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Move/rebuild a house on it’s own lot

Usher73 | Posted in General Discussion on April 11, 2006 06:13am

I live in an old house in Livonia, Michigan. The front original part is a 2 story timber frame farmhouse, built in 1840, on a stone basement . The back part, kitchen and bathroom, was added in the early 1900’s. The county is widening the road this year, and the house will end up very close to the road when it’s done. I’m thinking about having a new basement dug, picking up the house and moving it farther back from the new road. At the same time, I’d like to replace the back part of the house with a modern timber frame section. An alternative is to tear down the old house completely and rebuild from scratch, but I’d like to preserve as much of the original 1840 structure as possible.

It could be a “This Old House” project, but they seem to only work on houses in New England.

Is there anyone out there in Michigan who’s done something like this ?

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  1. jimatgreatwhite | Apr 11, 2006 06:23am | #1

    Usher I grew up in Livonia, 7mile and Merriman Rd. Transplanted to Denver metro Colorado. Where is your project at?

    I've never done what you're talking about, I don't see why you couldn't do it.

    Good Luck

    Jim at Great White.

    1. Usher73 | Apr 11, 2006 06:33am | #3

      If you grew up at 7 Mile and Merriman, than you probably know my house. It's on the north side if 7 Mile about about 3/10s mile east of Merriman. Old 2 story farmhouse with blue/gray shingle siding. Did you know the Garchows or Westburgs ?

      1. jimatgreatwhite | Apr 11, 2006 06:57am | #5

        Been twenty three years since I've been there. Left town before junior year of high school. Names don't ring a bell.

        The Location? Does that put it just east of a little strip mall at 7 and Merriman?

        jim

        1. Usher73 | Apr 11, 2006 07:26am | #7

          I moved here 18 years ago. It's just east of a very small strip mall at 7 Mile and Merriman.

          1. MikeSmith | Apr 11, 2006 02:55pm | #8

            usher... i've done just that..

             and it gets done all the time.

             Building movers can handle the whole thing... measure, shore, excavate, new foundation, move & reset

            or you can hire a GC ( like me ) to  break it down and hire all the subs

            it's a very cost-effective way of getting what you want  ( move to a new foundation )Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

  2. User avater
    razzman | Apr 11, 2006 06:26am | #2

    Or renovate and make the roadside wall the back of the house.

     

     

     

     

    'Nemo me impune lacesset'
    No one will provoke me with impunity

    1. Usher73 | Apr 11, 2006 06:42am | #4

      I hadn't thought of that. I'd still rather have the house farther from the street to cut down on road noise.

  3. davidmeiland | Apr 11, 2006 06:57am | #6

    You can get your house moved, by house movers. They will come in, jack it up, put it on wheels, and move it back. You will probably want to get your basement dug first, and the walls poured too, so they can set it right on there. This is a significant project, and a significant expense, but it can be done. In fact, last night I watched an episode of a show called 'Mega Movers' that showed a couple of major moves. There was a house moved here in town a couple of months ago, about 6 blocks from one lot to another, and the movers who did that raised my house for me so I could replace the foundation.

    If your house is a keeper, it's worth doing. Look in the yeller pages for House Movers or Structural Movers. Hire someone which nice equipment and a lot of experience. Many movers are 2nd or 3rd generation in a family business, that's probably who you want. Talk to them about the order that things are done in. You will probably want a general contractor to oversee the project and do the concrete, sitework, carpentry, etc.

  4. User avater
    Soultrain | Apr 11, 2006 08:08pm | #9

    TOH has done projects in DC, Chicago, Palm Beach, I think they even went to London once.

    Give 'em a call

  5. DanH | Apr 11, 2006 08:56pm | #10

    I see this done occasionally around here, with houses that are much more mundane. Typically it's a farmhouse and Mom and Dad want to build a new one, so they have the old one moved to the back/side a hundred feet or so for the kiddies.

    Be aware, though, that if you're in a strict building code area, you'll usually be required to bring the entire house up to code if you move it. Also be aware that you'll be spending pretty close to what a new house would cost.

    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
  6. Usher73 | Dec 24, 2012 08:07pm | #11

    What I finally did to the house

    If anyone is still around, you can see what I did to my house at http://usher51-myoldhouse.blogspot.com/

    1. DanH | Dec 25, 2012 09:41am | #12

      Good job!

      Though I'm reminded of what a contractor (perhaps half seriously) told my dad when he undertook to rehab an old farmhouse:  "Insure it.  Then burn it."  (Several other of my dad's contractor friends told him to tear it down.)

      I forget the exact numbers, but the house appraised for $4000 before rehab (this was in 1965), around $15,000 went into it, and it re-appraised for about $40K.  Not quite the same as yours -- we stripped the entire inside but left the (original cedar) siding.

    2. calvin | Dec 26, 2012 07:42am | #13

      Usher

      In the stripped photo's, showing the lath-

      Did you notice or do you have a picture that could be blown up to show the lath configuration on the left section of the house?

      I took one apart from the 1870's (?) that had lath that was not the machined or common splits. More like a board that they partially nailed, split on the wall, nailed some more, split some more.

      You could follow the individual boards by the color/grain.

      Yours, I think I see the same pattern, only on the left side of the house.

      thanks.

  7. Usher73 | Dec 26, 2012 12:46pm | #14

    Lath

    A couple photos on flicker, showing the lower left of the house lathed with split wood, the other quadrants with what looks like straight lath.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/21011812@N03/8310540249/in/photostream

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/21011812@N03/8311586216/in/photostream

    I don't know all the proper architectural terms, but the house seems to be a hybrid of timber frame and balloon frame. I broke two wood hammers trying to pull cut nails out of the timbers. I finally had to use small bolt cutters to cut off the nailheads.

    A complete do-over of the  interior is next.

    1. calvin | Dec 26, 2012 01:31pm | #15

      Thanks

      Now I've seen 2 places with that split board lath. 

      And that's after 40 yrs of looking.

      I'm below you just outside of Toledo.  If you get down this way, give a holler.

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