Has anyone ever moved a house or structure before?

[Italiahaircolor]

My DH and I are looking to move, and we want an older home that we can gut and totally transform. We live in a fairly historic area, and want to stay near by because we love the neighborhood, school districts, we''re close to my family and so on. We''ve found that older, historic homes (with the historic stamp) are selling for $1m plus. These home may or may not have been updated and thats something we are try to keep in mind while house hunting.

Our realtor purposed a very interesting idea to us a few days ago, and this past weekend we investigated more. A town nearby is looking to capitalize on their land by selling historic homes for $1.00. These are not "toothbrush ready" homes. They would require all the work and then some. Basically, a buyer submits a proposal showing their plans for the home...who would move it, where it would be going and so on. Then the city sells you home for $1.00 and gifts you $10,000 (the total for their demo if they were tearing the house down). The new owner is then responsible for moving the structure to its new location within a short period of time.

It''s definitely one of those situations that sounds to good to be true...because it is. Land around us alone sells in the mid 6 figures and thats before moving the house and remodeling. But it''s not out of the question for us.

So, my question is...has anyone ever moved a house before? The approximate sqft of the place we''re interested in is 3,500 and it''s two stories. What was the cost to move your place, and was there a lot of damage caused by moving it? Since we''d tear the house down to the studs anyway, we''re less concerned with damage, it''s definitely more the $$$$ that has our minds spinning.

Thanks!

 

[neatfreak]

I don''t know exact pricing but I know it is REALLY expensive and nowhere as simple as it seems. My parents have a beautiful 300 year old farmhouse that has a ton of land. It also happens to now be about 10 feet from the road. They looked into getting it moved just 20 feet or so and it was CRAZY how much it was going to cost. So I would think that moving across town would be even more pricey.

Have you tried calling the office of the person running the program? I am sure they would be in a better position to give you info than us...

 

[purrfectpear]

A home with that square footage is going to be chopped into sections for the move. You can imagine you can't just jack it up and haul it down the road. Also, with a second story you are likely to run into some substantial costs due to power lines, bridges, etc. For a smaller home it's manageable, or one that is just moving a few blocks away. The larger the house and the further the distance (with more obstacles) , the higher the costs. Between the land cost, the foundation, the utilities, the move cost, and the gut remodel, I'm thinking it's more headache than just buying one already where you want it.

 

[crown1]

i was curious about this and did a google search. it gave the blow by blow pictures of the moving of a 2 story colonial and the cost, which was $18,500.

eta: i guess that figure was low since the move was back into woods and did not require going onto the road.

 

[partgypsy]

I have a feeling it is expensive - not so much the move but to make the house a "house" again. It has been done a couple times recently in my town, but it seems the people who do this have alot of money, for example the one in the adjoining neighborhood, not only was it moved but updated and enlarged (it is huge!) with separate garage, landscaping, the works.
I don''t see people on a budget doing this, but then again, if you want to live in a historic house and the ones existing are in the millions, it can''t hurt to price it out. What I would do is from that agency/town who is doing the selling, get a reference from someone who has already done this, and from that person hopefully you can some information of how involved it is, costs etc. Or get a reference from a contractor who specializes in this kind of work to get some general quotes.

Personally I love older houses and I think it''s wonderful when older structures get saved, even if it means being relocated.

 

[NakedFinger]

I saw it done on TV once (this old house or something like that). It was this massive stunning old colonial, that they moved on to a wonderful large property. It was originally right on the road similar to what neatfreak said (which many homes back then were, circa 1700-1800's or so). They did have to chop the house up. It was broken into pieces. From what they discussed on tv, the more the couple wanted "salvaged" the more expensive it is because of the amount of care and time it requires. I dont remember the exact amount, but it was definitely over 6 figures to do.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I have a couple of calls into companies around here who move structures...I''m curious to know what the grand total would be. I''ve been mentally pricing it out in my head, and between the house, land and remodel alone (without the cost of moving the home) it''s going to be really pricey...almost as much as buying a remodeled historic home as-is in my area now. I then think to myself that if I could spare myself the stress and spend almost the same $$...why wouldn''t I? It''s not like I''d be saving a ton going to complicated route...it would be the same money spent in a different way.

