door for their home.

For more information visit www.urbanfront.com.