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... 2 hours SW of Smyrna must put you around Greenville, Munson Pond, or Sangerville area. I don't know anybody offhand in those areas, wish I could be more help.
Bydand; Thank you for the info. Yes, you pinned my location exactly.
I'll ask around to inquire if any GC in area that are interested and can give me a rough estimate in moving it maybe next summer. I don't want to attempt to have to clean out and have everything, i.e. tools, garden equipment, etc. sitting outside in the winter snow while it's being moved, and I'd prefer not to have the slab poured during the winter if I don't have to.
This info gives me a little time to research and hopefully it works out to where I can get a GC to do it for much less than building. I'm hoping to do most the prep work (shoring/bracing) ourselves to save $$. If it means a new garage, then I guess that would definately have to wait longer - if at all.
You see, the reason(s) I've always wanted to move the garage is that the slab that it's currently on is badly heaving and cracking. Yes, I should fix the reason why apparently I'm getting water under it, but I've always hated where it is. It sits mostly in the back yard, so moving the garage foward would allow me to have more back yard, and a prettier view into the woods out my kitchen window. So, I'm thinking... instead of fixing (repouring) a new slab in the existing garage, and trying to correct (or figure out) the water/drainage issue... why not move it like I always wanted? Hence, my post.
Interesting thread.
I did this myself about 20 years ago. I moved an 1800's carriage house, (garage) about 30'. Contractors said it could not be done, but they would build me a new one if I wanted. I have some nice pics.
The building was built like a fortress, with no exposed studs. The walls, ceiling and floor above was all covered with blind nailed 1x6 pine, and the outside siding was original wood shiplap siding.
I took the windows out, took off the old sliding barntype doors, and lagged on 2x6's across the bottom of the old sill plates. I then cut notches in the corners of the inside and slipped 4x6 posts in the notches. I borrowed some railroad jacks and lifted up the building from the 4x6's across the ceiling. The building was very stiff from all that interior 1x6's.
The building was then about 3 inches off the existing old slab. A friend gave me a bunch of old 2" galvanized pipe, which I cut into 2' lengths. I then laid landscape timbers across the 30' area where the walls would travel to the new slab. I placed the galvanized pipe pieces under the sill plate and we pushed it over to the new slab, inch by inch. When one pipe rolled out, we moved it to the front again. It took a few hours, just pushing it with crowbars, etc. Just Man muscle.
Once it was centered on the new slab, I took off the old rotted sill plate and replaced it with treated lumber, and anchored it to the new slab with star bolts.
I needed a bit more of the old siding, and it just so happened that an old roadside diner about 7 miles away had recently burned down, with only one wall standing. It had the same old siding on that wall, which the owner said I could have.
Since I did not cut or nail those big 4x6's, I was able to return them to the lumberyard with my thank you. The whole project cost me hardly anything, except the cost of the new slab. I replaced the old siding doors with a new 16x8 wood garage door I bought for $100.
In the end, it looked great, and is still there straight, plumb, and better then before I moved it. Neighbors said I could not do it, and my only regret was not charging them admission to watch.
Now your situation might be different, as this was a two story old carriage house with a lot of character and was very well built. Standard trusses, 24"on center studs, etc would make a difference in your options.
My neighbor a few years ago needed to move his 16' x 20' wood frame garage 25 feet...
He decided to have a neighborhood BBQ/Garage Moving Party.
Ahead of time, he removed a length of 1" x 6" siding about 36" above the slab and bolted in a number of 2" x 6" x 20' to the wall studs from one side to the other and extending out on each side.
Worked like a charm... and something like 24 people had a place to lift and on command... everyone lifted and walked the building to the new slab.
Faithful Frank: Thanks for all the info! I'll bet that was challenging to move an old 1800s carriage house, as it's much heavier, and more solid than my garage. I'd bet that everyone that's reading these posts with interest would love to see your photos.
