House Movers Depend on Heavy Load Moving Equipment

Today’s cranes, dollies, and jacks are built to withstand heavy loads that weigh tons. It’s no surprise then that house movers are in high demand as homeowners and landlords elect to transport entire homes off their foundations from point A to point B.

House movers and property owners alike depend on the strength of heavy load moving equipment to save historical properties, rescue homes in the path of natural disasters, place basements or new foundations under existing homes, or simply to save money on demolition and new construction costs. Companies dedicated to house moving are on the rise and with them a need for specialized moving equipment.

Moving Your Home

House moving requires extensive planning with local movers, municipal planning departments, departments of transportation, inspectors, and your bank.

Before your home is moved steps must be taken to ensure its safety and the people working on it. You should hire a professional plumber and electrician to disconnect all utilities. House movers generally need about 10 feet of room around the perimeter of the house to excavate the house properly, so trees, plants, shrubs or anything within this area should be removed. Once a trench is dug around the foundation, the house mover cuts openings in the foundation walls and inserts steel beams. Your house mover will determine the correct beam size and positioning as these beams support the weight of the house during the move. Interlocking wooden posts also help stabilize the house on the outside to minimize movement.

Next, hydraulic jacks are placed under the steel beams and are responsible for lifting the house of its foundation. A unified system of hydraulic jacks work together to raise and lower the house at the same time in order to keep the house level. When the home is finally lifted, sliding beams are placed underneath it to pull the structure on to special dollies. The dollies are the workhorses of the move and transport the house to its new location. When the home arrives to its new lot, the jacks lower the home on to the new foundation. Utilities are reconnected and the house movers inspect the structure to ensure its safety.

The costs of moving a house vary depending upon the size of the house, and the difficulty and length of the route. Working with your professional house mover, you should get all costs up front and develop a budget and timeline for the move.