How House Moving Works

Steps in House Moving

To prepare the house for a move, all the utilities must be disconnected, which may require the services of a plumber or an electrician. In addition, house movers need at least 10 feet (3 meters) of room around the house for excavation, so dig out any trees or plants that you don't want bulldozed [source: Expert House Movers]. The mover will dig down around the foundation and cut openings in the foundation walls.

Steel beams are inserted into these openings. These beams bear the weight of the house during the move, so it's important that they're sized and placed correctly. Wooden cribs, made out of interlocking wooden posts, also help support the home inside and out. Then home movers place hydraulic jacks under the steel beams; the jacks will provide the movement that will lift the house. You may have seen a hydraulic jack used to prop up the tire of a car, but these jacks are linked to work together. This system is known as a unified hydraulic jacking system because there's a central control for monitoring each jack's performance. Because they're unified, all the jacks rise and lower at the exact same rate, regardless of how much weight each jack is supporting. This allows the home to remain level.

When the house is lifted, sliding beams are placed underneath to pull the home onto special dollies with rubber tires. The dollies are then attached to a truck that will take the house to its new location. This arduous trek can last several days. The truck crawls along while crews of workers travel alongside, lifting wires and mailboxes, and then replacing them after the house has passed. One bright side, though, is that most furniture can remain in the house, and the contents are barely affected. House movers have anecdotes of open soda cans left in a house arriving without spilling a drop [source: Siegal], while sleeping cats have made it to their new destination without waking up [source: Ermann].

When the home arrives at its new location, it's left jacked up until a new foundation is poured. Then the home is lowered, and the utilities that were uninstalled at the old place can be put back in. When all these steps are done correctly, the house has the same structural integrity as when the process started.

To learn more about moving home sweet home, see the links below.

Relocating the Doublewide

Some homes are made to be moved, like trailers and prefabricated houses, but surprisingly they require no less preparation. Mobile homes are also jacked up, and axles and wheels are attached to the bottom of steel beams that are already running through the home. A tongue (or pole) is usually already installed under the home, and this is attached to the truck that will pull the home. If you've ever been stuck in traffic behind a trailer that's being moved, you know that it goes very slowly; drivers have to keep control of the load, and the home could sustain damage if the driver screeched to a sudden stop at high speeds. Permits are required for using the road and are available from local planning offices. Doublewide or triplewide homes face about double or triple the cost because there are more units to transport, and the pieces must be put back together at the end.

House Moving FAQ

How much does it cost to relocate a house?

Getting a quote from a professional house mover is the best way to get a true sense of how much it might cost to relocate your home. The industry average to move an entire house ranges from $12 to $16 per square foot, but can quickly rise if the home is heavier, bigger, or has a long distance to go. This also doesn't account for building a foundation for your home at its new location.

Is it possible to move a house from one location to another?

Yes, though you will need the services of a professional house moving company. House moving requires picking the house up from its foundation and setting it down in another spot, sometimes miles away.

How is a house moved?

The company will dig down around the home's foundation and cut through to insert steel beams to bear the weight. A unified hydraulic jacking system is used to lift the house up and sliding beams are inserted to pull the house onto specialized dollies, which are then attached to a truck to transport the house to its new location.

How much does it cost to move a house up off its foundation?

If your house is in need of a new foundation, you can opt for house raising, which involves elevating it, excavating the ground below, pouring new flooring and a foundation, and then placing the house back down.

What increases the cost of moving a house?

Weight and size are the biggest factors in determining the cost. For example, a brick home is more expensive to move than one with siding one, and multi-story homes cost more than one-story bungalows. The distance and route the house needs to be transported is another factor, as permits must be granted by every town and city you'll pass through, which may add costs and restrictions.

House Moving: Cheat Sheet

House moving is the process of picking a house up from the foundation, taking it to another spot and installing it there.
House moving requires extensive planning with local movers, planning departments, departments of transportation, banks and inspectors, not to mention the professional house mover.
Costs vary depending upon the size of the house and the difficulty and length of the route.
To move the house, house movers use steel beams and wooden cribs to bear the weight of the dwelling, hydraulic jacks to lift the house and dollies to wheel the house to its new location.

Sources

Burstein, Laurie. "Trading Spaces: Historic Homes are Rescued through Relocation or Raising." St. Louis Commerce Magazine. November 2003. (March 18, 2008)http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/archives/november2003/trends.html
Ermann, Lynn. "The House was a Steal, but Moving it Wasn't." The New York Times. Feb. 24, 2000. (March 18, 2008) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE0DD1030F937A15751C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Expert House Movers. "Frequently Asked Questions." (March 18, 2008)http://www.experthousemovers.com/faq.html
Fetters, Eric. "Give an old house new life: Move it." Everett Herald. Nov. 5, 2007. (March 18, 2008)http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071105/BIZ/711050013
Johnson, Keith W. "Move a House and Move In." Mother Earth News. September/October 1973. (March 18, 2008) http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1973-09-01/Move-a-House-and-Move-In.aspx
Lewis, Marilyn. "Why build? Move an older house instead." MSN Real Estate. (March 18, 2008) http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=6077219
Mammoth Movers. "Building Moving." (March 18, 2008)http://www.mammothmovers.com/building_moving
McLinden, Steve. "Relocating a house rarely a smooth move." BankRate.com. July 2, 2005. (March 18, 2008)http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/20050702a1.asp
Rolfe, Frank and Dave Reynolds. "How to Move Your Mobile Home." MobileHomeParkStore.com. (March 18, 2008)http://www.mobilehomeparkstore.com/books/mobile-home-park-mover-book.htm
Romano, Jay. "Moving the Little House 8 Miles Across the Prairie." The New York Times. May 25, 1997. (March 18, 2008)http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D7133BF936A15756C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Siegal, Ann Cameron. "Picking Up and Moving (the House)." The Washington Post. April 28, 2007. (March 18, 2008) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042700960.html
Wolfe House & Building Movers. "Frequently Asked Questions." (March 18, 2008)http://www.wolfehousebuildingmovers.com/faq.html