moving a garage

sausmonkey · 03-30-2009, 02:16 PM

hi, i searched for previous topics, but didn't find any. i'm looking to move my garage about 4-6 feet back in my yard-it's too close to my house. It's a 1.5 car, wood/sided garage, with a concret foundation. i can pour the extra concrete behind the garage, but I need to move the garage itself, and am unsure of how i could do that. i saw some videos on youtube, but they don't show the steps of doing it-people already have the building on a trailer and are pullin git or whatever. I'm waitnig to hear back from a few house movers but obviously if i can do it myself, i'd rather. If anyone has any ideas, they'd be greatly appreciated, thanks

Bondo · 03-30-2009, 05:33 PM

Ayuh,... The short version is,..
You jack up the building using Hyd-jacks,+ blocking,...
You back in the trailer,...
You build a crib or box or bridge on top of the trailer, supporting the building....
Then you remove the jacks,+blocking to move the trailer with the building on it to where you want it....
Of course, then you reverse the procedure you just did where it was.....

sausmonkey · 03-30-2009, 09:20 PM

well, that's pretty much what i figured. i'm kinda lookin for the long version though lol. My main concern is the hydro running to the garage, but if i know moving the building isn't going to be a big deal, i'll work that out . thanks

Scuba_Dave · 03-30-2009, 09:27 PM

I'd cut the bolts that hold it down to the concrete pad
Jack it up & use metal pipe as rollers to roll it back

I moved a shed with wood rollers & my truck
Nail 2x's across the garage door opening/windows & maybe some of the walls if its older to keep everything square

The drill new holes & bolt it down again

johnnyboy · 03-30-2009, 09:29 PM

I've moved sheds on skid foundations, I wonder if something like that would work.

What if you jacked it up, set it on a bunch of 4x4 or even 2x4 "skids" pointing in the direction you want to go. Put a bunch of crossmembers to keep the thing square, and tug on it with a few come-a-long ratcheting chains. Hopefully you got a big tree close by

obviously it'll still take some ingenuity on your part for the rigging, but it might work heh.

Thurman · 03-30-2009, 09:33 PM

I'm on the same line of thinking as ScubaDave. If your garage is sitting on a concrete pad then it probably does have a bottom plate. As Dave said also, use 2x4's to brace up things, especially some cross-bracing. Jacking it up means only bringing any one area up 1/4" at a time if necessary, shimming, and cribbing accordingly. I know there's a difference but I've moved machinery weighing over 100 tons with this pipe roller method. We used to say it was a case of "mind over matter, and with our minds it didn't matter". Keep us posted on this. David

Wildie · 03-30-2009, 10:27 PM

Its said that the Egyptians built the pyramids by using rollers.

You only have few feet to go, so i vote for the rollers!

sausmonkey · 03-30-2009, 10:49 PM

i do like the idea of the rollers for sure-you guys are making it sound really easy. i'd rather do it myself than pay someone else though. I figure it'll be bolted to the pad, but it kinda sucks because it's drywalled and the old owner even put in baseboards lol. so i'm going to have to wreck some of that

Scuba_Dave · 03-30-2009, 11:09 PM

The drywall should make it stiffer
I think trying to drag it without rollers would not work
I'm assuming the wood frame goes right down to the ground/cement foundation??

sausmonkey · 03-31-2009, 01:53 AM

yeah, the wood frame goes all the way to the foundation. As long as it seems easy and i have a few different ideas of how to move it-in case one doesn't work, I will try for sure

TazinCR · 03-31-2009, 06:50 AM

Try and use a Sawsall with metal cutting blade. Slide it between the bottom plate and concrete to cut the bolts.

Ron6519 · 03-31-2009, 11:36 AM

Another vote for the rolling method.
You will need to bolt the cross bracing, not just nail it to the wall studs. I think you will also need interior bracing that stiffens up the wall to wall connections or the building might rack. I'd also screw plywood accross the top 1/2 of the garage door and bolt a 2x8 accross the bottom.
You might need a, "come along"(winch) if the structure goes back askew of the new foundation.
Ron

jomama45 · 03-31-2009, 12:08 PM

I've seen an even easier way to lift & move a garage around here a few times. It's especially easy if you live near a farming community.

- Back hay wagon (flat rack) into garage, centered both ways.
- Let most air out of all 4 tires of wagon.
- Brace to garage walls & ceiling with 2x10's, microlams, etc. both directions and rest them directly on wood bed of wagon.
- Cut all anchorments to slab.
- Slowly air up each tire together.
- Back wagon up to new location.
- Slowly let air out of tires evenly, fine tuning position of garage.

Obviously, there is more detail than this, but others have already lent good info. I've never seen one moved with drywall, but I've seen unfinished garages moved for a few miles this way. Good Luck!

sausmonkey · 03-31-2009, 11:29 PM

oh man, for the first time ever i wish i lived in the country haha. that sounds so perfect. i'm kind of in the middle of the city though,a nd even getting a tractor here wouldn't be much fun. Everyone worried about how much it's going to cost and/or the work involved, but you guys are easing my mind about things. thank you!

Scuba_Dave · 04-01-2009, 01:12 PM

A truck that can hold the weight would work also