Questions and Answers

Q: Why Raise/Move an Existing House?

A: Raising/moving an existing house is generally cheaper than new construction. The existing house often contains better materials and shows pride in craftsmanship. It may also be an old family home or heritage property
and has sentimental or heritage value.

From a builder's point of view, the homeowner may save $5,000 to $10,000 in demolition costs — in addition to other costs — by saving the house. In addition, if the property can be subdivided, simply moving the house to a new foundation can free up a spare lot to build a new home or help pay down an existing mortgage.

Q: The Cost to Raise/Move an Existing House

A: Every project is different. There are many different factors that affect the cost. The price of each project is based on the amount of equipment and amount of crew time required.

Q: What Can Be Raised/Moved?

A: Financial and/or value concerns limit the feasibility of any project.

Typically, a wood frame house built — to the building code of its day — on a crawlspace or basement in reasonable condition is worth raising and moving.

Wood framed houses constructed on slabs, brick buildings, steel buildings, etc., can be raised and moved. But each one has to be evaluated on its own merits.

Cities and municipalities often demand that certain heritage buildings on a site must be moved and restored as part of any development. These projects often exceed the value of new construction, but the cities and municipalities give developers concessions (higher density, less parking requirements, reduced setbacks, etc.) to offset the extra costs associated with the development.