From what I've been reading on other sites; your method of shoring up the garage seems to be the common theme on how to do this. I'm not sure if I would attempt pushing (rollling) it along pipes, or having 24 folks lift the garage like Ultrarunner mentioned (heck, I don't think I even know 24 folks in my area) but I think I would consider having a general contractor lift the shored up garage and move it with a trailer/flatbed, if the cost isn't too prohibited.
I've even seen on a DIY type forum where someone suggested shoring up the garage, bring a flatbed/hay trailer in, let the air out of the tires, set the crossbrace across the flatbed, then put air in the tires to 'lift' the garage, and move it out. I got such a chuckle out of that.
Faithful Frank, Bydand, and Ultrarunner; again, I thank you for your thoughful comments. I do have one more question if I may. How do you set it back down on a new slab? I understand the concept of shoring it up, jacking, lifting, rolling... but geeze, it's got to be a real bear to try to tweak and set it exactly square on the slab isn't it? I would think that you'd have to keep driving back and forth with the trailer to get it centered, but I can't vision how it's set back down. But I'm sure a GC that's done this would know I suppose...
It was not that difficult. You cannot put the anchor bolts in the slab first though...I had to use star bolts, drilled into the slab through the sill plate afterwards. not a big deal.
I'll try to dig out the old pics, scan them and post a few.....
The actual moving is pretty cheap. We moved our house (3600 s.f. or so of it, in two pieces) eight miles for $20,100. Moving the 18' x 34' carriage house (garage) was an extra $2800. (Utility clearing and tree trimming/removal was another $44,000).
The distance that you move it is somewhat irrelevant, except that you will not have the costs for moving and restoring utilities, mail boxes, trees etc. You will also have no traffic control costs. For just a garage, I would guess that you are looking at a three day project. You will have to get any utilities turend off, disconnected and capped, and probably get the permits.
The new slab and utilites could be expensive, but you will have to build them for a new garage anyway.
By moving your garage, you are recycling all of the materials and being very green. You will save a lot of trees, and keep your old garage out of a landfill. If you recycle a whole garage, you can forget trash recycling for the rest of your life and still be ahead of most people in the recycling area.
Another advantage is that you will have your garage usable almost right way. You do not have to wait for weeks or months for it to be built and usable.
There are usually a couple of house movers in or near your state. They will come a long way for a major job. For just a garage, if you are far away, you will have to pay a premium to make it worth their while, but it should not be astronomical. This is a good starting place to find a house mover:
As for setting it back down, you have several options. You can build a bracing frame the sits outside the area of the new slab with internal bracing attached through holes in the walls; or you can build the footings up to the garage after it is in place. You build the footings around the beams that support the garage and then slide the beams out and fill in the pockets. This is the more common method. Then you pour the garage floor inside the footings after the structure is in place on the slab.
Huston3: Do you mean removing the garage doors, and the corner sections of the siding, and then take off the roof, and move each wall one at a time with the siding still attached? Wouldn't you need a crane to lift each wall independantly? Wouldn't moving it in one piece be less work than putting it back together?
K'ledgeBldr and Chet: I'm going to assume that I can't find a 'house mover' close enough to these parts to warrent the cost of one coming all the way out here to move a silly garage a few feet. So, from doing more research on DIY type forums, it seems that the garage could be moved by placing some 2x8 or 2x10 to brace to garage walls and then using a laminated beam across a flatbed and raise the garage and move it. But the key thing would be to move it without doing major damage and warping... And another consideration is, who would do this? I'm guessing that the local contractors haven't done this much. And what contractor would want to take something like this on, as you never know what damage will occur.
Plus, I'm guessing that it might be a few thosand dollars in labor to get someone with a flatbed (or other equipment), shore it up, and move and sit it onto a slab vs. maybe 20 grand or so to build a garage and slab.
It 'might' be easier to hire someone to build a garage. It's too bad because it just seems that it would be less expensive to move it.
Take the roof all the way off.... Brace the walls and start taking them down one wall at a time with siding still on if possible , move and reinstall.... You're moving it 50 feet not 50 blocks....
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