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Moving an 8x10 wooden shed 100 miles; how? (Video of shed inside)

131K views 36 replies 27 participants last post by  Flannel Guy DIY 
#1 ·
I have a dilemma. I purchased an 8 x 10 wooden shed out of the classifieds which I need transported to my house. The travel distance between the shed and my house is exactly 102 miles. I need a relatively inexpensive way to get it transported from the seller's backyard to mine. Here is a video tour of the shed so you can get an idea of what I'm dealing with: http://www.vimeo.com/11404420

Here is what I've tried so far...
First, I called rental companies. I've called around 15 rental companies in the area, with my goal being to either rent a truck or trailer to move the shed myself...as it turns out, none of the rental companies (including the major chains like Uhaul, Ryder, Penske and so on) rent out any trucks or trailers that will fit the dimensions of the shed. They're all the wrong size...they'll be 12 feet long but only 6 feet wide. Or they'll be 8 feet wide but only 8 feet long. Usually the 8 foot width is the issue; most of them are around 6 or 7 feet wide. One place I called *did* have a flatbed trailer that was 8 feet 6 inches wide, but it was something like 40 feet long and also a giant 18-wheeler type thing, and with me being just one person with no experience in driving semis or loading small buildings onto them, I figured that would not be a viable solution. 8 by 10 and 8 by 12 flatbeds or trailers DO exist, the rental companies just don't seem to carry them. The measurements of the shed do conform to the highway regulations for size, so that's not an issue. The maximum width in my state (Maine) is 8 feet 6 inches and the maximum height is 13 feet 6 inches...the shed is smaller than both those dimensions.

After I gave up on the rental companies, I asked a local handyman if he could do it. He said yes, but it wouldn't be cheap. He would have to bring along two of his coworkers who I would also have to pay and the three of them would have to disassemble the shed and transport it back in their trucks in bits and pieces and then rebuild the thing in my backyard. The cost he quoted me for this was a little over a thousand dollars, which is way more than I can afford to pay.

After this I tried calling movers and moving companies. None of them said they could do it either. I think they're mostly used to moving furniture and the like rather than sheds. After that I started calling towing, trucking and hauling businesses in the area...close, but no cigar. None of them said they would be able to do it either, at least not without tearing apart the shed first and moving it in pieces (which would require hiring someone to rebuild it, again costing more than I could afford). I think most of them dealt more with hauling away trash to a dump rather than moving a shed from one house to another.

After that I put a want ad in the classifieds offering to pay anyone who would be able to move the shed...no responses. After this I did an internet search for shed moving and found some businesses that would be perfect and specialized in moving sheds (example: shedmover.com), but they're all ten or more states away or on the opposite end of the country so that doesn't help much.

So finally, I'm here, wondering if there's anything else I could do or try that I hadn't thought of yet. I know it's physically possible to move this shed...I often see mobile homes 10 times the size of the shed being transported on the highway, so I know it can be done, I'm just not sure how. If anyone has any ideas or advice, it would be much appreciated!
 
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#36 ·
I think the towing companies you talked to probably just don't want to deal with the hassle of the item. It's not a question of whether they can do it (and doing it in one piece rather than many pieces is not the problem) it probably is just it isn't worth their time.

I would look for smaller tow truck operations - ones that are just starting up or working out of their own house/garage - and see if they would be interested in making some extra cash. I know when we first started up at our tow truck business in Butte MT, we would look for any work we could find, doing any odd and unique jobs to pay the bills and move our trucks.

Keep looking and asking around, I believe there is always someone looking for more work, no matter what the situation. Good luck!
 
#2 · (Edited)
Whatever you decide to do keep this in mind........... "Approximately 12 feet high" is not an accurate enough measurement for highway travel on a trailer. The legal maximum is measured from the road surface to the peak of the shed AFTER it is loaded... this includes the skids, too.

Sounds like you are going to be illegal, and require special permitting................. as well as a route that keeps you away from having to travel under any low overpasses.

Photos usually show off a building as being in better shape than it is. Your video doesn't. There's a lot of repair to be done there... BEFORE... the shed suffers the rigors of loading, and a 100 mile trip, and unloading. It's going to only be worse once it makes that journey.

