Are you wondering how expensive it is to move a house?
Moving from home to home is complicated enough, but it’s a different ball game if you want to move a house.
While you have packing to organize when moving from your old home to your new one, there is much more involved in transporting a house from one location to another.
Having your house lifted and transported to another location might seem strange, but it offers advantages over purchasing a new home in many situations.
As you might imagine, moving a house will be expensive, with specialists required. This can include a structural moving company as well as a general contractor.
Other house-moving specialists, including electricians, plumbers, and a concrete company, will be involved.
These professionals will follow a plan to make sure the property move is successful. There is much more to consider with a house-moving project than you might imagine. Many homes can be moved. It just depends on whether the expense is worth it or not.
While choosing to move a home isn’t the easiest option, there are a few good reasons to make this choice.
However, it is crucial to know that it will to significant money an effort to have a successful relocation. There are plenty of unforeseen issues that can crop up.
It will be essential to get a firm estimate of the fees for services from several professionals. Going into the logistics blindly could be a costly mistake.
Let’s look at the cost of moving a house to a new location and everything you need to consider before deciding on this option.
Use this as your guide on what to know before moving your house to a different lot.
Noteworthy Facts and Statistics
1. The cost of relocating a house varies depending on various factors, such as the size and weight of the house, the distance to be moved, and any additional services required.
2. The expense ranges between $15,000 and $200,000 or more.
3. Cost factors include permits, utility disconnections/reconnections, foundation work, and transportation expenses.
4. Hiring professional movers with experience in house relocation is recommended for a safe and efficient move.
5. It’s essential to obtain multiple quotes from different moving companies to compare prices and services.
6. Moving a house within the same city typically costs between $25,000 to $35,000.
7. Approximately 80% of the total expense is attributed to labor and transportation expenses.
8. The cost per mile to move a house can range from $8 to $15, depending on various factors such as size and distance.
9. Up to 90% of houses moved are successfully relocated without any significant damage.
10. Most house moves occur within a 50-mile radius, accounting for about 70% of all relocation projects.
What is a Structure Relocation?
Structure relocation involves lifting and relocating an entire building to a new location. This term is commonly used when working with experienced professionals in this field.
Engaging experts with in-depth knowledge of weight distribution, structural integrity, hydraulics, and related aspects is crucial. Pros in the industry know how to deal with issues and proper preservation tactics.
When is Moving a House a Good Idea?
Physically moving a house from point A to point B is not unusual under the following conditions.
- If you’d like to set your home further back from the street.
- If you’d like to move your waterfront home further away from the shoreline, especially in areas with significant coastal erosion that could impact the property.
- When you have a historic home that you don’t want to be demolished. This could be the case if your home has historical value and is listed on the national historic registry. Some properties have incredible architecture that is worthy of relocating.
- If you need serious repairs to the foundations.
- When you want to add a full basement.
- To remove the risk of flood damage or get out of a flood zone to remove expensive insurance costs.
- To take advantage of extra space when you have purchased a neighboring lot. Maybe you got a land loan to buy a vacant building lot adjacent to the property?
- If you love your home, but you don’t love its location. A few years ago, I had a client in Milford, Massachusetts, who thought about moving their home. They ended up deciding against it due to the costs involved.
These are all significant considerations for moving a house from one location to another.
Situations When It Might Not Be A Good Choice
- If your home has structural problems, these should be dealt with first.
- If you need to relocate to a new city or there is a high probability it could happen.
- When you want to keep costs to a minimum, physically moving a home will always be an expensive option. It should be reserved when your living plans are long-term.
The Advantages
As with most things, relocating a structure has pros and cons.
Historic homes are one type of property where this option makes a lot of sense. This can prevent a landmark home from falling victim to a demolition crew, moving the property to a better area. Older homes that can’t easily be replaced can justify the expense if they hold some architectural value.
Homes in flood zones are another relatively common reason to move a house. Sometimes, problems with flooding can be resolved by lifting the house off its foundations. This allows the foundations to be repaired or raised to reduce the risk of flooding.
If you have decided to lift the home to replace the foundations, moving it to a new lot should be considered. The added cost of moving the home can often be recovered with the increased value of the property.
The Disadvantages
Even though you aren’t moving to a new home, you will have to move out in the short term. You cannot remain on the property while preparations are being made and the house is transported.
Moving a house can take several months, and you must find other accommodation. You must also store your furniture and possessions while the house is moved.
The expenses involved in choosing to relocate your home are certainly a disadvantage. Let’s take a closer look.
What is the Cost of Moving a Home?
When moving houses, one of the most important questions people ask is how much it costs to relocate a home.
The cost of moving a house will be an essential consideration for any homeowner thinking about this option. Moving a property to a new foundation can be costly.
