If you love the home you’re currently in but wish that it was in a different location, you are in luck. With the help of professional home relocators, your home can be moved to just about anywhere you want. If moving to a new home isn’t an option for you or something you just don’t want to do, consider having your home relocated to an entirely new place.
Whether you’re relocating to prevent flooding, because it is in the way of a development, or simply because you want a change of scenery, a team of professionals can get it done for you.
Why Relocate Your Home?
As mentioned previously, there are a variety of reasons why you would want to relocate your home. Oftentimes, it is because they are in the way of a new development being built or the homeowners are facing the dangers of flooding if they stay where they are. Or perhaps you despise your neighbours and need to get away while still being able to stay in your home. Others may simply just want to stay in their homes but move to another location.
Another common reason why some people choose to have their homes relocated is during a situation where they may have found the home of their dreams, but it happens to be in a bad location or too far from their job and friends and family. Rather than give up the home, they can simply have the home moved onto another plot of land.
Many people have found themselves in situations where they own the land on which their house stands and want to sell the land, but not the home itself. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to choose one over the other and the two are not a package deal. You have the option to simply sell the lot that your home is on and move your home to another location.
Lastly, another reason people relocate homes is in order to preserve them for historic interest. Whether it is a home that has been passed down from generation to generation or one that has been purchased by a historic society, the owner may want to move it to a safer location in order to keep it intact. In fact, doing this may even be able to save a historic home or structure from demolition.
Regardless of the reason, moving your home is possible with the help of professional house movers.
The Process
If you are not familiar with it, you may not know what to expect from the process of having your home moved. In simple terms, what essentially happens is that the structure is disconnected from and lifted off the existing foundation and moved to a new plot of land. The new land can be as close as down the street or as far as a completely different state.
Oftentimes, you may have to speak with local, county, and state officials about permits. It is not a simple process and you may require special permits that may be costly. The homeowner also has to make sure to talk to a general contractor, an architect, and an engineer and create a feasible plan to move the home. If there are any permits required, they will need to get those before any work can begin on moving the house.
The next step involves having the general contractor clear out the crawlspace and disconnect the house from the foundation and all outside utilities, as mentioned earlier. The route between the two locations must also be planned way ahead of time in order to make sure that it’s a route that can be done without any problems. This job typically falls to the general contractor.
After the route is planned, a transporting company will have to come in and drill holes in the foundation. Then they can install their lifting steel and jacking system, lift the house up, and install dollies and anything else that they may need before they are ready to go.
Once the house has been lifted and moved to your ideal location, it is then set down on a newly built foundation. Usually the general contractor will already have the new foundation excavated out and the new footings poured so that the house is ready to be placed. The house gets taken down a ramp and then placed over the new footers. The wheels must then come off, which requires the home to be lifted just a little bit higher than it will sit permanently.
All that has to be done after this is reconnect your utilities and finish any work that still needs to be completed before moving in. If the procedure is done properly, there should be no repercussions or issues with the home itself.
Relocating your entire home may sound crazy, but it can be done with a team of experts, which can include anyone from a general contractor to a moving company and even an electrician.
Are There Restrictions?
You would think that the main restriction that comes with home relocations is if the house is too big. However, planning the route itself is one of the most challenging aspects of relocating a structure. Planners must make sure that there is a clear route between the locations, that they won’t have to deal with traffic, and whether or not a local or state police escort as well as strategic detours will be necessary.
Another thing to consider before being able to relocate a home is the overhead utility lines and trees in your way throughout the journey. Naturally, two-storey homes may have to deal with this issue the most, but even single-storey homes might have trouble clearing overhead lines.
In order to find a solution to this problem and make sure that the home doesn’t create any disruptions along the way, there will be a need to contact electric, cable, and telephone companies to gauge what is needed. With their cooperation, those companies will make the route and give you a price for the work to remove lines from the route if necessary. Because this is such a huge inconvenience to all parties involved, this can be what causes a person to change their mind. However, it rarely becomes a problem.
The truck that is moving the home is also a deciding factor for many moves as a house can’t travel on a road with more weight on its tyres than a dump truck.
All that being said, the most common homes to move are mobile homes, which have been literally created with the intention of being moved, and historic homes. If you are considering relocating your home, there may be a variety of reasons to do so that are justified, such as if you’re really sentimental about your house but have to relocate to a new city or you would rather spend the money to stay put in your current house than rebuild or relocate.
Is it Worth it to Relocate Your Home?
Given the fact that relocating your home can be such a hassle, many people find themselves asking whether or not it is worth it. This all depends on a variety of things. For one, your home has to actually be worth something for it to justify the enormous expense and effort this process requires.
Before deciding whether or not it is “worth it” it’s important to find out what the total cost of relocating the home will actually be. Most companies charge per square foot, so be sure to get a quote beforehand so you know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of your budget.
Another thing to consider is the size and weight of the home. As we just mentioned, movers charge per square feet so the bigger the home, the more expensive the move will be. Even the shape of the home could significantly affect the cost of the move. A home with tons of nooks and crannies could end up costing more to move than a regular, industrial tri-level regardless of square footage, simply because of the equipment needed.
Other structures such as patios and chimneys may also make a difference during the move as well as the material that the home is made out of. Even something as simple as the foundation of the home is something to take into consideration. A home built on a pier foundation, for example, will be much easier to move than a home built directly on a concrete slab floor.
At the end of the day, whether or not your home is worth relocating simply depends on your own personal preference and opinion. If you can afford to do it and would much rather continue to live in your current home instead of finding a new one altogether, you should go for it. All you need to do is reach out to a professional moving company for help getting a plan in place and getting everything together.
