Nathan and Esther Bates 7: Being Typical Bates Offspring

[JermajestyDuggar]

I’m no engineer. Far from it! But I imagine small one story houses like the grandma Mary house would move fairly well. I guess I imagine a sprawling 150 year old 3 story mansion would be a bit harder. But that’s just the way my non engineer brain works. 

[Coconut Flan]

The Duggars have moved more than one dwelling.  Perhaps Jim Bob knows how or knows someone who does this.  I think the cabin made some sentimental sense.  I'm not so sure about Josh's old house.  

[Bobology]

2 hours ago, fluffernutter said:

The house that Anna had the bathroom home birth in? That whole house was moved to JB's property? I wonder why? I can't imagine moving an entire house, what a nightmare.

The specifics are sketchy in my mind, but the property on which the toilet-house birth sat was sold. A business or govt entity or someone wanted the property but didn't need the house. So for the price of having it moved it was an otherwise "free" house. I don’t know if Jessa and Ben profited from the actual house being used elsewhere in the family, but I imagine that somehow JB did and continues to because he is probably charging Jeremiah and Hannah at least a nominal fee for 'leasing' the area of land where the moved house is situated. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Jessa’s house was right next to the interstate. No doubt someone wanted the land for the location. Meanwhile, Jer had just gotten married and he owned (or borrowed or rented from the family business) some land. So they put the house on a flatbed truck and hauled it a little ways down the road. Jessa put out a YouTube video that included it.

[sndral]

2 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Jessa’s house was right next to the interstate. No doubt someone wanted the land for the location. Meanwhile, Jer had just gotten married and he owned (or borrowed or rented from the family business) some land. So they put the house on a flatbed truck and hauled it a little ways down the road. Jessa put out a YouTube video that included it.

My recollection is that when Josh & Anna lived in that house it was owned by grandma, then they moved to DC & Jessa & Ben moved in & ultimately bought the house, then they sold the land & moved to the parsonage & the house on that land was moved elsewhere for Jer & Hannah?

Edited February 7 by sndral

[marmalade]

5 hours ago, sndral said:

My recollection is that when Josh & Anna lived in that house it was owned by grandma, then they moved to DC & Jessa & Ben moved in & ultimately bought the house, then they sold the land & moved to the parsonage & the house on that land was moved elsewhere for Jer & Hannah?

Yes, this is correct. 😀

[CarrotCake]

Didn't Joe and Kendra also move a house from grandma? Or was that another house.

The concept of picking up a house and moving it seems so strange to me since the majority of my country is build on land that would collapse if we would put any building there without good foundation.

[rebeccawriter01]

4 hours ago, CarrotCake said:

Didn't Joe and Kendra also move a house from grandma? Or was that another house.

The concept of picking up a house and moving it seems so strange to me since the majority of my country is build on land that would collapse if we would put any building there without good foundation.

Moving a house doesn't mean it wasn't built on land. 

[just_ordinary]

I guess it’s confusing because here a house is a solid structure. Mostly stone, sometimes wood. Cellars aren’t unusual. Pipes and electric run into it underneath the earth. So cutting it off those lines not easy. Moving it from A to B would be a crazy expensive and complicated undertaking. You would have to get through special firms. No way someone can just lift it away. A house is HEAVY. It sits on a concrete base and is merged with it. You would have to dig this out as well. We sometimes move simpler historic buildings, tiny cottages mostly, into big historic parks. They often don’t have running water or electricity. Even that takes months if not years in planning. Trailer homes basically don’t exist here. So moving a house sounds crazy initially. Moving house though is a term that would just mean moving in another house- but that’s not what we are talking about is it?

[catlady]

several years ago there was a show on HGTV or some similar cable channel, about moving standard timber-frame houses.  it can be done but it requires professionals, permits, specialized equipment, and significant planning.  Houses are occasionally up for sale on condition that they be moved, and they are usually being sold for literally nothing, like $10.  generally, the seller wants the land for other uses and will try to have the house removed if it's in good condition and/or has historical value, so that it doesn't have to be torn down.  the house itself is essentially a giveaway because it will cost almost as much as a new house to obtain land and then move the house.  so a buyer comes in and hires the moving company.  they already have the new plot of land lined up with a foundation and utilities already in place.  depending on the size and condition of the house, plus the route to be travelled, the mover can easily charge six figures.  

the short version is that the movers disconnect all of the utilities, stabilize the frame, jack it up off the foundation, and hoist it onto a specialized flatbed truck.  everything is timed so that the route can be travelled with minimal traffic; they also take bridges and powerlines into consideration, which can mean a more roundabout route to avoid such obstacles.  then the process is reversed to get the house onto the new foundation.

the show was interesting.  the buyers wanted the houses for their architecture, history, uniqueness, or sentimental value (one guy had a tiny basic cape house moved because he had lived there as a kid and wanted to raise his own child in it).  the producers had an evidently favorite shot used in several episodes, with the camera positioned behind a small hill on a country road; the truck would not be visible from that angle, so you'd see the roof moving by, seemingly by itself.  

