Moving a shed

[MushCreek]

I'll admit; I built my shed in the wrong spot. At the time, it was the path of least resistance, and I needed a shed, quick. Now it's sort of in my front yard, if you can call it that. I want to move it about 50 feet, over some unfriendly terrain. The shed is 8 X 12, and I'm guesstimating maybe 1000 lbs. Here are my thoughts:

1) Try to sell it, then build a new shed in the new spot.

2) Jack it up high enough (32") to ease my trailer under it. Maneuver over to the new spot, then lower it back down.

3) Raise the front to the trailer so that the back is on the ground (about 20" high), then pull the shed up a ramp, onto the top of the trailer.

Other ideas have included hiring a crane, or trying to move it on rollers, but the ground is rough, I would have to change directions a couple times, and I don't have a piece of equipment with the traction and low speed control to do this.

I'm thinking Option 2 is the most likely. I could raise one end with my cherry picker high enough to get 8" blocks under it. Then, go to the other end and raise it 16". Keep switching ends, one block at a time until the trailer will fit under it. Reverse the process once moved to the new site. I'm mostly worried about the safety aspects. I know the shed can handle the stress, but it will be embarrassing and possibly dangerous if I somehow tip it over or it falls off of the blocks at some point.

I like the idea of building a new shed (bigger, of course), but that equals time + money, neither of which is in plentiful supply right now. The original shed cost about $1500 in materials; I'd be surprised if I could sell it for that, especially factoring in the new owner having to move it.

 

[CitadelBlue]

I had a 12x12 in my yard and I moved it with the help of a few neighbors/church friends and some PVC and steel pipe. The bigger the diameter the better so 10 ft lengths of Sked 40 did ok. First you need to empty it, and then jack it up to slide the pipe under. Once that is accomplished you should be able to slide/roll it around as long as the pipe is under the shed.

 

[Cyberbear]

There are several options: Since you no longer want the existing shed where it is presently and want a larger version as well, you may wish considering simply de-constructing the existing shed and using the materials in building another larger shed at the preferred location. This way you accomplish all your goals in one action.

 

[Bdgjr215]

Heavy pvc pipe. 3 or 4 pieces .Roll it on its skids replacing each piece back to front
Until you get it where you need it.

 

[jimgood]

I would go with option 2 if it will fit on your trailer. I'd put some poles under it that are long enough to stick out the sides that you can put the jack(s) under so they are out of the way while you're maneuvering the trailer under it.

 

[Playwme]

1000lb's?

8 guys could just carry it.

 

[T_R]

Can it be detached from the base?

Last one I moved, we detached from the base. Then a bunch of guys went inside picked it up off the base and walked it to the new location. I dragged the base over to the new location with my truck and we picked it up from the inside and walked it on.

 

[Bdgjr215]

8x12 probably weighs more than a 1000lbs.

 

[MushCreek]

The ground is too soft, rough, steep, and uneven to think about rollers. We don't have a lawn yet; it is just undeveloped woods for the most part. Anything requiring a large number of people is out- most of my friends are in their 60's and up, with bad backs and knees.

I don't think deconstructing it would be practical- I tend to over build and over-fasten things. The siding in particular would be destroyed, I think. Plus, that would be a lot more work, something I'm trying to avoid.

As for weight- I'm just guessing. The flooring is 180 lbs., the siding another 180. The roof is 29 gauge tin with no sheathing under it, so it doesn't weigh much. The rest is mostly 2X4's, and some 2X6's under the flooring. Even if it's twice as heavy, it's nothing the trailer and cherry picker can't handle easily.

I did the math, and 8" difference over 12' is only a 3 degree angle, so it won't be all that dramatic jacking it up. Obviously, if I had access to four jacks I'd just raise the whole thing evenly.

At the risk of being banned for life, I really don't need a bigger shed (gasp!). I have a 28 X 48 barn, so the shed is just for storing gas-powered yard equipment. Somehow, I don't trust the crappy carburetor on a cheap lawnmower not to leak gas and create a fire hazard in my barn. Same goes for the garbage they pass off as gas cans these days. However, if I build a new shed, it WILL be bigger just because.

 

[Kevin54]

We moved our 12x16 shed with a rollback. Total cost to move it...$200

 

[Bdgjr215]

The other option at least in this area is a machine called a Mule.The shed companys use
Them to move them around.theres videos on you tube but i dont know how to post
Links to videos

 

[Rj555]

We moved our 12x16 shed with a rollback. Total cost to move it...$200

The rollback is an excellent idea.

 

[dodgejunkie]

I once moved a 8x12 gambrel roofed wood shed across town with a hand winch truck and a snowmobile trailer. There was no floor in the shed, it just sat on a concrete pad. Braced it vertical and horizontally, jacked one end up and squeezed the trailer under it.

