‘LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE’

GETTING THE HOUSE ON PILES

If you’re moving a house, it will often have to be lifted over fences, and even over other houses, into its new site. It will also need to be manoeuvred in tight spaces. This is achieved with the sophisticated hydraulics and steering on the trailer, combined with the very low ratio gearbox on the truck unit. The house can be raised up to 3m and each pair of wheels can be individually steered.

The trailer backs on to the markedout site, the house is lifted off with eight or 10 linked-up hydraulic jacks, and the trailer departs, leaving the house a couple of metres in the air so pile holes can be augered. Then, 600mm piles are dropped in, concrete is added, and next day, the house is lowered, piles secured to bearers and the job’s over. It usually takes only a couple of days.

However, working with driven piles is more complicated, because the trailer can’t be backed in.

FINDING THE HOUSE

Don’t rule out sourcing from outside your region. Brittons and Central House Movers both have their main yards at Bulls and they have prices posted stating, “on piles, within two-hour radius of Bulls”. Just remember, everything is negotiable