Has anyone ever moved a house?

rockinl · #1 10/14/06, 09:17 PM

My mother is looking at purchasing a home and placing on our ranch for her retirement home.
In Stillwater, Ok, the University has taken a bunch of land around the school to build an athletic village, and the existing homes are being sold and moved.
I was just wondering how well they stand the move, and if it would be worth it.
The homes are only $25,000 each including the cost of moving it, so I think it might work great!

These are older homes, but the man doing it says they move really well.

Any input? Thanks a million, Kimberly

inthewoods · #2 10/14/06, 09:39 PM

I've never done it but this link might be helpful.

House Moving

Mountaineer · #3 10/14/06, 09:40 PM

For $25k that's likely worth it. Don't be forgetting the fact they may have old roofs, pipes, electrical etc. They might need enormous improvements to get permits in order. I'd talk to the building inspector if there is one and get him to walk through it first.
Around here's it's about that to move a house a few blocks, so long as it's easy accessibility and only a few power lines to go under.
Talking to someone the other day who moved into a moved home- there may be mice, mold problems, etc etc. Things to consider.

Cheryl in SD · #4 10/14/06, 10:04 PM

OK, BTDT. You need to look at some things.

1) Check & be sure the mover has good insurance, if he wrecks it on the way, you want it fixed or your $$ back.

2) Is wiring & plumbing to code? Many counties require that these items be to code or they won't sign off until you will have to replace.

3) How is the roof? You may need to replace it after going down the road.

4) Get references. Ask for a definite delivery date and get a contract with penalties for late delivery and make sure that contract is clear about who is responsible for damage & how much damage they are responsible for if caused by the move.

5) Any broken windows or bad storms/screen will only get worse.

6) Is it sheet rock or plaster? You will need to at least do some repair work after it arrives, figure that in your costs, most movers won't pay for it.

I have moved 2 houses. One great experience, one poor experience. The poor one showed up missing the roof past the walls on both sides, plumbing having been torn off going down the road, windows broken & 2 months late.

rockinl · #5 10/14/06, 10:17 PM

Wow, thanks for the replies. I love to hear from those who have done it!
Thanks for the link, too.

We will investigate and ask questions.

Have a great day, Kimberly

Country Lady · #6 10/14/06, 10:31 PM

There's lots of house moving around here, and they seem to look well after getting it all fixed up again. As far as cost effective, I'm not sure because I don't know anyone personally that's moved one.

RoseGarden · #7 10/14/06, 10:37 PM

We moved a single story house several years ago, and here was my experience; windows WILL break, floors WILL warp/pop out of shape, interior doors should be REMOVED before moving, cabinets should be TAPED SHUT. REMOVE anything like an air conditioner unit as it WILL BE STOLEN. Chain toilets shut as they WILL be urinated/defecated in by the moving crew. Leave NO tools or anything at all inside the house as things WILL BE STOLEN. I cannot stress this enough. Don't trust a moving company just because they are bonded/insured. Believe me, you won't get a dime for your stolen things. GO TO THE NEW SITE the day of the move to make sure the house is put EXACTLY where you want it sited or it may just end up 10 or 20 or 50 ft. this way or that. Again, don't trust the movers to follow instructions. Other than that, you will only have to put up with things like installing new plumbing, electrical service, septic or sewer, etc. Worth it? In retrospect, for us back then, probably not. I would have to have some really awesome old historical house to go through it all again. I would rather take the money and build a new, small cabin.

sellis · #8 10/15/06, 01:42 AM

yes we moved our house lets just say the guy as exellent not a crack in the wall not a broken window infact he left a bucket of water on the counter and not a drop was spilled , he put it on the basement for us and it fit perfect the guy was excellent please pm me if you have any questions .

Alice In TX/MO · #9 10/15/06, 06:09 AM

I have moved two. One small three bedroom house from country to town, about 10 miles. One beer joint that became my workshop from town to the country, about three miles. Both were successful.

If the price includes the move, it's not unreasonable.

See if you can get references on the movers.

huzzyjr · #10 10/15/06, 06:11 AM

We had our house moved here 13 years ago. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat, if we could use the same guy.
Take care,
Carol

**Ross** · #11 10/15/06, 07:39 AM

The company makes all the difference. Mine came no worse than when i bought it but it was pretty bad to start. 2 story and the top roof and walls were cut off and moved seperately. They rejoined the house together and got it within a half inch of not bang on every stud. No broken windows no theft no problems at all. I'd do it again in an instant. The company I used. http://www.cdsmovers.com/

tamatik · #12 10/15/06, 08:33 AM

We had a new home delivered..40 miles.It was an RTM(ready to move)It took 4ever to get it here..maybe 3 ..4 months.They dropped it..drywall shattered.The company that built the house rebuilt new steps 3 times.replaced siding many times generally lied constantly as to when who was gonna be there to do what.We lived in it for 8 months and finally the BS and lies got to be too much..We sold it..still unfinished to this day.The siding was never put on rite and the painting was never done while we were there.They backfilled with broken pieces of concrete and when I protested ,I was told,"We can leave"very remote so no other show in town.The foundation contractor hooked up to our hydro for ehating the concrete.I told him that woul be a big bill.He just blew it off..$1600/month.(40 below) I never used $1600 the whole previous year.So we fought..My insurance company(house burnt down) stepped in and had them pay for the hydro.It was only after threats of not paying by the insurance company that anything ever got done.very poor workmanship and no control over their own contractors.Electrical was never hooked up rite and it never got fixed till the day b4 we moved out,after countless fone calls.The new owner is still fighting the builder BUT.the warranty was only one year..he s fiting an uphill battle.