 

[MushCreek]

Curiosity got the better of me, so I added up all of the materials, and it comes out to more like 1600 lbs. The good news is that materials add up to less than $1000 at today's prices, as I would use OSB for sheathing instead of the LP Smartside on my shed. I have enough Hardi siding left over from my house to do the shed, too, which is what I'm going to do whether I use the old shed or build a new one.

A rollback is a good idea; I'll have to see what they would charge. I had my '72 F-250 brought home for $100 2 years ago, and this would be less mileage, although more screwing around. I would have to figure out an attachment point for the winch, as I don't want to tear the shed apart.

 

[Zeke]

You would do well to reinforce the base and use the roll back because by the time you buy all the materials to roll it on (even if you could), you'd have paid the roll back's fee.

There is one other method not mentioned and that would be to lay pipe like rails perpendicular to the line of travel and pull it along those. Grease will help.

 

[theoldwizard1]

We moved our 12x16 shed with a rollback. Total cost to move it...$200

This is the way to go ! One issue is the terrain. It is soft, extremely uneven or has stumps sticking out (that could blow tires) you might not get any one willing to risk their truck.

Worst case, you might have to hire a dozer and bring in some fill/gravel. The dozer would make short work of moving it and you will have level ground in the end.

 

[T_R]

Put an ad on CL offering $50 for an hours work. Get 8 people on a weekend, have them pick it up and move it for you. $400 and it's done.

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

Call Drew, here
http://dutchboybarns.com/

They delivered my building and it is an amazing rig. Not sure what it would cost, but it wont hurt to call.
Good Luck

 

[MushCreek]

I'll give them a call. I found another shed place that moves them, but there has to be skids underneath, and they charge $250 minimum. I'd have to jack it up to add the skids.

I think the ground is clean enough to drive on, as long as we haven't had a lot of recent rain. No stumps; just small brush that I would clear anyway. I'm planning a gravel driveway past where the shed would go. I want to make a loop past the barn and (future) shed to the back of the house so I can get heavy stuff in and out of the walk-out basement. Right now, I back down to the back alongside the house, which is fine until I put a lawn there.

Once the shed is on a trailer or rollback, the driving should be easy. Trying to roll it on pipes would be a pain. It would have to go one way, change direction, go the other way 100', turn, then another 100' to the new site. There's a slope involved as well. I considered putting some heavy skids under neath and simply dragging it with a tractor. I no longer have access to the tractor (buddy sold it) and I'm worried whether the structure could handle being dragged over uneven ground, twisting it this way and that. Monday, I'll call around to see what a rollback or shed mover would charge.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Call a heavy equipment center or even a roofing company and ask about tractor-tired forklifts. They could simply pick it up and move it, wherever you want. Even a Bobcat with fork attachment would make short work of it. Probably a couple hundred bucks for their time. All heavy equipment can lift at least that. We moved my neighbor's, 3 of us, with the help of an ATV, over logs on uneven ground, and it was a *****.

 

[Binrat]

Put the 4x4 skids under it. And roll it on the pipes. Use a winch or come along. Place plywood or sheathing on the ground where it's uneven. Moving plywood and pipes back to front as needed. My wife and I moved ours this way. Wrap a strap around the floor to pull from.

 

[MushCreek]

One of the problems with using a winch is that you have to have something to hook it onto. I guess I could use my truck for that. Still, I have up-and-down hills to deal with, and rough ground. It would be a lot of shuffling pipes and plywood around. A 6" rut is nothing to a truck; to a pipe, it's the end of the world. I think my ground is too uneven to roll it on pipes.

I'll either pay someone with equipment to move it, or jack it up. The top rail on my trailer is 2" angle iron with lots of vertical supports. The shed would be evenly distributed along the rails, so no point loading. It's just raising it 32" in the air that seems a bit spooky.

 

[Dustball]

Hire someone with a large skid loader and extended forks to move it.

 

[langss]

Its 8'X12' Correct.... How about a low Car Trailer. You could roll it on and roll it off when you were done.

 

[jczv]

ditto on the rollback - and call lots of places. I moved a 7x12 pigeon coop 20 miles. The shed place I called wanted $300 minimum but I eventually found a tow truck place that did it for $120 (just had to schedule outside his busy times). The question is if your base can handle being dragged on and off the truck, I had to put the coop on 4x4 with big eyelets as I wasn't sure off the construction. The whole move took about 45 minutes.

 

[nadogail]

I once helped a neighbor with a similar problem. I say similar because the ground was easily walkable.

He braced the shed internally and externally with lots of places to get a grip.

He mustered up all the men and boys in the neighborhood, we all grabbed a handle and walked his shed to his new spot, set it down and congratulated ourselves.