The cost to move a property depends on many factors, and there isn’t a standard price. Trying to figure out an average cost is impractical as many factors affect the pricing.
However, typical prices range between $12 and $16 per square foot. This could mean that moving a home costs as much as three-quarters of the price of a new build of a similar size.
Depending on how straightforward moving the property is, labor and transporting expenses can cost homeowners anywhere from $15,000 to more than $200,000 for more complex jobs.
On top of this, the cost to pour the foundations at the new location must be added to the budget.
Factors Affecting the Cost
All of the following will be crucial in determining the price to move a house.
The Size and Weight of The Property
It makes sense that the size and weight of your home would create an extra charge. Larger homes require more work from contractors. There will be more preparation and increased difficulty in transporting a larger building.
A large home will also weigh more, requiring more heavy-duty equipment.
Homes constructed of brick will also add a lot to the structure’s weight, adding to the homeowner’s costs. It makes sense that a luxury 4000 square foot home will be more costly to move than a 600 square foot tiny home or container house.
The Kind of Structure
There are many different kinds of structures. You can have homes with stone, brick, logs, block, steel, and terra-cotta tile. Is it a stick-built or modular home? All of these essential factors with pricing.
What Are The Accessories?
Does the home have porches, decks, balconies, garages, and other structures that are part of the building? These things can be moved rather than removed, but they add to the cost.
The Distance For Moving
The further you need the home transported, the greater the costs. Repositioning the house on your lot, perhaps to move it further away from a busy road, is cheaper than driving it a few miles.
The transportation company’s costs will increase, and there will be an additional charge to prepare the route.
A long-distance move out of state is usually impossible due to obstacles like power lines, bridges, trees, and other objects. Even the width of the roads traveled can come into play.
Crossing state lines with a home is typically challenging for all the reasons mentioned. If you could create a navigatable route, the overall cost is bound to be much higher.
You should expect an additional cost for moving to another state. The total cost could get to a point where it is not worth it. A cross-country move is almost always out of the question.
The Shape of The House
properties that don’t use the space efficiently, with more intricate designs, will probably be more expensive than a compact home.
Single-story ranch-style homes are likely more expensive to move than a boxy multiple-story home with duplicate square footage.
When a home has more angles and wing extensions, you can expect the moving costs to be higher.
Access to The Property
Homes on larger lots are easier to move for contractors. This gives them more space to work and maneuver the home.
The moving quote will be higher, with limited space for getting around.
House moving companies will charge more if they don’t have adequate room to move around the property with standard equipment.
They will charge more if they have to bring in smaller, more specialized equipment. Their hourly rate and, therefore, the average price will go up.
The Kind of Foundations and Their Height
The type of foundation that the home is sitting on can affect the cost. Homes built on pier foundations are easier to move and cheaper. The crawl space can make lifting the home more straightforward, allowing steel beams to be positioned underneath the property.
The basement or crawl space height is essential because it determines how to install the steel lifting beams. If the ceiling height is lower than three feet, it can make the job more costly as it adds time to excavate the ground necessary to install the lifting steel.
Raising and Moving With a Slab Works, Too
Folks often ask if you can move a house on a slab, and the answer is yes. House movers will use a jackhammer to build tunnels so that support beams can be inserted and the structure lifted.
So, the raising of the house will be completed by having the transporting beams placed under the concrete slab floors.
The Labor Costs Involved
Moving a property is a specialist job, and you must hire experts to carry out the work. The more complications your home move has, the more of these experts’ time it will take. They will need to visit both the current site of the home and the new location.
The route the home will be moved along will also need to be checked, adding to the homeowner’s costs. You can expect to pay an extra fee when you need to have traffic control.
The New Foundation
There are a few methods for moving a house onto a new foundation. The most practical is to have the new foundation in place before the home is moved.
Another way of doing it is having the footings poured in advance. The house movers will then move your home down a ramp and into position over the footers.
The house is then lifted and supported. A new foundation will be built under the home.
Don’t Forget About Permits
Another cost to move a home but essential nonetheless is the building permits. You can expect your city or town to require a building permit for transferring a property from one lot to another or even on the same lot.
The best way to find out is to visit the local building department. They will also be able to give you an idea of the permitting costs.
Preparations Needed For Relocating a Property
Preparing beforehand is one of the most critical aspects of moving a house.
You will need to start by disconnecting all the utilities to the property. This will include gas or oil lines, water, sewer, electric, cable, and telephone.
All of the piping in the house will need to be disconnected. This includes removing plumbing, ductwork, and piping between the basement or crawl space floor joists.
You will need to remove shrubbery, steps, ramps, or fences that could burden the move on the exterior.
Selecting Your Home Moving Professionals
If you decide that moving your house is what you want to do, you need to work with reliable experts. You also want to ensure that the companies you work with are competitive, particularly when this move will cost you a lot.