Thank you everyone for your input and advice and stories. Its really helpful to have "real" reviews on the process as opposed to "google results"

 

[Morgie44]

You may have already seen this, but I read some of the articles on this in the tribune, and one said that cost estimates for the move would be 50-, though it didn''t say what that included (if the house would have to be sectioned, the cost of reassembly etc) Either way, it could be worth considering the cost of houses in that area.

 

[radiantquest]

You reasoning sounds good, but as I was reading it one thing popped to mind. If it is going to cost the same I might go with moving the house. Granted it is more headache, but when you remodel it you can do exactly what you want. If you pass up the deal and start looking for the ones that ready and there is something that you don''t like about it then you will be spending even more. I don''t know if this is the case where you live, but most old homes that I have been in are layed out a little odd and rooms were designed smaller then. Like I said, if it were me then I would just deal with the stress and have an awesome home that is exactly the way I want it.

 

[crown1]

Date: 11/24/2009 12:22:24 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
I have a couple of calls into companies around here who move structures...I''m curious to know what the grand total would be. I''ve been mentally pricing it out in my head, and between the house, land and remodel alone (without the cost of moving the home) it''s going to be really pricey...almost as much as buying a remodeled historic home as-is in my area now. I then think to myself that if I could spare myself the stress and spend almost the same $$...why wouldn''t I? It''s not like I''d be saving a ton going to complicated route...it would be the same money spent in a different way.


Thank you everyone for your input and advice and stories. Its really helpful to have ''real'' reviews on the process as opposed to ''google results''


sorry, i did not know you felt this way about the "google results" when i posted. i hope you find what you want.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Italia, there was just a story in this last weekend's LA Times about a woman who did this. To move a home a few blocks within the city of Long Beach cost about $150,000 for the physical act, transport permits, paying for street lamps to be swung out of the way to accommodate the house down the street, etc. I would imagine that there would be many factors to greatly affect the price to do it (part of country, style of roads, permit requirements, size and materials of home to be moved), but I figured one concrete example would help you as you begin your quest. I'll see if I can find a link to the article as well, I'll be back!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Here ya go: LA Times Article on moving a 1913 Craftsman Home

 

[NewEnglandLady]

FDL, I loved that article! What''s interesting is that the house was moved back in 1990, though renovations didn''t start for another 15 years. I bet it would be even more costly today!

There was a similar article in our local paper a couple of years ago--the town we were living in at the time consists mostly of historic homes. The majority of the main road through town still has the old carriage roads on either side (which means the homes are still set back), but a portion of the town has gotten rid of the old carriage roads, so a few homes now sit close to the main road. A couple decided to move their historic home back and the total cost was $50K. I remember that because of the historic society regulations they had to move the home in a certain way (couldn''t cut it into many pieces), which was more costly. But again, that was just a matter of feet.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Here''s another article from a nearby town where they break out the cost to be $20,000 per component (minimum) to move.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cohasset/news/x1549039692/Saving-the-Cook-Estate-house

 

[MichelleCarmen]

There was something like this in Seattle recently. One of the issues, in addition to the power lines (which was brought up) were the trees. The houses had to be moved down narrow streets and neighbors' historical trees would have to be removed (or something like that). Just a quick blurb including a photo that can be enlarged to see a bit of detail: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009543376_b2housemovelopkg27.html

Personally, on a large house like that, I think it's a crazy idea unless you can get some sort of insurance to cover any damage done!'

ETA - I'm pretty sure there was another part of that story where a couple did move a historic house from the madrona (or nearby neighborhood) and after all the moving and restoring, the whole deal ended up costing them around $500K.