Manny hands make work light.

 

[Jeff95TA]

Can you take some pictures of the path to the new location?

 

[G McKay]

I had a 12x12 in my yard and I moved it with the help of a few neighbors/church friends and some PVC and steel pipe. The bigger the diameter the better so 10 ft lengths of Sked 40 did ok. First you need to empty it, and then jack it up to slide the pipe under. Once that is accomplished you should be able to slide/roll it around as long as the pipe is under the shed.

2nd this.

 

[MushCreek]

Update on a semi-ancient thread-

I moved the shed today. I figured I'd just try dragging it with my tractor, and if it fell apart, I'd build a new one. First, I attached 4X4 skids underneath to the floor joists. I had to dig a hole to get my floor jack under it, then jack it up and block it so I could get the skids under it. I ran a 1" bar through holes I drilled in the skids, and attached a lifting strap to it and the tractor. First gear, and it pulled it like nothing was there. I had to switch ends 3 times to pull it this way and that. My concern was that the shed couldn't handle being dragged over very uneven ground, but it didn't twist at all. The wife tried to get a video (3 times) but just can't figure it out. She always hits the button twice, so we got three 1 second videos.

I could have had it moved for $250. I would have had to add the skids anyway, and they'll be repurposed for another upcoming project. The actual moving only took a few minutes. It took longer to jack it up, and then level it once it was in the new spot. All in all, maybe 4 hours of work. It's all different colors, as it was a test bed for house colors. I'm going to put leftover Hardi siding on it, and paint it red with white trim to match the barn. I can't get my ZT in the side door, so I'm going to eliminate that and make a bigger door and ramp on the gable end.

 

[Higgins]

Could a Bobcat get inside?? Lift structure enough to get small bobcat inside. add bracing between walls at base. Add several 2x6 to roof structure. Rotate bucket up and slowly lift.

Worked great for us several yrs ago. Spent more time on adding bracing than moving it!

 

[GRivera]

We moved our 12x16 shed with a rollback. Total cost to move it...$200

The same way I had my 12x16 moved and the same price!

 

[Bretny]

Helped my father move his 10x14ft cedar shed. Mostly still full. We just aired my truck tires way down put it in low gear and drug it about 50ft.

It may be easier and safer to smooth out the ground you need to move over than trying to get it 36in high.

 

[Marctrees]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=417137

 

[MushCreek]

I don't think we have any Amish around here.

 

[glider]

Anything with a hitch on it would move something that size. I have moved my share. Wait for it to dry up and have a plan.

 

[Marctrees]

Yea, they don't have to be Amish.

Just an example of the idea a few have already mentioned.

A $100 donation to a Church could bring 10 guys for 30 minutes.

Local Vo Tech Carp students, etc.

Just one possibility.

Marc

 

[nadogail]

About 35 years ago, my neighbor had a shed he needed moved 6'.

He nailed 2X4's cross ways from stud to stud. He went from door to door, we all mustered at his place and we each grabbed on to one of the two byes and walked.

 

[Bob275]

umm.... post 29.... he already moved it.

You never said you had a tractor though to get it done!

 

[MushCreek]

When I started this thread, I didn't have a tractor. Since then, I bought an old Ford 3000 and various attachments. It has a loader, but I took it off to fix and rebuild it. I stuck the 3 point trailer hitch under the edge of the shed, and it picked it up easily. Of course, that wouldn't work on the end that was buried in the dirt. That, and the tractor brakes don't work, so it was just easier/safer to drag it with straps.

It amazes me how much torque a tractor has. I've been pulling a two bottom plow in our dense clay, and it just drags it through and pulls it up into neat furrows. The engine never changes pitch, the tire almost never spin. It only stops if I hit a buried root. All that with a small, tired, three cylinder gas engine turning maybe 1500 RPM.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

It sounds as if you are all set, but I moved a full sized one-car garage once. A buddy had a 6-wheel grain truck sized truck with a roofers hoist. ( A roofers hoist raises the truck bed but keeps the floor horizontal, and is used to raise shingles, etc for a roof job. ) The truck JUST fit in the door, so we backed it in, as far as we could. We took some 2x12's and laid them across the truck bed, on edge, extending them to the siding, then drilled and bolted them to the studs on each side of the garage.

When we were ready to go, the driver raised the truck bed about a foot, we shoved some blocks between the bed frame and the truck frame, and at about 4:00 am, one Sunday morning, away we went. We had about a 2.5 mile trip, and it all went well. There were several side stories I could add about the project, like standing on the roof of the garage to lift the traffic signals for clearance, but space, and a desire not to incriminate myself tell me not to include too many details.

While it worked well for me, and gave me stories to entertain with, I cannot recommend that you try it. ( BUT, it worked! )




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