How Much Does It Cost to Move a House? (Updated in 2024)
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Codee Chessher
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You may have seen oversized trailers on highways with houses on them, typically prefab models. However, not everyone knows that you can even move traditionally built homes. The catch is that it’s a big task and expensive to boot. Let’s check out how much it costs to move a house below.
What Does Moving a House Entail?
When people typically move, they only take their belongings out and take them to a new house. By physically picking the house up and moving it to a new site, you can keep a beloved house while moving to a new location.
The process isn’t easy, and sometimes picking the house up is the easiest part. You’ll have to get permits, use certain routes, and possibly consult with utility companies, too. Short moves are the easiest because professionals can simply put the house on rollers and literally roll it to a neighboring lot or down the road.
A team of contractors, electricians, and plumbers will work to disconnect your house from the foundation as well as water and electrical connections. The house is then jacked up and put on rollers or an oversized trailer, depending on various things we’ll get into later.
Why Would You Move a House?
In most cases, it doesn’t make financial sense to move an existing home. Instead, people usually sell their homes and buy a new one in the location that they’re moving to. However, in some cases, it can make practical and financial sense to simply move the house. There are numerous reasons to move a house, from fixing foundation issues to moving a long distance. Let’s look at a few other reasons you might want to move your house.
- Relocating a historical home
- Relocation from eroding shorelines and coastal areas
- You love your home but have to relocate for work or personal reasons
- You buy a house for very cheap but don’t like the area
- You receive a house as an inheritance and don’t like the area
Regardless, you need to really want to keep the house in order to go through the cost and effort of having it moved.
How Much Does It Cost to Move a House?
There are a lot of factors that impact how much you’ll pay to move a house, but the main two are the house’s square footage and the distance of the move. On average, prices range from $12–$16 per square foot.
Bigger houses are more expensive to move because they’re heavier, requiring more work. And of course, a longer distance will require more fuel and possibly special precautions and prep work.
To help you get a more specific ballpark figure, let’s check out some averages for how much it costs to move a house by size and distance.
- 1,800 square foot house: $21,000–$28,000
- 2,400 square foot house: $29,000–$39,000
- 3,000 square foot house: $36,000–$48,000
- 100 miles: $3,000
- 500 miles: $4,000
- 1,000 miles: $5,000
- 2,500+ miles: $10,000+
Other Factors That Impact Cost
While size and distance are the primary factors, there are tons of other variables that have to be considered and dealt with as necessary. Permitting is one of them, but you must also consider obstacles, road type, excess weight, and accessories.
Permits
Different states have varying laws, but you’ll usually have to apply with your local or state government for a permit to move your house. This can tack on a few thousand dollars to your final bill.
Obstacles
The main challenges facing houses on the road are power lines, traffic lights, and trees. While your contractor will prepare the best road plan, it’s not always possible to avoid these obstacles. In such cases, you’ll need to shell out to have utility companies temporarily remove power lines and possibly traffic lights. As you can imagine, this won’t be cheap, but prices vary widely based on your area.
Road Type
Long, windy mountain roads are more dangerous and require special preparation to keep your house safe, while long and flat stretches of road are more ideal. If your house requires special prep or the drive is difficult, your contractor will likely add an additional surcharge.
Excess Weight
Rooms that are excessively filled with items will add weight, which makes moving the house difficult. If you have too much weight in your home, the contractor will make note of this and likely charge more. Large amounts of furniture or appliances are the primary culprits of excessive weight while moving houses.
Accessories
If you have garages, porches, decks, or other accessories attached to your house, it will cost more to move. In some cases, it will have to be dismantled and transported separately, while in other cases it can be transported intact with the main house structure. Because of the huge variety of additions, prices will depend on the contractor’s assessment.
Conclusion
Moving a house is a truly herculean task requiring a massive amount of time, work, and money. If you really need to move a house, though, you have to calculate the size of your house as well as the distance of the move. For a more specific estimate, contact local contracting companies today.
Featured Image Credit: inrainbows, Shutterstock
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