A house is being built on eight 17-foot pillars at 711 Curtis Hill Road in Chehalis. The house, being built by Naillon Construction, sits 10 feet, 6 inches off the ground. Once construction is finished it will look like any other two-story house with the bottom level being used as garage space. The previous house at the same spot on the property was destroyed by the December 2007 flood.
Joints supporting the awning are seen, along with the top of one of eight 9-foot pillars supporting the raised house on Curtis Hill Road west of Chehalis.
Bob Ellison cuts a piece of lumber in front of a house being built by Naillon Construction in the Boistfort Valley. The house stands 10 feet, 6 inches above ground level, putting it out of reach of even a 2007-type flood.
Bill and Myra Bouschor lived in the Boistfort Valley for nearly 15 years before 9-foot high floodwaters completely destroyed their home in 2007.
Since then, the couple have lived in a rental house in Centralia with hopes of returning to their five-acre property near Curtis.
“It’s a real community out there,” Bill said. “Everybody helps everybody else out.”
After searching for homes to buy, Bill and Myra decided instead to rebuild on their Curtis property, but this time build their home above flood level.
Bill met with Chehalis engineer Todd Mason and designer George Andrews five months ago, and the two showed Bill plans to elevate a new home almost 11 feet above the ground on concrete pillars.
“It’s going to be a unique project,” Bill said.
The project began two months ago when Billy Naillon of Naillon Construction was hired as the contractor.
Naillon’s crew, along with sub-contractors, plumbers and other workers, have already placed the house’s structure onto eight cement pillars.
Each pillar is 9 feet high and digs into the ground another 8 feet.
To support the pillars, Naillon said 85 yards of concrete have been poured into the foundation compared to 15 yards in most other homes.
“We have never done one exactly like this,” Naillon, who started his business in 2006, said.
The house, which has three bedrooms, two baths and is 2,000 square feet, is expected to be finished Sept. 1.
The floor of the house is 11 feet above ground or 2 feet above the highest flood mark. The space underneath the first floor will be used as a garage.
The garage will have two doors and be enclosed by cedar siding, which can break away during another flood.
To enter the house, Naillon said, there will be a front and back deck with staircases down to the ground. Bill is also considering adding an elevator from the garage area to the house above.
Bill said the cost of building the new customized home has not been determined because work is still in progress.
Naillon estimates the project will cost about $400,000 to cover the concrete, steel, excavation and labor. But Naillon said costs can change as more or less materials and labor are needed.
Once the elevated home is complete in the fall, Bill and Myra are looking forward to permanently returning to the Boistfort Valley.
Bill is a pilot who flies his own Piper-PA12 Super Cub Airplane. His property is next to a landing strip and he has a hangar on his property.
Along with being able to conveniently fly again, Bill said he wants to be back with the locals, enjoying the scenery and quiet of the valley.
“We are ready to move out there,” Bill said.