And is that cheap, thin glass, or plastic? Glass might be a problem, not only in keeping it from breaking, but also in the legal aspects of transporting it on a highway.

Truthfully, I'd go with the guy who wants to rebuild it on your site. $1,000 sounds pretty reasonable for all he's offering.
 
#11 ·
Whatever you decide to do keep this in mind........... "Approximately 12 feet high" is not an accurate enough measurement for highway travel on a trailer. The legal maximum is measured from the road surface to the peak of the shed AFTER it is loaded... this includes the skids, too.

Sounds like you are going to be illegal, and require special permitting................. as well as a route that keeps you away from having to travel under any low overpasses.
When I went down to see it I measured the width and length but was in a hurry so I forgot to measure the height, which is why I put approximately. I'm judging based on how tall I measured up to it when I was next to it and in it, but now that I look at it again, it probably is not as tall as 12 feet high. You're right about the height problem though...for some reason it slipped my mind that the height of the trailer/flatbed would be an additional part of the 13 foot 6 inch regulation.

I suppose one solution to this would be to flip it over so it would be traveling on its back instead of upright. The back of the shed would be resting on the trailer and the front of the shed (with the door) would be facing upward which would make it 8 feet tall. Unfortunately this would then present the problem that it would be around 10 feet in length no matter which way you move it. If it was turned 90 degrees in any direction, the width would still either be 10 feet (the front/back of the shed) or 10-12 feet (the height). I assume a wide load permit would have to be bought in any case.

My first thought was "what's in the window openings"?
It's just screen material, which I would be removing anyway and replacing with plexiglass once it's in my backyard.

Thanks for the rest of the suggestions, I think I may have the help of a second, more knowledgeable mover now, so I can run them all by him to see what he thinks would be best.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, 12' to the peak...then another 18"-3' on the back of a trailer/truck
Sp you end up at 13'6" for a flat trailer & maybe 15' for a truck, that's pretty high

I looked at moving a new shed (free) just over 10 miles
Wasn't worth the hassle here, too many wires

Cost might be more then its worth
As you are now paying for insurance & labor of the mover(s)
 
#7 · (Edited)
I moved one of a similiar size years ago. It was on a deck-like surface sitting directly above another building on posts. I disassembled the roof (tin) and seperated the walls intact. Pulled the nails in the decking and beams. Loaded it on a trailer and borught it about 30 or 40 miles and reassembled one block high. It was not sealed and only had 2 small windows. The trailer was an old car hauler. Pulled it home with a small toyoto truck. V6, I think.

Total cost..maybe a tank of gas for Toyota b23 (I think) pickup.

I did similiar to what has been described but not with 4 people. I took it apart and lowered the pieces from atopp the the building this was built above on posts going to the ground on the outside of the lower building. I did use a rope in my situation. I took it apart and my mother helped me a little getting the pieces down. I stacked the pieces in my sisters yard. Went back with the truck and trailer. I had to lay the walls with the bottoms in the trailer and the tops on the fender rails. I think my son helped me load the pieces.

When I got it home, I unloaded it and assembled it by myself. I pulled the deck mat off and rebuilt on blocks. I then pulled the walls off the trailer and got thme upright on a pieceof 4' schedule 40 pvc drain pipe, rolled them to the deck, manhandles them onto the deck and nailedthem back together in the corners. I then removed the roofing mat's from the trailer and reassmbled them and used the same tin.

I was in my mid 40's then. Not sure I would attempt it now. Its interesting to think I even did this now.

Even though I did the unloading and reassembling alone, I do not advise doing this alone the way I did. Moving those walls still intact with the siding and all on the pipe was a little precarious to say the least. The weight was not the problem, but it was a pretty good balancing act.

Btw, when I got the walls rolled to the deck, I would have them parallel to the deck then lay them over onto the deck. I then raised them into position, braced and reattached them to one another.

My shed is very much like yours. 8' walls and gable ends. Not counting the deck, I'd say may is maybe 10' from the deck to the ridge.
 
