HORTON TWP. -- Following the devastating floods of 2017 and 2019, an Arnprior company says it has a solution that will prevent damage to homes in flood-prone areas.

“The system is designed to help the homeowner keep his property in case of future flooding,” says Peter Chabursky with Triodetic Multipoint Foundations. “It’s like an insurance policy.”

The system, made of galvanized steel and aluminum, goes underneath a home to support it and allow floodwater to go through.

“I think this is a very good system, it’s very simple,” says Paul Emmerson who had the system installed at his cottage on the Ottawa River in Horton Township, about an hour west of Ottawa. Emmerson’s cottage flooded this spring.

Paul Emmerson’s cottage

Chabursky says the system will keep homes straight and level and that it’s ideal for areas prone to flooding or with unstable soil.

“Once you connect the property and house to our system, it moves as the ground shifts,” Chabursky says. “You don’t have to sit here 24/7 and pump your basement…that’s the beauty about this system and it’s long lasting.”

The system ranges in height from two to eight feet to elevate structures above water. It costs between $15 to $20 a square foot and depending on the size can be installed in about a day.