Article and photos by Gregory Havel
For more than 100 years, houses and other buildings have been moved from one location to another and set upon new foundations (Photo 1). The size of the building to be moved is restricted by the width of the building compared to the width of the street and the radius of the turns; the height of the building compared to overhead obstructions; the slope of the land over which the move is to be accomplished; and the horsepower (or number of horses) required to accomplish the move. Buildings of historical value are often moved because they are in flood plains or in the way of highway projects or because they are to be preserved in parks with other historical buildings.
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Moving a building a short distance can be less expensive than constructing a completely new building, and can be accomplished more quickly. Moving longer distances or moving very large buildings increases the cost.
Buildings today can be moved and set on new foundations without any structural damage–not even cracked plaster or broken window glass. Some contractors advertise that they can move a house with all of the furniture and furnishings in place.
Moving a building is considered a “green” activity, since it recycles an existing building and results in a fraction of the construction and packaging waste when compared to new construction.
Moving a building usually requires permits from the municipalities in which it is located, to which it is to be moved, and through which it will be moved. In addition, it requires permits from the transportation officials responsible for the roads over which it will move and for any railroads that it will cross. Coordination is also needed with the companies owning the overhead utilities along and crossing the route. Since building moves are done at very low speed (often at a walking pace), they are often permitted only at night or on weekends, when traffic volumes are lowest.
Before a building can be moved, a suitable location must be found for it; the building must be studied to ensure that it is structurally sound and will survive the move; and all of the necessary permits must be acquired.
A building that has been moved may or may not be required to meet current code requirements, depending on state and local building and fire codes.
To move a building, the movers do the following:
- Disconnect all of the utilities from the building (electricity, telephone, cable TV, water, sanitary sewer, natural gas)
- Install a temporary substructure of timbers and structural steel beams under the building, bearing on the existing foundation
- Disconnect the building from its foundation
- Build wood timber cribbing under the temporary substructure
- Raise the building from its foundation on the temporary substructure by using hydraulic jacks or air bags (similar to those used in vehicle stabilization, and linked to ensure a level lift) resting on the cribbing
- Attach wheeled dollies (with heavy-duty truck tires) to the temporary substructure and lower the building so that its weight is carried by the dollies and no longer by the cribbing or foundation
- Attach a power unit (usually a large truck) to the substructure and slowly move the building away from its original foundation
- At the date and time indicated on the moving permit, roads are blocked, and the building is moved, with assistance from the utility companies responsible for overhead wires
- Move the building to its new location
- Excavate for a foundation or basement beneath the building (Photo 1)
- Build timber cribs in the excavation to support the building and its temporary substructure
- Use jacks or air bags to lift the substructure from the dollies and set it level on the timber cribs (Photo 2)
- Install footings and foundation walls beneath the building (Photo 3)
- Use jacks or air bags to lift the substructure from the timber cribs and set the building on the new foundation after the concrete or masonry has cured
- Remove the timber cribs and temporary substructure from inside the new foundation
- Attach the building to its new foundation
- Connect the building’s utilities to the new services
- Complete any repairs to the building, and install new finishes so that it is ready for occupancy
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From the time that the building is lifted from its original foundation until the time it is set on its new foundation, access into the building will be difficult and may require ladders. Since the building is designed to rest on complete foundations and will be resting only on transport dollies or timber cribs, it will not be as stable, and it will be less resistant to winds and lateral pressure from ground ladders that may be set against it and from fire streams.
For these reasons, firefighting in a building in transit is extremely hazardous to firefighters. The structure is not stable, and is susceptible to the following:
- Imbalance because of concentrated loading by firefighters and firefighting water
- Lateral pressure from wind and ground ladders
- Collapse of timber cribbing because of burning or firefighting water’s undermining the temporary crib foundations
Structural collapse because of concentrated or unbalanced loads, lateral pressures, or failure of the temporary substructure or timber cribbing.
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Gregory Havel is a member of the Burlington (WI) Fire Department, a retired deputy chief and training officer, and a 30-year veteran of the fire service. He is a Wisconsin-certified fire instructor II, fire officer II, and fire inspector; an adjunct instructor in fire service programs at Gateway Technical College; and safety director for Scherrer Construction Co., Inc. Havel has a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College, has more than 30 years of experience in facilities management and building construction, and has presented classes at FDIC.