Edited February 8 by catlady

[rebeccawriter01]

5 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

I guess it’s confusing because here a house is a solid structure. Mostly stone, sometimes wood. Cellars aren’t unusual. Pipes and electric run into it underneath the earth. So cutting it off those lines not easy. Moving it from A to B would be a crazy expensive and complicated undertaking. You would have to get through special firms. No way someone can just lift it away. A house is HEAVY. It sits on a concrete base and is merged with it. You would have to dig this out as well. We sometimes move simpler historic buildings, tiny cottages mostly, into big historic parks. They often don’t have running water or electricity. Even that takes months if not years in planning. Trailer homes basically don’t exist here. So moving a house sounds crazy initially. Moving house though is a term that would just mean moving in another house- but that’s not what we are talking about is it?

Cellars and crawl spaces are preferable when moving a house because the equipment can lift the house very easily without having to build a subfloor under it. Stone houses get moved too, as do brick. You remove those items, including chimneys and sell the materials or reaffix them later. I've seen people attempt to move a house that has stone or brick still attached, but it can be a disaster. We aren't talking prefab. Things like garages, porches, etc. get left off because there isn't something under them to lift. 

Disconnecting the utilities is probably the easiest part of the process. 

5 hours ago, catlady said:

several years ago there was a show on HGTV or some similar cable channel, about moving standard timber-frame houses.  it can be done but it requires professionals, permits, specialized equipment, and significant planning.  Houses are occasionally up for sale on condition that they be moved, and they are usually being sold for literally nothing, like $10.  generally, the seller wants the land for other uses and will try to have the house removed if it's in good condition and/or has historical value, so that it doesn't have to be torn down.  the house itself is essentially a giveaway because it will cost almost as much as a new house to obtain land and then move the house.  so a buyer comes in and hires the moving company.  they already have the new plot of land lined up with a foundation and utilities already in place.  depending on the size and condition of the house, plus the route to be travelled, the mover can easily charge six figures.  

There have been a few of these. I used to watch Texas Flip and Move (there was a Louisiana and Alaska version too) where people would buy a house at an auction, move it to a renovation lot, fix it up, and then sell it at another auction. They would buy these things for $1500-2000 max (sometimes more and a lot of times less) and sell them for $30-40K. It was entertaining to watch. There were other shows that were more realistic about the process. 

[just_ordinary]

6 hours ago, rebeccawriter01 said:

Cellars and crawl spaces are preferable when moving a house because the equipment can lift the house very easily without having to build a subfloor under it. Stone houses get moved too, as do brick. You remove those items, including chimneys and sell the materials or reaffix them later. I've seen people attempt to move a house that has stone or brick still attached, but it can be a disaster. We aren't talking prefab. Things like garages, porches, etc. get left off because there isn't something under them to lift. 

Disconnecting the utilities is probably the easiest part of the process. 

There have been a few of these. I used to watch Texas Flip and Move (there was a Louisiana and Alaska version too) where people would buy a house at an auction, move it to a renovation lot, fix it up, and then sell it at another auction. They would buy these things for $1500-2000 max (sometimes more and a lot of times less) and sell them for $30-40K. It was entertaining to watch. There were other shows that were more realistic about the process. 

But see, if you remove the stones from a stone house there would be no walls? What exactly would you be moving?

[SassyPants]

Most people don’t move homes because to do so safely and by the books is an expensive proposition. Of course this does not stop the vocally “God Fearing, Bible following” JB Duggar. Can you tell that I loathe preaching folks with an agenda, who manipulate others with their fake superiority and know-it-all ways. These folks are generally con artists.

[rebeccawriter01]

On 2/8/2024 at 9:50 PM, just_ordinary said:

But see, if you remove the stones from a stone house there would be no walls? What exactly would you be moving?

Most have a wood structure and framing behind the stones and brick. 

 

On 2/9/2024 at 10:30 AM, SassyPants said:

Most people don’t move homes because to do so safely and by the books is an expensive proposition. Of course this does not stop the vocally “God Fearing, Bible following” JB Duggar. Can you tell that I loathe preaching folks with an agenda, who manipulate others with their fake superiority and know-it-all ways. These folks are generally con artists.

