I have a house in Brookline, MA which never had water in 7 years and a year ago, it had water in it twice, even with a sump pump. (The tenant didn't know it was a sump pump and had it unplugged). It ended up costing me $40,000 to rip out drywall 4 feet up from the ground, install Boston Basement Technologies, essentially a pipe with holes at the entire interior perimeter with two battery backed up sump pumps and replaced heat, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, stairs and everything else. I now have the minimal flood insurance which costs about $150 per year. This covers $12,000 for the building and about $8000 for personal property. It is extremely cheap insurance. I have mine through USAA. You should try and give them a call at 1-800-531-8111. Now I have peace of mind and can sleep at night. Good luck.
Music Room and Floods
I am in the process of buying a new house that will have a dedicated music room in a look out basement. This house is 14 years old and the basement is finished. the music room is 21x16. This is not in a flood area and has never had any water seepage or other issues. It has a sump pump if needed. I was surprised to find out that in the case of a flooded basement there is not much coverage for my audio system. Anyone have this issue, any ideas. I will get the sump pump checked, have a battery backup installed but would appreciate anyone elses thoughts or experience.