To invent the lifting house. friend of mine got terribly flooded out. the idea started coming from there, i m a builder by trade and i built houses on little jack pads, and the idea of having a screw pad under a house lifting it up started the process, and it has taken basically 12 years to get to today. there is increasing pressure to build more homes in the uk, but we are running out of land to do it on. and so, using flood plains like they are doing here in hull, has become a necessity, and perhaps here is the sort of place where the flood safe home can really come into its own. in our area millions have been spent on flood defences but allowing some land to flood is also necessary. that is where these homes come in. if all trials are successful, work on the flood safe estate is expected to begin by the end of this year. paul murphy, bbc look north.