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!
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!
