How Much Does It Cost To Move A House And How Does It Work?

Thinking of moving a house from one location to another? The process can be routine. But there are many factors to consider and questions you should ask to ensure you’re getting the best outcome.

Here, we’ll discuss the cost of moving a house and what the process looks like, along with the pros and cons.

How Much Does It Cost To Move A House?

According to Angi, the average cost to move a house is $12 – $16 per square foot. This means for a 1,500-square-foot home, expect to pay around $18,000 – $24,000 to move the home to a new location. Depending on the size of the home and the distance needed to travel, some moves can cost up to $200,000. Lower-end moves could cost as low as $15,000.

This doesn’t include any permit fees, the lot price, pouring a foundation, moving insurance and other costs. Know that there are several additional factors that could increase or decrease your overall house moving costs.

Here’s what house moving costs might look like using the average price per square foot:

Factors Affecting The Cost Of Moving A House

The amount a moving company may charge for the relocation will vary and depend on multiple factors. Let’s take a closer look at the factors that could impact the total cost of moving your house.

Size And Weight

Unsurprisingly, the size of your home and its weight are among the biggest factors that influence the cost of moving a house. In effect, the smaller the size of the property and the lower its weight, the less you can expect to pay. So, the cost to move a tiny home should be far less than the cost to move a 2,000-square-foot single-family home. Likewise, the wider and taller the house, the more it’ll cost to move.

Distance

Just as moving a larger home requires more legwork, a long-distance move requires more planning and resources. In other words, moving your home around the corner involves far less work than moving it to another city. Longer moves require additional moving permits and account for road obstacles, like roundabouts or power lines.

You may also need to work with the city to address any possible street closures or issues with construction or public events. If you’re planning an extensive long-distance move (like moving out of state or to a different part of the country), your moving company may seek to disassemble your house to make transport simpler if possible. This may add to overall costs.

Labor

A home is one of your most prized possessions. That’s why many choose to hire movers to professionally manage their relocation. Moving companies tend to be staffed by employees with extensive experience in moving homes over both short and long distances.

But, of course, all this care and attention comes at a price. Longer distance moves require more staff-hours, logistics, planning and money to facilitate. So naturally, they’ll be more expensive than relocating your house to a neighboring plot of land.

Foundation And Crawl Space

Depending on where you reside, your home could have been built on one of several different types of foundations. Some of the more common types of foundation are a basement foundation, a concrete slab or – in coastal areas of the country – a pier foundation. Any of these foundation types can affect the overall price of your move.

If you’re moving a house built on a pier foundation, your moving crew can simply slide steel support beams under the house and use a unified hydraulic jacking system to lift it. But if your property is built on a slab or with a basement foundation, they’ll need to dig around the outside and cut holes into the foundation before inserting steel posts. This can lead to higher costs.

Disconnection And Reconnection

Before you begin the moving process, you’ll need to make sure all utilities are disconnected. This means hiring a plumber to ensure the plumbing that runs to different areas of your house is disconnected from the main line. The same holds true for the electrical system and gas line.

Once you’ve successfully moved and relocated your house to its new location, all these systems will need to be hooked back up again. This will influence the total cost of moving the house.

Reasons To Move A House

As you think about the logistics of moving a house, it may be more affordable or practical to consider building or buying a house in your preferred destination instead. To decide, contact a moving company for a cost estimate for moving your house. Then compare it to the prices of homes for sale in your desired neighborhood.

However, if you’re relocating a short distance or if money isn’t your main concern, it might make sense to move your house instead of building or buying a new one. Here are some other possible reasons to consider moving a house:

• You want to preserve a historic or sentimental house.
• Your home is located within a floodplain.
• Developers want to use your land for commercial purposes.
• You acquired more land adjacent to your property and want to center your home between both.

Pros Of Moving A House

Despite the work and planning involved in moving a house, there are many upsides. For example:

• Moving a house could allow you to keep a treasured or sentimental family home.
• It may provide the ability to take a beloved property with you wherever you travel.
• It may create the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of any upgrades or enhancements previously made.
• It may eliminate the need to shop around for alternative residences.

