Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tw
A close friend bought a house from the hospital for $1 and moved it a little over 1 mile. The story and details (including moving telephone and power lines) was quite interesting. Everyone had to have their piece of the action.
Even the foundation was put in about 6 inches too large meaning a new foundation was built under the house as house sat waiting overhead for its new 'feet'.
Back then, $5000 to move lines. He took off the second floor walls and laid them on the deck. Less than $500.
Because it was on county roads, it had to be fumigated so that rats did not run on county property. Fire Department had to have an engine in the procession in case house caught fire while in movement.
City demanded that Ashplund Tree service be part of the procession in case tree branches might be cracked.
Railroad demanded that flagmen be one mile each side of a bridge in case a train might pass through while house passed over RR on bridge.
Of course there were the expected members of that caravan including two police cars, county highway engineer, city tree surgeon, etc.
He says he made money. I am not so sure. Moving the house literally broke every water pipe. All sheetrock had to be removed and plumbing redone. When we tried to restore roof, the rafters were so destroyed in the removal that we had to put on a whole new roof. Then it rained for days. Oak flooring was fixed by wall to wall carpet.
A building has to be something special to move. But the contractor (Billy) who moved it was brother of the man who created Wiechart Realtors. Billy did it because he had never done anything like that before - and thought it would be fun. My friend did it to ... well everything he touches sooner or later always turned into gold. No one else would have done what he did. He was an amazing person.
|
The cost for arranging this team of people to do the work: astronomical.
Moving a whole house to a different location safely & making it a home again:
PRICELESS