#8 ·
First-I think the video was far better than pictures, and a nice video at that. I agree with almost all of the other postings, you have purchased a problem. My first thought was "what's in the window openings"? Glass, screen material, or maybe plastic? Glass would have to be removed, the movement of the shed will break it as it is being loaded, or moved, or unloaded. Screen or plastic, no problem. The door is the same issue and the door will have to be secured better. Some internal diagnol bracing is in order IF you decide to move this. Nail 2x4's to the floor, 2x4 X-bracing between the floor and rafters to brace this, both ways. The unit would have to placed on some type runners, like 4x4's. I have moved these type sheds, after internal bracing, on both flat type trailers and car hauler type trailers. Some car haulers have an inner fender clearance of eight feet, some don't. We had one shed which did not fit between the inner fenders, so we placed the shed on one fender and let the other side sit on the trailer. We drove slow, with it tilted, and it did well. Locally, we can get the assistance of the police to move something like this at night. We don't require permits if everything falls within limits, all overhead obstructions are checked out and clearance is O.K. Moving at night means much less traffic and requesting police helps with any traffic control, if needed, say to swing wide at corners, at no charge. As has been stated--local businesses which sell these units have contracts with local wrecker services to use "roll-back" wreckers to move them to site. I just two weeks ago saw a 12 ft. x 30 ft. unit moved to site one afternoon in the thick of our traffic, on a roll-back, with only red flags hanging on the back end. That 13-6 sounds low for max height to me though. David
 
#9 ·
Make your own trailer?

Instead of trying to fit this onto something existing, why not just make a trailer just to move this instead?

Here is what I imagine: Cover the sides with 3/4" plywood, screw it into every stud you can find. Do the floor too, so you end up with a stiff box on the sides and floor.

Now jack it up so it's 12" off the ground

Around the outside, attach 2 steel C beams to the outside. Square it off in back, enclosing a 2' gap from the back wall - this is where you will mount the wheels. On the front, angle it to the center to meet up and put a 2" ball hitch receiver. Attach a triangle reflector to the back and drive it back using only country roads.

Think farm trailer!
 
#17 ·
I was reading down the thread and thinking helicopter when I came to your entry. :thumbsup:

Here there is a guy with a rig who specializes in moving seagoing cargo containers - and other large items. Somebody like that can probably make it happen.
 
#13 ·
It's not really 102 miles, you have to figure it to be 204. You should reconsider the guy(s) that'll do it for 1,000.00. I doubt that any hauler would touch doing it for less--they're a pain to load, (and always the possibility of getting stuck) strapped down, and then there's always the risk of pieces flying off and creating a hazard to others.
 
#15 ·
That shed is of simple construction and can be disassembled easily!
Just saw off the nails with reciprocating saw. Lay the sections on a trailer and away you go!

My daughter bought a 8X12 shed that came in six pieces and we had it assembled in about 4 hours!
 
#16 ·
I actually think this could be a plausible idea. The reason I've been so hesitant to disassemble and then reassemble it has been because I've figured that there would be no way I could do it myself and it would cost a fortune to hire someone else to do it. But if I would be able to disassemble it myself (maybe with the help of a family member or two in that area as well) without too much effort and then load it into the back of a rented Uhaul truck, for example, and drive it home that would be significantly cheaper. All I'd have to pay would be the cost of the rental truck for 1 day, which isn't much.

Would you mind being more specific about how to disassemble/reassemble it though? For instance, what would I do about the walls/roof/floor which are all larger than 8 feet in one or both dimensions? Even the largest truck I could rent (1,611 cubic feet) is still only 7 feet 8 inches wide and 6 feet 10 inches tall so the pieces would be too big to fit into it. I don't see any way for the walls to come apart in the middle without maybe sawing them in half...and the front wall for example is 10 feet long and (approximately) 10 feet high. So I'm not sure how I'd get that to fit into the truck laying flat, up on its side, diagonally or any way really. And the issue still remains if I were to use a trailer instead of an enclosed truck bed...with the pieces all separated, laid on top of each other and strapped down, the height would probably not be an issue but the width still would.
 