Like general moving companies, there are professional movers for houses. They are full-service movers who know how to move a home with great care.
Get quotes from multiple companies and ensure they have the experience of moving homes like yours. Also, check out feedback from previous customers. This should satisfy you that the company is reliable and offers the promised level of service.
Before you make your final selection and commit to a transportation company, ensure they have the correct operating licenses and insurance.
House Moving Companies Near Me
You may be wondering how to find a company that moves houses. It’s not like housing moving is an everyday occurrence. Relying on friends and family for a recommendation won’t be the same as hiring a traditional moving company.
To find a house moving company nearby, you will probably need to do a Google search. You can try house moving companies near me, house movers near me, or companies that move houses to find these specialized professionals.
Can Any House Be Moved?
As previously mentioned, some critical factors to whether a home can be moved are the obstacles in the way. Things like trees and powerlines can restrict the distance a home can be carried.
For this reason, houses moved on the East Coast don’t usually go beyond a few miles.
Even with a relatively small home, there can be problems with overhead lines. The utility companies must be contacted to determine if lines can be temporarily removed and at what cost. The answer from the utility companies could be a significant factor in deciding whether moving the property is worth the expense.
Brick-built homes can be moved like wooden homes, though you can expect the cost to be higher. Thanks to the extra weight of a brick-constructed property, more care must be taken when transporting the home.
How Do You Move a Home?
The process of moving a house needs to be carefully planned. There are steps to moving a home that needs to be followed for everything to go smoothly.
The general contractor, engineers, and architect will need to establish what needs to be done to allow the move to occur. Permits will be required and must be applied for before any work begins.
County and state permits to move a home aren’t usually cheap. Depending on your location, you could spend more than $10,000 on permits alone. You must check these permit costs and zoning regulations early in planning.
Once permits have been approved, the general contractor must find the best route to the new location. This will involve traveling the path, checking the width of the road, and looking out for obstructions.
Plans will need to be made to address any obstructions in the way of the move.
Preparation will include trimming back trees, dealing with power and other utility lines, and even removing utility poles and traffic lights if necessary.
There are also some factors on the route that may be more difficult to deal with.
Any sharp turns or rugged terrain must be looked at to ensure the home will get to its new lot. For longer moves, escort vehicles will be needed.
You’ll Need to Remove Your Belongings
Before the contractors arrive at the home to prepare it for the move, items must be removed from the crawl spaces and the basement.
Appliances, utilities, plumbing, and ducts must be disconnected and removed. On the outside of the property, decks and steps must be cleared before the transporting company arrives.
A transporting company will prepare the home for the move. A network of beams will be used to support the building during its transport.
The house moving company will drill holes in the foundations to allow their hydraulic jacking system to lift the home. Once this has been achieved, they can install dollies to allow the house to move away from its original foundations.
The house can then begin its slow journey towards the new foundations.
Preparing The New Location
The new lot has to be ready before the home arrives. New foundations need to be excavated and the concrete poured.
Once the transporting company arrives at the new lot, a ramp will typically be used to move the home on its dollies over the new foundations. When correctly positioned, the house will be jacked up, allowing the dollies to be removed and left on the steel structure on top of the foundations.
Contractors can then build up the foundations to their final level. When this has been completed, the transport company can return to lower the home onto its foundations and remove its equipment.
Finishing work still needs to be completed on the home, with utilities connected. A general contractor can take care of this work, and on completion, it will be ready to move back into.
What Risks Are Involved?
Counter to what you might assume, the risks involved in moving a house are relatively small. The most considerable danger for homeowners is the cost. Embarking on a project like this can cost more than initially assumed.
To avoid this risk, the homeowner should ensure an emergency fund is built into their calculations.
There are also some risks of structural damage to the home, but these will be minimal if you use an experienced company. You should also have sufficient insurance coverage to ensure you don’t have to worry.
Do You Need to Remove Your Possessions From the House?
The property moving company you are working with will likely not require you to empty your house before they move it. It would, however, be advisable for you to remove anything fragile.
You should remove any items in bookcases. All glassware and other delicate items in a cabinet or other furniture should be packed away.
Your furniture should be tightly packed up against the exterior walls. You will need to remove all items from the basement altogether.
Before your home is raised and moved, your homeowner’s insurance will cover any damages related to the move, including the structure.
You may need to purchase additional protection.
Final Thoughts
Deciding to move your home to a new location isn’t suitable for everyone and every situation. It makes for a better choice in many situations, allowing you to continue living in a home you like, just in a better location.
While it isn’t a good choice if you are looking for a bargain or moving long-distance, it is an option that is often overlooked. It allows you to improve your home, shifting it away from a noisy street or repositioning it on a better lot.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided information on how much it costs to move a house. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
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