Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body

of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding,[1] but also serve to keep out vermin.[2] The shady space under the house can be used for work or storage.[3][dead link]

A stilt house is a raised structure that is most commonly built above water, although it also may be built over dirt or sand. It is sometimes called a pile dwelling because it is supported by large stakes, known as piles, which are driven directly into the water or into the shoreline. These structures typically rest 10 - 12 feet (3.5 - 4 meters) off the ground to allow for high tide, and are designed to avoid flooding and water damage. Created from bamboo or other waterresistant timber and reinforced with deck boards and sometimes concrete, stilt houses can be found throughout the world. A stilt house must be built on land or water that is free from rocks or metallic debris. When possible, deep holes are dug and are filled with a concrete mixture to offer additional weight and reinforcement before sturdy posts are added. If digging holes is impossible because of water, then the posts are sharpened on one side and erected, often by a team of men, during low or medium tide. When the necessary posts are in place, a base is built by laying deck boards on top of the posts to create even more support. This combination of posts and base forms the "stilts," and the rest of the house can be completed on top of the stilts as desired