Moving an Old Garage

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

OK, I've posted on here a couple times about the attached garage I plan to build onto my 1800's farm house and hopefully in the spring the project will happen / begin.

However where that garage will stand is an old 1 car garage that was at one time a carraige barn. What I would like to do is move it back on the property to be refitted for my daughters and their animals. (Rabbits & Goats, etc.)

I have seen this done once before, yet the garage was in a little better shape, at my parents house. They bought a 2 car garage from the neighbors and moved it down the road to their house about 1/8 mile. I was probably 6 or 7 when this was done so I don't remember much besides them pouring the pad and the pictures of the move.

I see it going something like this:
A) Brace Garage - Diagonally with 2x lumber & maybe cables
B) Run double (sandwich) of 2x8 down the sides of garage (inside and outside) for lifting the structure on I beams.
C) Cut 2 holes on each side just under these 2x8's to slide I beams
D) Seperate garage from breezeway
E) Seperate garage from foundation (should be easy as it is crumbling)
F) Insert I beams through holes cut above.
G) Using bottle jacks lift up the garage to height where trailer / running gear can be moved under.
H) Roll trailer / running gear under
I) Set garage onto trailer / running gear
J) Roll to new location and revearse process.

New location will be a floating pad and the walls will be prepped by cutting off bottoms and fastening a new PTL plate which will anchor it to the pad.

The garage will then be resided, door wall rebuilt to have a barn style door, and reroofed.

Input on the process would be helpfull.
Thanks,
Keith

 

[mhoffm911]

Got any Amish close to you? I have seen them do remarkable work in short time.

 

[6t7gto]

this guy moved a garage.
david

and he is in michigan, maybe near you?

 

[Kevin54]

You'd be surprised at what two Bobcats and a set of forks can do. Jack it up, knock the side of the fouundation out (or end, depending on which way it is being moved) One skidloader on each end, and it is out of there. Minor bracing will be necessary though. I moved a 16 x 20 shed that way.

Kevin

 

[Stuart in MN]

I had a one car garage hauled away before I built my new one, and the movers did basically what you're suggesting but not quite as much - they bolted a single 2x8 (the 2x may have been bigger but I don't recall, for the short distance you're talking about it probably won't matter) along each side wall, then used some wood beams for the crossmembers. They didn't punch any holes in the sides of the garage, the beams just reached from wall to wall.

They carried it away on a flatbed truck, but if you have a haywagon or something similar it should do the trick.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I might be overthinking it, but I do have access to a wagon running gear, and the move is only about 100 - 150 feet.

If you see in the pictures the first is the garage itself and the second shows the distance. From the corner you can see on the right to the location the trailers are setting. The garage will also have to do a 180 degree turn during the move. This turn will be much easier with a wagon running gear as it has a turning axle and 4 wheels. IMO that's why I'm leaning that way.

Also What do you think would be strong enough for the cross members to lift the garage? I do have to add some beams in the house maybe I can use them to move the garage then move them inside and reuse them. Saving some $ &/or not having to borrow some beams.

Having difficulties with my computer at the moment can't get the pictures up....give me a few and I'll get them up.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

OK here are the pictures I describe above.

A) The garage



B) The Move



Thanks
Keith

 

[Franz©]

My preference is to place the running gear first,
Brace the door opening with an X and span beam across the bottom.
L bolt spreaders along the walls paralell to the running gear. (height determined by ground clearance necessity)
Place spreaders across front and back of running gear indexed into wall studs.
X brace across studding at center of garage.
Install diagonals across all 4 corners near bottom of studs.
Lift from diagonals with jacks & crib
When at sufficient height, bolt spreaders to studs and wall spreaders
Add a couple roof supports from spreaders to roof peak. Third centered post as needed.
Secure spreaders to running gear.
Double check for flexation.
Haul away

 

[kbs2244]

The door looks to be on the downhill side and that you are going to be moving it sideways? Maybe rotate it also? Going around that tree?
The wagon tounge dosn't have to come out the door. Don't be afraid to put the wagon in sidewise and punch a hole in a side wall for the tounge if it will mean a more stright line move.
That is a pretty good slope and even dew on the grass will cost you a lot of traction. Keep you path as short, stright, and level as possible.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

Yeah, the slope is something that I will more than likely deal with prior to moving the garage. As the driveway comes around the pool and other building from the left in the picture. I will be widening the drive for the new garage build anyways so I will more than likely have gravel brought in to do that prior to the move so I can make it a smooth level (level as I can) move.

The Cedar tree and the Locust trees between the two garages will be gone so no worries there. The new garage requires the cedar to be moved and the Locust is just a P.I.A. due to location outside of other garage door.

Yes the garage will take a 180 degree turn in the move so the wagon will have to be turned anyways.

 

[Alcohol]

I used a gravity grain wagon to move one some time ago. I laid 4x4's across top of wagon,,jacked up the garage and pulled wagon inside and let the garage set on the 4x4's.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

Alcohol,

I don't know if I would want to chance folding in the sides in on a gravity wagon that I don't own. What I will more than likely do is use a running gear from under a gravity wagon, as that way I don't have to worry about the box.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[sr71]

I've got got a 50+ stitch scar from moving a garage with my Dad when I was 13. Single car garage that he wanted to move 80 feet - straight back. Braced it as you suggest - jacked it up and placed steel tubes/rollers (seems to me they were 6" in diameter) under both sides of the garage. We just pushed it back and someone kept moving the tubes from the front to the back. How'd I get the gash.... in spite of the bracing the doorjam on the side opened up. Sooo... Dad got the bright idea to have me hold a tape measure across the doorway as he hit the frame with a sledgehammer. What he forget was that there was a 2 ton jack sitting on the top of the doorframe. Yep... it came down and really gave my head a crack.... suprisingly it did not knock me out .... and the bleeding took some time to start but when it did....... it was a gusher. Long story short.. the garage is still there - 30+ years later....

 

[kbs2244]

And you have a great excuse for all kinds of things!

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

SR71 that sounds like a real memorable experience. I don't recall any incidents when my parents moved the garage from the neighbors, but then again I was young enough that I was not helping.

Now that I have a good firm idea of the move all I have to do is wait until it starts to warm up to pour my pad and get the garage moved.

Thanks

 

[idoine in toronto]

I agree w/ sr71, you may be able to move the structure on rollers or skids and slowly drag it with a truck/tractor for short a distance if there are no obstacles or significant grade changes. Just look out for sledgehammers!

Look here for the truck/trailer method.

 

[ThePress]

I've done it a couple of times....here how we did the last one car garage (14' x 24' ) that we had to move almost 100 miles:

- We had an old mobile home frame laying around, so we installed tires on the three axles and back the trailer into the garage. (Take the garage door off, ande back the trailer right to the back wall.

- The garage was sitting on one row of blocks, so we knocked out a few blocks along the long walls. We then slid two I-beams across the garage, below the trailer. We also knocked off the blocks that lined up with the back of the frame rails along the back wall. With the trailer wheels back off, we lowered the trailer onto the I-beams. We welded the I-beams to the trailer frame, and built brackets on the back of the trailer to grab the bottom of the back wall.

- We built a little wall in the garage door opening from the top of the trailer frame to the header.

- Then, we jacked up the trailer (which also lifted the garage) high enough to put the tires on, ran a few cross-braces, and we were ready to roll.

- The whole thing rolled really good on the road, dut to the low centre of gravity. We went about 30-35 mph with it, puliing with a 3/4 ton diesel pickup on gravel roads...it took about three hours to do the 100 mile journey.