If you missed it, we’re moving our house!! I figured that a lot of people might be wondering how do you move a house??? How do you even prep a house to be moved? And what do you have to do after the house is on it’s new foundation in the new location? I am answering those questions in this blog post series! In a future post I will answer how much it costs to move a house.

Part One will cover all of the prep work, the little details you probably don’t think about like: disconnecting the plumbing; scheduling the power company to disconnect the electrical; getting proper permits; scheduling water installation; scheduling all of the subs; etc, etc. Part Two will cover all of the interesting stuff, like how to actually move a house. Part Three will cover what to do after the house is on its new foundation, and how to reconnect everything.

Prepping a House to Be Moved

There are so many steps to prep a house to move. It seemed that the list was never-ending, and that I would just keep thinking of things we had to do. This list is also not guaranteed to be comprehensive, and the rules and ordinances may be different in your area. Contact your township/county/city for rules and regulations, and use a trusted contractor if needed.

Scheduling Items to do to Prep A House to be Moved

• Purchase parcel for the house to be moved onto.
• Make sure the house can be physically moved to your desired location. Keep in mind large overhead power lines that can’t be moved, bridges, etc.
• Call township/county/city to see if they have any special rules or regulations you need to adhere to.
• Complete necessary house moving permits and building permits for new location.
• If needed, get a survey completed to guarantee setback rules are followed.
• Schedule driveway construction
• Apply for driveway permit.
• Schedule sewer/septic installation.
• Apply for sewer/septic permit.
• Schedule water/well installation.
• Apply for water/well permit if needed.
• Apply for foundation permit.
• Schedule foundation contractor.
• Schedule dirt work sub-contractor to prep land for foundation if needed.
• Schedule power company to survey land for new connection and date of installation.
• Schedule natural gas/propane installation, if needed.
• Schedule power company to disconnect power from the existing house (You need to do this at least 7 days in advance in our area.)
• Contact internet provider to inquire about & schedule installation on new property.
• Schedule plumber to disconnect all water and gas lines.
• Schedule electrician to disconnect all electrical boxes and wiring in home (Power company disconnects main power).
• Cancel mail, garage, electric, and internet at current address
• Meet with so! many! people! at the new property location to plan out installation of foundation, sewer/septic, well/water, gas service, driveway installation, dirt work, and site prep.
• And of course, schedule your house mover!

Prepping the Actual House to be Moved

• Remove as much weight from the house as possible, but some items can stay in the home (as long as it’s approved by your house mover).
• Secure appliances and large items with either ratchet straps, or by laying them on their sides.
• Secure or put away any items that may fall, and remove all items from walls that are not fastened to the wall.
• Remove plants or trees around the foundation where your house mover will need access or if you want them moved to the new property.
• Have your plumber flush all water lines if you live in an area that may freeze.
• Disconnect power lines, water lines, sewer lines, gas lines.
• Disconnect physical electrical wiring and plumbing lines in basement.
• Be sure to empty out your fridge and freezers. We forgot this step 🙁

Now the house is ready to begin work to raise it up off the foundation!

Be sure to come back for Part Two, to see how you actually move a house. It’s fascinating. And you can follow us on Instagram for the step-by-step process of moving the house!

If you have any questions, leave a comment below:

You can read the story of why we suddenly had to move our house here.