Moving a House Instead of Building One: Lessons From Pine Mills

Earlier this year I got a good deal on a nice little frame house about two miles from Pine Mills, Texas. Instead of tearing it down or building new, we had it moved out to my land in Pine Mills. If you have ever wondered whether moving a house makes sense, here is what that project taught me and what I would tell anyone thinking about it.

Frame house loaded for a move near Pine Mills, Texas

Why Move a House at All?

A solid older frame house can cost far less than building new, especially when lumber, labor, and finish work are added up. Many older homes were built with good lumber, and the bones are often better than people expect. If you can buy one cheap and move it a short distance, you can end up with a lot of house for the money.

It is not the right move for every house. Brick homes, large homes, and houses that are falling apart are usually not good candidates. A modest frame house in sound shape, moving a short distance, is the sweet spot.

The Move Is Never as Smooth as You Hope

Ours was not. The house rode so low on the truck that it almost bottomed out on the way over. Then on the last stretch, the truck could not make it up the hill on my land to where the house needed to sit. We brought in a dozer to push the truck up the hill. It took some doing, but we got the house in place.

Dozer pushing a house moving truck up a hill in Pine Mills, Texas

The lesson: walk the whole route and the final approach before moving day. Look at the grade, soft ground, low wires, tree limbs, culverts, and tight turns. Ask your house mover what they need, and plan for a backup like a dozer or tractor if the last stretch is steep or wet.

Things to Line Up Before the Move

  • A reputable, insured house mover. They usually handle the route and the permits for the road move. Ask them exactly what they cover.
  • A cleared, prepared site where the house will sit, with room for the truck to get in and turn.
  • A plan for the foundation. The house will need new piers or a new foundation at the new site.
  • Utility companies, if lines along the route have to be raised or the house needs new service at the new site.
  • Water and septic at the new site. We drilled a new well for this house, and a septic system or sewer connection has to be planned too.

The Work After the House Lands

Getting the house there is only the start. At our Pine Mills house we followed the move with a new water well and then a retaining wall. The house sits up on a hill, and the lot had more slope than we expected, so the wall holds the soil in place around the house.

New retaining wall at the Pine Mills house

Expect to reconnect or replace plumbing and electrical, fix anything that shifted during the move, and do some finish work inside. Budget for these from the start so there are no surprises.

Is It Worth It?

For the right house, yes. You save a good house from being torn down, and you can end up with a solid home for well under the cost of building new. Just go in knowing the move is the easy part to price and the site work is where the surprises live.

Questions to Ask a House Mover

  • How many houses like this have you moved, and how far?
  • What permits and route checks do you handle?
  • Who handles raising or dropping power and phone lines along the route?
  • What happens if the truck cannot reach the final spot?
  • Are you insured for damage to the house during the move?
  • How will the house be set on the new foundation, and who builds it?

Adding Up the Real Cost

The price of the house and the price of the move are only two pieces. To get your true number, add the site work, the foundation, water, septic or sewer, electric service, and any repairs once the house is set. Then compare that total to building new and to buying an existing house on land. Get bids from more than one mover and more than one foundation contractor. On a short move with a solid house, the math can work out very well. On a long move with a lot of site work, it may not.

I keep a running journal of my house projects, land work, and what I am seeing around East Texas at greg-mckinney-mineola-texas.com.

Greg McKinney, Mineola, Texas

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