#20 ·
I did get a fairly good deal on the shed. I bought it mostly because I've been scouring the classifieds for months looking for a similar wooden 8x10 shed and they have all been $1,000 or more (most around $1,500, some going as high as $4,000), even the ones in terrible shape. A few months ago I found another 8x10 wooden shed in fine shape that someone was giving away for free that was only 20 miles from here; when I asked a local handyman about it he told me it would cost me about $500.00 to move and I told him that seemed like an awful lot and that I'd have to think about it. Turns out that while I was thinking about it, the handyman ended up going down and taking it for himself since it was such a good deal. So I missed out big time there, especially since with it being so close I probably could have taken it apart and moved it for half the price he quoted me.
I need the shed here before the end of the month, so with time running out and with me still being bitter after the realization that I missed out on a very rare opportunity, the instant I saw a similar shed at a reasonable price (AKA not thousands of dollars) I got it, since I didn't want to miss out again. Unfortunately my assumption that if I moved it myself it would only cost me one or two hundred dollars turned out to be very very wrong. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Also, three things:
First, if I was to disassemble it and then put it on a truck or trailer to be driven back home, approximately what size truck/trailer would I need?

Second, I had someone recently give me a quote that he and a few of the guys from his company could do the move for "about $300." They wouldn't be able to do it for another 2 weeks, I know nothing about the guy and it seemed like he was sort of guessing when he gave me the quote so I'm skeptical of taking his offer because all the other quotes I've gotten have been $1,000 or above and since if I committed the job to him and then once the move was done he told me it would actually cost me $2,500 instead of $300, I would be stuck. By all means tell me if you think I should take this guy's offer, though.

Third, I'm thinking back to the flatbed idea...if just the roof was removed and the shed was then tilted onto its back and rotated 90 degrees, it would fit onto a flatbed with no problem since it would then only be 8 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 10 feet long, right? This would mean there wouldn't have to be any permits bought, no teams of people following it and no police escort and other such things that makes using a building mover so expensive since it would fit without going over the size restrictions. I did find an 8.5 foot wide by 20 foot long flatbed that can be rented out for one day for $75 at a local rental place, so other than that it would just be the cost of finding people at both ends to help load it on/off which I would think can't be THAT expensive, although I could well be wrong.

No matter what, this is going to be more trouble than it's worth, but again, lesson learned...I'll know better next time.
 
#21 ·
"First, if I was to disassemble it and then put it on a truck or trailer to be driven back home, approximately what size truck/trailer would I need? "

I may be able to give you some idea, by describing how we moved my daughters shed ( 6 disassembled pcs.)
We couldn't access the rear yard with a truck or trailer. So, with the sections on edge, we used a hand cart at each end. Two people handling the carts and two balancing the sections. My guess is that each section weighed between 200 and 300 lbs.
In your case, you have the floor in addition. I would suggest that the walls would be about 800 lbs. The floor perhaps 300 and the roof 400. For a total of 1500 lbs.
A unit capable of carrying 2000 lbs. would likely be capable.
Keep in mind that this is an armchair guess!
I wonder what others would estimate!

I think that your idea of removing the roof has merit, however you will still have to figure out a way to get 1/2 ton of building, unto the trailer.
 
#22 ·
Moving an 8x10 wooden shed 100 miles; how? (Video of shed inside)

I moved one of a similiar size years ago. It was on a deck-like surface sitting directly above another building on posts. I disassembled the roof (tin) and seperated the walls intact. Pulled the nails in the decking and beams. Loaded it on a trailer and borught it about 30 or 40 miles and reassembled one block high. It was not sealed and only had 2 small windows. The trailer was an old car hauler. Pulled it home with a small toyoto truck. V6, I think
.

Total cost..maybe a tank of gas for Toyota b23 (I think) pickup.

I did similiar to what has been described but not with 4 people. I took it apart and lowered the pieces from atopp the the building this was built above on posts going to the ground on the outside of the lower building. I did use a rope in my situation. I took it apart and my mother helped me a little getting the pieces down. I stacked the pieces in my sisters yard. Went back with the truck and trailer. I had to lay the walls with the bottoms in the trailer and the tops on the fender rails. I think my son helped me load the pieces.