Cons Of Moving A House

At the same time, there are several downsides to moving a home:

• It requires extensive upfront planning, saving money and research.
• There could be potential unexpected hiccups, obstacles and costs as you travel.
• Moving a house to a new location could cost more than moving into a new home.
• You may need to disassemble and reassemble before transport.
• You may also need to disconnect and reconnect utilities at an added cost.

How To Move A House In 6 Steps

Moving a house can be rewarding, but it can also be expensive and highly involved. If you’re contemplating the idea of moving your house, here’s what the process looks like step by step.

1. Gather Plans And Permits

Prior to performing any work on moving your home, it’s critical to apply for all official permits needed. To obtain these, you’ll start by sitting down with a general contractor, architect and engineer to draw up plans for how the house will be transported and moved. Once these plans have been finalized, you’ll submit them to the city for approval.

2. Clear The Driving Route

Before moving the home, your hired contractor needs to determine the best possible route to take. Ideally, the route will have the fewest obstacles and fewest points of uncertainty.

Your contractor will do their best to avoid streets with power lines and trees close to the road, as well as narrow or winding roadways that are more difficult to traverse. If obstructions are unavoidable, the contractor will need to discuss options with the homeowners or the city to come up with possible workarounds.

3. Disconnect The House

Having finished the planning process, actual physical work on disconnecting the home can begin. A plumber and an electrician will disconnect the plumbing and electrical systems leading into the house.

At this point, your moving company will also begin detaching the house from its foundation. If there’s a basement on your property, holes need to be drilled in the foundation to provide access for the steel beams used to lift the house and prep it for transport.

4. Lift Up The House

Once your home has been disconnected from its foundation, your moving company will slide metal beams underneath it and use a unified hydraulic jacking system to lift it. By raising the property off the land, they’ll be able to lift all sides of the house at the same time so it’s completely level.

5. Move The House To Its New Location

Next, the moving company will begin transporting your house to its new location. But as you’ll soon discover, work also needs to be done at the new site before this can happen. Put simply, a new foundation needs to be prepared for the house to securely sit.

Then, the moving company will move the house and slide it down a ramp system so it’s placed soundly on its new foundation. They’ll then jack the house back up so the wheels can be removed.

6. Reconnect And Move In

Finally a mason will come in and build the foundation up to the house. The moving company will be able to lower your home onto its new foundation and remove their equipment. A plumber and an electrician will then come to your house and reconnect plumbing and electrical systems. At this point, it’s finally time for you to move back into your home.

FAQs About The Costs Of Moving A House

Keep reading for some common questions homeowners have about the costs of moving a house.

Which types of houses can be moved?

If you’re considering moving a house from one area to another, mobile homes may be the first house style that comes to mind. After all, these types of prefabricated homes are specifically designed to be picked up and moved as necessary. However, other types of houses can also be moved, including single-family residences and duplexes. In fact, most homes can be moved – it’s just a matter of logistics and any unexpected challenges.

Is it cheaper to move a house or build one?

The average cost to build a house can range from $121,099 – $502,765, according to Angi. With such a wide range of potential cost, it can be hard to predict whether it’s cheaper to move a house or build one. But you can get a more accurate idea by getting an estimate from the professionals who would complete each project.

Why does it cost so much to move a house?

It can be expensive to move a house if it’s especially large or traveling a long distance. Costs can increase if there are obstacles on the driving route or if disassembly or permits are required.

When is the cost to move a house worth it?

If you have the time and budget to support relocating a house, it can certainly be worthwhile. It’s especially valuable if you’d like to preserve a historical home or if you’ve bought land in a better location for you.

The Bottom Line

If you want to relocate but don’t want to part with your beloved home, moving your house can be a great option. The average cost of moving a house can be expensive for complex moves. But the benefits may outweigh the risks after careful consideration. Reach out to a local moving company to get a more accurate dollar estimate. Then compare the costs to the prices of homes in your desired real estate market.

Ready to start looking for a new property to relocate your house to? Work with a Verified Partner Agent from Rocket Homes^SM to guide you in your search for a new place to call home.