How Much Does It Cost to Move a House? Real Estate Experts Weigh In

Experts outline the cost of moving an entire house based on various factors, including location and size of the home.

For most people, the idea of moving means relocating from one home to another, but some people opt to move their entire house. Moving a home from one plot of land to another, repositioning it on a lot, or moving it for renovations and repairs is a common practice for some homeowners.

Deciding whether to move your home might come down to your particular needs, but it’s almost always affected by cost. In this article, experts weigh in on what moving a house costs and whether it could be right for you.

“A lot of what we do is lifting buildings straight up to get old foundations replaced or lifted out of flood plains so they’re not flooding anymore,” says Mike Brovont of Wolfe House Movers. “We also do a lot of moves further back on a property or away from the road or to a better location for an addition. About a quarter of what we do is historic,” referring to moving homes with historical significance. “It can get expensive and annoying, but it’s all doable."

Meet Our Expert

• Mike Brovont is the lead project estimator at Wolfe House Movers.

• Tammie DeVooght Blaney is executive director of the International Association of Structural Movers and editor at Structural Mover magazine.

• Bryan Drakulich is broker/owner at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Drakulich Realty.

Reasons for Moving a House

Major Repairs and Additions: Some people move their homes to add additions or make major repairs to the foundation. That’s typical at Wolfe House Movers, a national company headquartered in Pennsylvania.

Moving a House to Build Another House: Sometimes, the owner of a lot will purchase a home, planning to tear it down to make way for a new home or development. In those cases, the owner sometimes sells the physical structure of the house to a buyer at a fraction of the cost for the entire property, and the new owner has the home relocated.

Related: How to Find a Good Relocation Market

Commercial Development: “A lot of times this is due to commercial development. A new owner will sell a building to someone for a dollar and that person pays to take it and to have it moved,” Brovont explains. “It’s not cheap, but it’s generally cheaper than building new.”

Historic Homes: In other cases, historic homes and homes with personal significance might be relocated to a new part of town or across the country for an owner. In older parts of town, homes were built on large plots of land, far from neighbors and roadways, but as the city grew around the house, the property changed.

Moving House Away From Road: “Being too close to the road is a big one, especially in the northeast where houses were built 100 to 200 years ago on a farm road,” Brovont says. “Now, a lot of these old houses in the northeast are anywhere from 10 to 50 feet off the road.”

In unique circumstances, moving a house might be the more affordable option during a renovation or remodel project. “Some of it has to do with sentimental value, how nice the house is inside. If you’ve done a full remodel recently, you could be losing $100k to demolish and rebuild, but if it all needs a full remodel anyway, then you’re moving the frame,” Brovont says. “Everybody has to figure that out.”

The Process of Moving a House

Moving a house is an intensive process that involves planning, permitting, and careful execution by a highly trained team of engineers.

The owners must vacate the home for the duration of the project. If repairs are being made to a home’s basement, the basement must be emptied. If the home itself is being moved entirely, the contents of the home likely have to be moved out before the house is moved.

"Technically, you don’t have an occupancy permit as soon as the house is not touching the foundation anymore and you have no utilities; you can’t be there."

Mike Brovont

Next, the home must be disconnected from all utilities, including water, electricity, and gas. This work is typically done by a separate company that charges its own fees for the service. After the utilities are disconnected, the house is raised with supports and loaded onto a vehicle for the move.

“There can’t be any wires or pipes coming down or anything attaching it to the old foundation,” Brovont says.

The house is transported to its new location and might require police escorts for significant loads depending on the route. In most cases, homes are moved locally and don’t require this level of detail, Brovont adds.

If a home is being moved for foundation repairs, it will likely be lifted and remain on-site for the duration. Still, you can’t live in the house while this is taking place.

The home then has repairs or renovations completed before it is reconnected and lowered. Typically, repairs and renovations are completed by a separate company at an additional cost.

Time Estimates for Moving a House

Brovont says a home that is having foundation repairs done might require one to two months of work for his team to lift the house and for the work itself to be done to the foundation.

If a frame building needs to be moved, it might only require one to two weeks of work to safely disconnect, load, and move the structure. However, a brick or stone building might take one to two months to move because they’re heavier and require more prep work.

“A brick building has to have much heavier steel beams, and they need to be placed closely together,” he says. “A frame building might have a beam every 8 feet, and a brick building will be every 3-4 feet,” adds Brovont.

Related: What Is a Split-Level House?

The Cost of Moving a House

As with all questions about cost, the price of moving a home varies and depends on a variety of factors. Your location in the U.S. affects the cost, as does the difficulty of the project.

Tammie DeVooght Blaney, executive director of the International Association of Structural Movers and editor at Structural Mover magazine, says costs change based on the weight, footprint, and height of your home, plus the distance of the move.

"The cost increases when there are things in the way that either need to be moved and replaced—such as street signs, mailboxes—or permanently removed, such as trees or tree branches. It just takes longer to move something when things are in the way."

Tammie DeVooght Blaney

Brovont says raising a home on-site costs $10 to $20K. Bigger projects where moving a house is involved start at $20K but go up exponentially based on the type of material the home is made of and any special considerations for its care in transit.

“Insurance and bonding costs will increase the cost. In some states, specialized insurance is required and sometimes a performance bond or other type of bond is required of the building mover to guarantee the project will be completed,” DeVooght Blaney says. “Finally, in some areas, the labor costs drastically increase the project cost. It all depends on what skilled labor costs in that community.”

The estimate for a project can change along the way. Brovont says delays in the timeline increase the cost if the moving company’s equipment and personnel have to remain on site longer than usual.

Other major factors that affect the price occur when a homeowner changes their mind, adds to the scope of the project, or makes a change midway through execution.

“If they say lift the house 2 feet, but now they want 5 feet, that’s not a tremendous cost, but it is a little bit,” he says. “Or if something wasn’t ready, but we had to leave equipment sitting there, you’ll get charged a little for that. Usually, if it’s within the scope of work and it’s something we’re supposed to figure out, we’re not going to charge for it,” says Brovont.

Should You Move Your House?

Deciding whether to move your home comes down to a unique set of circumstances, often determined by cost. While anything is possible, it all comes at a price.

“It's all math when you’re considering moving a home versus rebuilding,” says Bryan Drakulich, broker/owner at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Drakulich Realty. “What are you paying for the house, what is the cost to have it moved and what are you paying for the lot you’re having it moved to? It’s not just getting it moved to the location, there are costs with hooking up a new house such as electrical, sewer, and water.”

In addition, there are special considerations depending on your particular home. “Some of the challenges of older homes are basements and the structure of how the house is built,” Drakulich adds. “It’s a lot of logistical questions you need to ask yourself as you make that decision.”

The condition of your home should also factor into your decision. “Generally, if a home is in poor condition, it might not be a good candidate to move,” DeVooght Blaney adds. “If a home has been well maintained and is in good shape, it will be worthwhile to save it.”

Related: The Features that Make an Area Ideal for First-Time Home Buyers

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