my 2 cents.
Gord in BC

deb · #13 10/15/06, 11:25 AM

You say moving costs are included, but my guess is that doesn't include paying off the utility companies for raising power & phone lines along the move route.

A couple of years ago, the elderly owner of one of the first houses in WI passed away. His grand niece inherited the house, but she hated it and she sold the property to a developer was going to demolish the house to make way for a gas station. After much pleading from the county and the state historical society officials, the developer offered to sell the house for $1, but it had to be moved by a certain date. The deadline was too soon for for historic preservation groups to raise funds and it looked like the house would be demolished anyway

DH's boss hated to see this historically significant house demolished so he bought it and planned to move it to his property. The cost of moving the house itself was reasonable, but he soon discovered that the electric company wanted a huge fee for raising each electric line along the move route. The officials from the county and the state historical society tried to persuade the electric company to reduce the fee to actual cost of raising the lines, but the electric company wouldn't back down.

DH's boss couldn't afford the line raising fees so he couldn't move the house in one piece. He ended up dismantling the house and moved the pieces to his property. Currently the old house is stored in his metal shed waiting to be reassembled.

Look into the hidden costs of moving the house, before you commit to it.

FarmboyBill · #14 10/15/06, 12:44 PM

Ive seen houses sold on a hwy ROW ready to be built for $500, to be moved by a certain date, then $100 as the date came closer, than a dollar the week of the due date. Ive heard of the costs to cut electric lines, and tho Id love to move one here. I think I could build one cheaper

kmaproperties · #15 10/15/06, 01:16 PM

know 2 people that did it. both were old century homes that were going to be restored ,so cost was not an issue, they just loved the homes. most places require a moved house to be brought up to local codes. They use the line that in order to tie in to sewer or water and electric provider requires a code inspection.
Check it out before committing, maybe on the ranch you have well and septic, and you could bring electric from your place over to hers without telling the power company.

Bruce in NE · #16 10/15/06, 01:36 PM

I've got a video CD (about 60 min.) of a house move; people who bought some land from me moved this huge 2 story monstrocity which needed complete refurbishing inside and out. They paid $40K for the house, paid much more than $25K to move it more than 60 miles (took 3 days). Now they have about $120K in the house and it still needs to be completely renovated inside -- probably at least another $200K investment. And the guy is supposedly doing most of the work himself, altho he has been spending less and less time at the site since it was moved there nearly 3 years ago. My prediction: it'll never get done before they go bankrupt. I'll mail you a copy of the CD for $3.

comfortablynumb · #17 10/15/06, 02:14 PM

no, but I can rock a boat pretty good.

Lois · #18 10/15/06, 02:19 PM

We moved a house and foolishly did not get the movers costs in writing. In the end there was an extra 5K overrun that we could not contest because there wasn't anything in writing. So please make sure you get something in writing that tells you what in included in his fee and the total price.
Once we got the house moved there were still many expenses in plumbing and electrical connections and repairing cracked walls.

haypoint · #19 10/15/06, 06:46 PM

I have a friend that was given an older farm house for free. After the $6000 to move it onto a new basement, he had to put new shingles and that ment new soffit and fascia. The single pane wood windows were replaced before he re-sided it. The inside plaster had to be removed so he could insulate and re-wire to today's codes. Then he put down new hardwood flooring in part and OSB and carpet in the rest. New drywall and window and door trim. The kitchen needed updating, so he got some nice cupboards and countertop. New bathroom fixtures father than fool around with a toilet that didn't flush properly and fausets that leaked. Yup, free house, great savings. By the time he was done tearing out the old, adjusting everything to look straight and square and putting in new, he only had a bit over $120,000 into this free house. The good part is that he was able to sell it for $130,000. Would have been worth more, but the Apraisal was low as it was an older home.....

rockinl · #20 10/15/06, 08:19 PM

WOW, what great stories. Seems like varied opinions. I don't think you can ask too many questions, and I need to get everything in writing.
Yes, well and septic on my ranch, but I think we would have to get electric hooked up separate. (My DH works for the electric company!) We still had to redo our electrical last yr to bring it up to code after damage from a surge, so we have NO pull with them!

I love the input, and appreciate everyone's advice.
Thank you, Kimberly