is it possible to move a 26' X 26' house

OK,so I have done this. This might end up to be a long post but I'll try and explain all I can.On setp4 of 94 I found out about this house. They had sold 4-5 times then everyone backed out because they couldn't get it moved.It was an old parsonage and the church wanted it gone.When I went and talked to them they had had enough messing with it and sold it to me for $1.
From there I went to the back and secured a $30,000 open end loan to cover anticipated expenses.Then I started looking for movers.I went through 17 movers and none were worth hiring. One actually drove down from Indy in his el dorado on a Sunday morning,drunk,with the back seat floorboard level with the seat full of empty beer cans! His approach was "Give me $20,000, $10,000 now and $10,000 when it hits your driveway. Forget about those ---- permits,we'll move it at night!"
To shorten this,the only way to find the right mover is thru the company that sells and services the equipment they use.They know the ins and outs of all the movers in the surrounding states and they have no reason to steer you wrong.
Once you find a mover they will be able to tell you everything you need to know and what they supply and what they provide and what you will have to be responsible for.It will be somewhat different with each company. For me,I had to have the lot ready and accessible and the foundation ready to set it on,Get the trees trimmed on the route that would be used.(the house is 36x40 2 1/2 story -31' from sill to crown) I also had to make arrangements with the state police because 2 miles of the move would be on a state road, the sheriff's office to handle traffic and cover the other 2 miles on a county road,two power companies,the telephone company and water company and the state dept of transportation.There were also a few petty permits that I had to deal with.
The day of the move I was responsible for providing a crew to remove all mailboxes and signage and another crew to replace everything.It took 12 hours to move 4 miles just to get it off the road for the night and they set the house the next day.The house will set on cribbing for a couple weeks so the utilities and siles,chimney etc can be prepared.
It is a big hassle! I would not do it again for a standard stick built home. This house was built around 1840 and was all native timbers so I don't feel I got beat by the move. I was VERY fortunate to find a mover that had just been bought out by the employees and were really needing the work.After building a full basement (I already had all utilities on site) and all the expenses of the move I turned over $10,000 to the bank on the $30,000 loan.
I hope this covers some of the concerns you must have. Feel free to contact me for any other info I may be able to provide and GOOD LUCK !

Wade


BTW, I forgot to tell you,we finally moved it on May 31,1995,almost 9 months later.

THIS house was moved from my town (robbed from us, some might say ) several years back and moved down to Eureka Springs AR, so its certainly possible. Can't imagine what the cost of this job was though...

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Just had one moved 30 miles for my boss. It cost 65k. This was a house that was on a slab and they detached it from the slab, raised it up then moved it. This was a very hard job for a mover and three turned it down because of this.

I would guess that yours would cost in the area of 25k if it has a wood floor (solid?). It depends on the bones, the distance and the mover. Like others have said, you will have to wait. The house movers are a close knit group and they have you by the horns if you let them. Cheaper price doesn't mean lower cost in the long run. If they tear it up it will cost you more to fix it. Pay now or pay later.

My move only cracked one spot on the sheetrock. I poured the slab and they set it on it. Perfect fit. The hardest part for me was the plumbing drains. I just left out a 2x2 area of concrete on the drains and piped them to the wall after it was set.

You can save money. Lots of it with the right mover. You can also pour money into it needlessly with the wrong one.

I asked a business that builds and hauls portable bldg. of all types. He said, for hauling my 2 14 X 40 and 14 X 24, cause they are 14 which is over a certain wide limit, 80 miles would be $1000 ea.

Bill-that sounds like a steal! I know I moved a much bigger building but it was only 4 miles and my bill was $12,000 for that alone.


Wade


BTW, I met up with this same moving crue a couple years later. They were moving 4 buildings 6 blocks and got $200,000 for the move. The foreman told me that I got a tremendous deal 'cause they were just about to go under.He gave me a figure of what it should have cost me but I don't remember for sure what it was now. Something like $40-50K.

And to the move I made,I just now remembered, I had to have a 2 man crew with a bobcat working in front of the house to clear out anything that was in the way. There was a field stone being used as a property/survey boundary in the way so they had to dig about 3 feet deep into the bank on the other side of the road and about 25-30 feet long just to clear the boundary stone. It was about 8 feet high and they were not allowed to disturb stuff like that.

Wade

It is possible. I moved a larger house than that up 5' and then back down 1'. I was making it a little taller. I've seen much bigger houses moved further.

Cost is hard.

-Walter

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We bought a 25 x 28 cottage from the county for a dollar. Had to move within 30 days.

Found a recommended mover about an hour away. I had the new pad ready on our place five miles out of town. They moved it in two days, $4000. I didn't have to do anything. No permits required. I love living in Cherry Hill.

I didn't know this was so hard or I might not have tried it.

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