HOUSTON -- Building a new garage costs a lot of money. However, some major changes proposed to the city' storm water requirements could make it even more expensive.

“I don't know what to do about it,” said Mike Shelton of Harvard Heights Construction.

You can thank Houston's heavy rain for the proposed changes. When rain falls on a rooftop, it slides off and floods the street.

The new rules would require any homeowner who builds almost anything the size of a new bedroom or larger to add a detention pond or rain barrel. The property owner would then have to dig a drainage line out to the street so water would drain off after a storm passes.

Such requirements would raise the cost of almost any project.

“It would be pretty tough to justify spending a couple of grand to do all the engineering on such a small job in my opinion,” said Shelton.

The new requirements were supposed to take effect August 1, just two weeks from now. However, city engineers say due to a publication error, they have to delay all of this until Oct. 1.

City officials acknowledge the proposal is too broad and does not do enough to differentiate big projects from small projects that have less of a flood impact.

They said changes will probably still require detention ponds for big projects – like town homes -- that contribute to flooding, but smaller construction projects may be exempt.

Still, the rules are not yet written.