How moving houses works: A guide to relocating a house.

Can you move your entire house?

You may be surprised to learn that you can literally pick up and move an entire house (even one that's not a mobile home) to a new location. This process is often called "structural moving" or "structural relocation." 

Some companies can move any house, including mobile homes and tiny houses. They can also move your average frame, brick, and log houses. Some can even move commercial buildings. However, some companies may only specialize in moving certain structures, like garages.

You may even want to hire a structural moving service to raise your house instead of moving it to a new location. For example, perhaps you have to lift your house to replace the foundation or add more living spaces.

Benefits of lifting or moving your house.

There’s a variety of reasons you might consider moving an entire house. For example, you may decide to pick up, lift, and move your entire house because:

• You purchased a house and want to keep it but live in a new area.
• You enjoy the unique architecture of your current home but want to live in a different neighborhood.
• You want to protect your from issues like erosion, a crumbling foundation, or flooding impact your home.
• You have the opportunity to purchase land on a bigger lot but want to keep your current home.

If you love your home but don’t love its location, it may be worth researching to see if you can move it where you want.

Factors to consider before relocating your house.

Reviewing the potential risks and drawbacks is important before you decide to move your entire house. Consider these important factors:

Costs.

The cost to move your entire house is roughly $15,000-$200,000, according to Realtor.com. It costs around $14 per square foot in labor costs to move an entire house. That could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, depending on the size of your house.

A few of the other factors that may impact the cost of moving your entire house include:

• The type of house you have, including its size, shape, and weight.
• The cost of excavation and installing a new foundation.
• Additional house features or accessories you want to move (garages, balconies, etc.)
• Permit fees, which could amount to up to 30% of moving costs.

For a more accurate cost estimate, you'll need to get price quotes from structural moving companies near you.

Time.

Moving your entire home can take several weeks or months. During a portion of this time, you'll need to find other living arrangements. 

You should also bake in extra time to account for potential obstacles or issues. For example, you may have trouble reconnecting your plumbing or electricity once the move is complete.

Routing.

You’ll need to check if there’s a clear route for transporting your home on the road. You may need a local or state police escort to accompany you.

If trees or overhead utility lines are on the route, you may need to find a detour. You may also want to contact tree trimming, electric, telephone, and cable companies to have them remove the obstacles. Of course, you will need to include these costs in your budget. 

Pre-moving tasks.

Before you move a house, you’ll also need to ensure your new home's location has a foundation. You should remove all plumbing, ducts, and appliances from the basement and crawl space, as well as steps, decks, and other attached structures.

These tasks will require help from general contractors specializing in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and other related services.

How to plan your entire house move.

Moving homes is more time- and labor-intensive than simply moving from one home to another. Follow these steps to help ensure your move is seamless:

1. Confirm you're allowed to move your entire house.

Before moving, you must ensure you're not breaking any laws by relocating your entire house. Make sure you do the following:

• Contact local planning and transportation departments. Find out what permits you need to obtain. You'll also want to ensure there's a route you can take to move your home. Connect with your local transportation department to see which roads you can take, and obtain those permits.
• Contact your bank. If you have a mortgage, ensure your bank knows your plans to move the entire house. You may need to get its approval before you move. 
• Get your home inspected. Make sure your home's structure can survive the move. Have a home inspector evaluate and flag any issues you need to address before your big move.

2. Iron out the details.

Before contacting structural moving companies, ensure you have as many details about your house as possible. For example: 

• Know your house's size, shape, and material.
• Identify exactly where you want to relocate your house.
• Have your home's blueprints on hand so you can share your home's structural features with the company.
• Have a list of all additions you want to take with you, such as an attached garage or deck.

3. Contact structural moving services.

Once you know you're allowed to relocate your home (and have important details for your move), contact the structural moving pros.

Based on the information you give them, they should be able to give you an estimate. However, they will most likely want to see your house in person in order to provide an accurate estimate and proposal.

Tip: You may also want to consult a structural engineer or architect. They can help you make sure your home can survive a relocation.

4. Begin the pre-moving tasks.

Hire general contractors and other necessary professionals to help you do the following:

• Plan for excavation and foundation installation in the new location.
• Have an inspector evaluate your house before you move.
• Shut off and disconnect all of your utilities.
• Remove and disconnect all plumbing and ductwork.
• Remove and/or demolish porch steps, decks, fences — basically, all exterior and attached structures you don't plan on taking with you.
• Remove appliances and furniture from your basement and crawlspace.
• Remove other valuable and fragile belongings from your home. Leaving your furniture in the house is usually OK.
• Schedule a house cleaning before moving day.

Tip: You might also want to hire local movers and packers for additional services. For example, you may want to hire movers to pack and store your appliances and other valuable belongings until your home has been successfully relocated. 

5. Lift and move the house.

Structural movers will use hydraulics and dollies to raise and transport your home to its new location. They will take the approved route to your new home, which can take several days or longer (depending on where you're moving to).

6. Make sure your house is in good shape.

Once the house has been successfully relocated, your general contractors will reconnect the plumbing, electricity, etc. However, it doesn't hurt to perform another inspection. For example, you may want to check that:

• The doors and windows are properly aligned.
• The foundation doesn't have cracks.
• Your floors are even and not buckling.
• Your utility connections are secure.
• Your home's roofing and gutter systems are secure and divert water away from your home.
• And more.

Hire top-rated pros near you.

Moving your entire home may be a smart choice for you. It allows you to keep the home you want and live in a new, ideal location.

Do you need help planning your move? On Thumbtack, you can find the following professional services to help you with your entire house move:

• Architects
• Foundation contractors
• General contractors
• Home inspectors
• Moving services
• Structural engineers

Download the Thumbtack app today to see a list of top-rated pros near you.