Today was the day we’ve been waiting for and it did not disappoint. The crews arrived early and were all set up to go by 10 am. A few neighbors and friends were on hand to witness the big move. There were a few hiccups but overall we were pleased to see how easily the old house moved across the landscape and came to rest by the new foundation. Bravo to the men who made it happen. Thanks to Jeff Blake of Fox & Sons and Brian Payne of Payne Building Movers.

Here’s how it got there.

Almost as soon as the house started to move, it stopped. A brace on one of the four dollies needed to keep the wheels pointing forward came loose and it swiveled 90 degrees. The crew shifted the house’s considerable weight to the other three dollies and they straightened out the wheels and braced them. Onwards!

The groaning noises and the creaks came from the dollies, not the house! It was a tight squeeze by the barn.

Once Payne’s crew got the house going, it went surprisingly smoothly and quickly. There was relatively little for Fox & Sons’ crew to but stand back and watch the action, which is exactly what Norwegian crew member Thor is doing in this shot.

The genius of the system is in Payne’s dollies, four sets of eight wheels, each carrying about 50 tons.

All went swimmingly until the truck pulling the house reached the area in front of the new foundation which was covered in sand, put there by the excavator for better drainage. The truck’s wheels hit the sand and got stuck there. The house came to a halt.

To get the truck unstuck, Payne needed help from Fox & Sons. Jeff maneuvered his utility truck into a position ahead of the house and hooked a winch cable to rig. One crew member scrambled into a John Deere bucket truck and moved it behind the house. Another jumped into a bobcat and joined him. Jeff pulled and the others pushed the house to within five feet of its destination.

Problem solved. Move seemed to go by in no time.

A view from the south of the farmhouse in its new position.

Over the next three days, Fox & Sons will be sliding the house onto cribs above the new footings. Watch for our next posting on Friday.