 

[lilyfoot]

We just watched a show on HGTV where a couple moved a house .. of course, I have no idea what the name of that show was...

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 11/24/2009 3:26:29 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
FDL, I loved that article! What''s interesting is that the house was moved back in 1990, though renovations didn''t start for another 15 years. I bet it would be even more costly today!


There was a similar article in our local paper a couple of years ago--the town we were living in at the time consists mostly of historic homes. The majority of the main road through town still has the old carriage roads on either side (which means the homes are still set back), but a portion of the town has gotten rid of the old carriage roads, so a few homes now sit close to the main road. A couple decided to move their historic home back and the total cost was $50K. I remember that because of the historic society regulations they had to move the home in a certain way (couldn''t cut it into many pieces), which was more costly. But again, that was just a matter of feet.

I know, fascinating NEL, right? It''s interesting to see what can be moved and what can''t; I would imagine more of the homes in your area of the country would be worth the effort. The potential for disaster just seems so high, you know?

For instance... Italia, let''s just say if you''re going to do it, selecting the company with the lowest bid to move your home might not be the best idea. This surreal scene greeted everyone driving the highway between downtown LA and the studios for nearly two weeks: The MLS is listing this as "Freeway Close"

 

[musey]

Hey!! I know that house! I drove past it every day. I always wondered what the story was with it.

I thought remembered it being a LOOOOOOOOT longer than two weeks, though!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 11/24/2009 4:57:44 PM
Author: musey
Hey!! I know that house! I drove past it every day. I always wondered what the story was with it.


I thought remembered it being a LOOOOOOOOT longer than two weeks, though!

I''m with you Musey- it was there for a good month, I think! What an eyesore.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 11/24/2009 12:42:11 PM
Author: crown1

Date: 11/24/2009 12:22:24 PM

Author: Italiahaircolor

I have a couple of calls into companies around here who move structures...I''m curious to know what the grand total would be. I''ve been mentally pricing it out in my head, and between the house, land and remodel alone (without the cost of moving the home) it''s going to be really pricey...almost as much as buying a remodeled historic home as-is in my area now. I then think to myself that if I could spare myself the stress and spend almost the same $$...why wouldn''t I? It''s not like I''d be saving a ton going to complicated route...it would be the same money spent in a different way.



Thank you everyone for your input and advice and stories. Its really helpful to have ''real'' reviews on the process as opposed to ''google results''



sorry, i did not know you felt this way about the ''google results'' when i posted. i hope you find what you want.

No, no, no...that''s not what I meant at all! I meant that instead of reading reviews from random people it''s nice to have real people give me real reviews! I really do appreciate your help...sorry if I phrased that wrong.

 

[rainwood]

The show on HGTV is called ''Hauling House'' and has given some pretty good examples. The first thing you''d have to figure out is logistics. The move needs to be flat so no hills, the streets have to be wide enough (including tree and power line overhangs) that it''s possible, and the city has to be willing to give you the permits to close the streets along your proposed route. And because of the need for street closures, the moves take place at night or early, early in the morning so the distance has to be short enough that the trip can be made in the required time frame. Houses move very, very slowly.

The price of $1 sounds right for purchase of the house, but the moving costs would probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000-$200,000 if the move is even feasible. I''m not sure why you''d want a historic house moved if you''re going to tear it down to the studs anyway. You have the cost of demo''ing whatever is currently on the land, the cost of moving the historic house to the site, then redoing it from the studs. That just doesn''t sound cheaper if cost is the main reason you''d be choosing that option.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Call me crazy, but if you''re going to spend so much money moving an old house, why not save that money and either build a new house on land or just buy a house that''s in a good (better?) location

You could build a new house and give it the old time charm without all the work and cost.

I live in NW Ohio and while it''s not unheard of to move a house, it''s not done often, and in historical neighborhoods there are tons of restrictions as to what can and cannot be done to those houses.