# Silly house construction question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225 "2005-09-30T17:31:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/1 "2005-09-30T17:31:48Z")
Would it be possible to build a house like the one in the Daffy Duck cartoon? You know the one I mean: “Whatever you do, don’t press the red button”. That is: one that uses hydrolics to lift off the ground. If it’s possible, why don’t they do it? It seems to me that this would be the easiest way to avoid flooding damage after hurricanes. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/2 "2005-09-30T17:48:21Z")
Seriously? Well, first of all, you’d have to find a hydraulic lift strong enough to lift an entire house _n_ feet into the air. Then you’d have to be able to afford it; hydraulic lifts are expensive. But mostly because, unlike cartoons, real-life houses have multiple connections to things that are buried in the ground. Even if you could figure out a way to run all your water, sewer, electric, gas, phone, cable, or what-have-you through the same pipes used to raise the lift, you’d still have to figure out a way to let them lengthen and shorten so that the connections wouldn’t be ripped to pieces when the lift was used. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/3 "2005-09-30T18:54:46Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > If it’s possible, why don’t they do it? It seems to me that this would be the easiest way to avoid flooding damage after hurricanes. Ummm, no. The easiest way, if you live in or near a flood zone, is to put the house on pilings above the highest recorded water level. There’s no reason whatsoever to make this an active process unless you’re [Baba Yaga](http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/godsgoddesses/a/babayaga.htm) ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/4 "2005-09-30T19:51:26Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Well, first of all, you’d have to find a hydraulic lift strong enough to lift an entire house _n_ feet into the air. > > Then you’d have to be able to afford it; hydraulic lifts are expensive. All depends on how high you want it to lift. For about $1000, you can get a hydraulic kit for your car, which has front and rear lifts as well as side to side. There’s no reason you couldn’t do the same thing anf turn your house into a [lowrider](http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/03/lowrider.jpg) too. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/5 "2005-09-30T20:15:08Z")
Assuming you were willing to fund this endeavor, the tonnage of hydraulics to lift a house isn’t that big of a deal. So long as there are sufficient cylinders distributed beneath a framework capable of supporting the subject dwelling when raised, that part is simple. Electrical service cable can be coiled, and corrugated stainless steel tubing rated for natural gas supply could also be coiled. Flexible plumbing supply and drain/waste lines are likely available. Once this is achieved, I question how this hydraulically elevated house will be able to withstand lateral wind force. Raising it up is one issue, but elevating _and_ achieving lateral stability is another. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/6 "2005-09-30T20:24:18Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Well, first of all, you’d have to find a hydraulic lift strong enough to lift an entire house _n_ feet into the air. > > Then you’d have to be able to afford it; hydraulic lifts are expensive. All depends on how high you want it to lift. For about $1000, you can get a hydraulic kit for your car, which has front and rear lifts as well as side to side. There’s no reason you couldn’t do the same thing anf turn your house into a [lowrider](http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/03/lowrider.jpg) too. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/7 "2005-09-30T20:29:53Z")
Uh. For the sake of argument… I would nevery really recommend this - Instead of flexable hookups, I would suggest two different hookups. Just stub a second set of pipes up through a plumbing closet or whatever. When you want to raise the house, unhook the plumbing. Raise it up and hook to the higher pipes. You might actually be able to meet code. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![agioe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@agioe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agioe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-house-construction-question/324225/8 "2005-09-30T20:39:47Z")
Maybe the people paying $20 million to go into space could afford to design and build one!