Anyone moved a house??

Question

I found a nice tiny home that the present owner built on family land..  Guy is moving to Miami and needs the home moved off the family farm.

It's a raised foundation 1br 1ba built 2 years ago... Shingle roof, vinly siding, pella windows..

Nicely finished on the interior.  Just needs counter tops finished in kitchen.

Approximately 10 miles from where it's currently located I Have a site already with utilities.

Nice small town with a community college and very few rental properties.  Should bring 400-500 per month once set up..

Asking price is 4,500.  I'm expecting to have 10,000 invested after move and setup..

Just wondering if anyone has hassled with moving a house before.

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Geof Greeneisen · Answer

Yes, I've moved a number in the past. It's pretty straight forward and based on your pictures it looks like you've got an ideal candidate for it. Usually the biggest issue in a longer move like yours is drywall repair at wall seams and around door frames. Your house is so small you probably won't have any of that.

You may want to touch base with the city/township you're moving into. All the cities I dealt with viewed a moved house as new construction, i.e. house had to be brought up to current codes including latest energy codes. Again, since yours is only 2 yrs old you probably won't have any issues unless they ding you on insulation which could get costly. Don't let your mover talk you into removing the room on the side of the house. Moving a rectangle is much easier than moving a house with protrusions but yours looks manageable. Reconnecting that room once moved would be your biggest expense.

When I was buying homes to move I was able to get them for $500-$1,500 and the move itself cost $7,500-$9,000 depending on the route.

I'd say go for it.

Geof Greeneisen · Answer

Hi Page,

The cost with moving is in the raising and lowering of the house. A 2-story requires heavier equipment than a single story, which usually doubles the cost. After that the only issue is the route the house takes, i.e. lots of overhead utility lines = higher cost. With a 2-story, lines may need to be temporarily disconnected.

Drywall repairs were more predictable than plaster. If drywall cracks due to the move it occurs along seams and is a simple repair. Plaster can crack, flake or entire chunks can fall off. So yes, plaster was less desirable, but I wouldn't walk from the house because of it.

The bump out may add complexity to your project. It may make sense to remove and move separately to re-attach or simply remove?

Page Huyette · Answer

I got a contact from someone I crossed paths with who had an older farmhouse up the way moved about 18 miles and the cost was $16k with the understanding that you had to watch the guy closely for add-on costs.  I'm using that figure as a jumping off point  and have my eye on a vacant lot close to the original location of the house.

House is free (owner originally tried to get $$ for it and kept falling through) and I'm still researching the vacant lot, which is owned by a business acquaintance of mine.  This is a classic story of cobbling together several networking connections and keeping my eye out for opportunities.

The approach would be to purchase the lot using hard money, move the house, rehab/repair and sell.

Ed L. · Answer

Page Huyette

Hardest part is finding someone that knows what they are doing locally.   I didn't have much luck in finding anyone who could economically move the little house from the original post, so I passed on it in favor of pursuing easier projects.  Finding specialist in larger cities would probably be much easier.

Plaster repair is pretty expensive compared to drywall repair from what I understand.  It's a speciality trade and is not very interchangeable with drywall repair tradesmen.

Best of luck and be sure to post any details and quotes you receive on this post.  May help others down the line.

Page Huyette · Answer

Bumping this topic since I haven't seen a lot on BP about this.  I'm considering moving a 2-story early 1900's house about four blocks away in the same town.  Current foundation is rubble, no chimney and house is a long rectagle with a bump-out room.

@Geof Greeneisen mentioned  drywall repair at wall seams and around door frames.  Anyone ever moved a lathe & plaster?  Other success/challenge stories appreciated!

Brian P. · Answer

It was very common in my area when I started investing. The yellow pages had several pages listed. As mentioned the purchase price should be peanuts, their option is usually to get something selling it and you prep site, or pay to demolish it and prep site and clean up.

Last time I did it the utilities required one of their guys on the roof lifting the lines as it moved down the street and each lift was $100.
Several would have cleared but the jerk lifted them anyway, with a big smile on his face, hope his limp improves someday. We moved four homes that day and was happy to hear about his accident later. Probably did the same to someone less forgiving then me.

Kama Ward · Answer

I've had a two story moved but only to a different part of the same property. It cost about 3k. No problems for my job. The standard minimum for a one story in my area is 5k for move of a few miles (say less than five) in a rural area. The movers handle the contact with the authorities. Semi- common around here and I have not heard any horror stories.

Bryan Hancock · Answer

We're looking at moving a house to a small lot in east Austin right now.  I haven't ever done it before, but one of my partners has done it a few times.

Anyone moved a house??

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