When I got it home, I unloaded it and assembled it by myself. I pulled the deck mat off and rebuilt on blocks. I then pulled the walls off the trailer and got thme upright on a pieceof 4' schedule 40 pvc drain pipe, rolled them to the deck, manhandles them onto the deck and nailedthem back together in the corners. I then removed the roofing mat's from the trailer and reassmbled them and used the same tin.

I was in my mid 40's then. Not sure I would attempt it now. Its interesting to think I even did this now.

Even though I did the unloading and reassembling alone, I do not advise doing this alone the way I did. Moving those walls still intact with the siding and all on the pipe was a little precarious to say the least. The weight was not the problem, but it was a pretty good balancing act.

Btw, when I got the walls rolled to the deck, I would have them parallel to the deck then lay them over onto the deck. I then raised them into position, braced and reattached them to one another.

My shed is very much like yours. 8' walls and gable ends. Not counting the deck, I'd say may is maybe 10' from the deck to the ridge
 
#23 · (Edited)
Rent an open top horse trailer ? double wide if you can find it.
Don't tell them what it's for. (should ride low and wheel wells to the outside) ok if some of walls & roof sections sticks out the back... don't forget a big red flag...
Tie down the load like it's the devil. Width? approx 4 - 5" w walls / 2- 7" roof sections / 1 8'x 10' floor section ??? depth?? 34" + gable ends stacked at same spot ? ( +5 " ) so 39" + floor depth? + wiggle room
cause you won't get it in tight..... maybe one horse wide would work????

Floor last on... first off...

This solution should avoid width & height Highway restrictions and allow for easier handling.


have some old pipe for rollers or at least to cut down on friction as you push/slide the wall & roof section in (standing up-right).

Dismantle as advised above & consider:
nail 2x4 a set for each side under the roof rafters ... will help keep them keep tight as sections and provide some carrying handles.. 1x4 on the inside of walls might also help...you might be able to keep walls in rack and leave the windows in place. A plywood cover might help on the windows... above adds to the width...offset added 2by and 1 by supports to interlace packing.

You may want to bring a horse to help ya! Also consider repainting when you are done...:jester:

You may have been able to build a DIY 8x10 for the $$'s and time this
is going to cost you...

OP ....Can you cancel the deal and get most of your money back?
 
#24 ·
How to move a small shed

First of all you should call a protable building place and they have special trailers with rollers made to move those buildings. I am not recommending this practice but I have helped move these with a standard 16 foot trailer. You need to jack the build up on one end back the trailer up under as far as you can. Then you can use a comalong to pull the building up and on top of the rails. Place a good amound of grease on the rails and it will help the building slide along. Another way is the jack the building up even obove the trailer rail height and back up all the way under it. It is dangerous either way and I would get a professional to do it. They have the proper tools.


I have a dilemma. I purchased an 8 x 10 wooden shed out of the classifieds which I need transported to my house. The travel distance between the shed and my house is exactly 102 miles. I need a relatively inexpensive way to get it transported from the seller's backyard to mine. Here is a video tour of the shed so you can get an idea of what I'm dealing with: http://www.vimeo.com/11404420
 
#25 ·
I would brace the walls. There is so much glass area in that shed, it is bound to rack when jacking one end and moving.

If I winched it, I would be sure to have stable places to attch the chain/cable. I would also pull each chain/cable in its own plane (straight), unless I put something between the pull points to keep them from collapsing in toward each other.

I would also use a 4" pipe instead of grease. You can roll a pretty good size shed with 4" pvc pipe and big pry bar anywhere you want it.
 
#26 ·
I would question the dimensions on that thing. I would bet good money that thing is not 12' tall. simply look at the video. If it were indeed 12' tall the windows by proportion would be 6' tall themselves and the door around 8' tall. If you look at the 4x4's that are under the shed and using them for scale (basing the size by comparing to the wheelbarrw wheel which is about 12" diamter) I would say the siding is roughly 5" wide/tall. That give a rough door height of about 6'. I would venture a guess that this thing is nore like 8'-9' tall. did you actually measure this yourself or did you go by the rough guess the seller told you?
 
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