It's not that expensive compared to purchasing other homes these days. Three of my rental properties were moved from their original locations. 

Edited February 11 by rebeccawriter01

[GreenBeans]

18 minutes ago, rebeccawriter01 said:

Most have a wood structure and framing behind the stones and brick. 

I think houses are built very differently in the US. Here (Germany) houses are built much more sturdily. I’ve never heard of anyone moving a house, ever. It’s just not a thing because houses aren’t built to be moved here and are likely impossible to move. A garden shed? Maybe. A house? No way.

[raayx01]

1 hour ago, GreenBeans said:

I think houses are built very differently in the US. Here (Germany) houses are built much more sturdily. I’ve never heard of anyone moving a house, ever. It’s just not a thing because houses aren’t built to be moved here and are likely impossible to move. A garden shed? Maybe. A house? No way.

most houses in the US aren't moveable but mobile homes are. 

[GreenBeans]

1 hour ago, raayx01 said:

most houses in the US aren't moveable but mobile homes are. 

Yes, that’s what I meant, we don’t have mobile homes here (except campers for camping, but not for living in them permanently).

[Bobology]

My US state (Oklahoma) shares a border with Arkansas, where the Duggars are located. In addition to mobile homes, there are plenty of framed homes that get moved. Like others have said, usually professionals, lots of planning, permits filed, the houses are prepped during daylight but typically moved during the dark hours because of less traffic with the slow wide load, but I've seen quite a number moved during the day. Larger houses can be cut through and moved in sections; they look like doll houses where you can see directly into the rooms on one side. I have never seen a 2-story house being moved.

Like someone above said, if the house has bricks or stones, those are removed prior to lifting up and placing on the truck bed. The house moving seems to occur more in rural and semi-rural areas, but occurs in cities, too. I've known a family whose primary business was house moving. I'm 70 and have seen houses being moved throughout my life and it is always weird to me.

[HereticHick]

9 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

I think houses are built very differently in the US. Here (Germany) houses are built much more sturdily. I’ve never heard of anyone moving a house, ever. It’s just not a thing because houses aren’t built to be moved here and are likely impossible to move. A garden shed? Maybe. A house? No way.

The United States is a large, diverse country with many different housing styles, many different climates, and historically varying availability of stone and wood in different areas.  Most of our houses can't and won't be moved. For example, I live in what we call a "townhouse" or "rowhouse" (sometimes called a "terraced house" in the UK) so of course it won't be moved.

And since you do have caravan parks in Germany, I find it hard to believe that no one lives permanently in a caravan.

[GreenBeans]

4 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

And since you do have caravan parks in Germany, I find it hard to believe that no one lives permanently in a caravan.

Yes, many people have a caravan that’s stationary at a campground, but it’s normally for vacation purposes, not for year-round living. I’m not sure if that would be permitted at all, but even if it was, the climate here is not really suitable for permanent caravan living. There may be very few people who do that nevertheless, but I don’t think we have trailer parks like in the US that are actually made for permanent caravan living. It’s just not a thing here. Caravans are very much considered recreational / vacation vehicles. I’ve never met anyone who lived in one permanently here.

[Coconut Flan]

There is a difference in an RV (vacation vehicle) and a mobile home.  Mobile homes can't be pulled behind vehicles.  The're more like manufactured homes, but can be commercially moved.  They're usually set up permanently though.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

I lived in a mobile home (not an RV) in grad school.  It was pretty nice, actually.  That sucker was DEFINITELY not going anywhere without a lot of effort but would be way easier to move than a house.

[Expectopatronus]

Growing up, one of my friends lived in a mobile home. It was a bit noisier than being in a house during blizzards but was pretty solid. 

[Giraffe]

On 2/11/2024 at 8:37 AM, GreenBeans said:

Yes, many people have a caravan that’s stationary at a campground, but it’s normally for vacation purposes, not for year-round living. I’m not sure if that would be permitted at all, but even if it was, the climate here is not really suitable for permanent caravan living. There may be very few people who do that nevertheless, but I don’t think we have trailer parks like in the US that are actually made for permanent caravan living. It’s just not a thing here. Caravans are very much considered recreational / vacation vehicles. I’ve never met anyone who lived in one permanently here.

Where I live I believe it's technically illegal to live in a camper year round. The problem is the cost of living is so expensive that for many people that's their only option. It's cheaper to rent a monthly spot at an rv park than it is to have rent on an apartment. 

[WannabeHistorian]

It appears Mama Jane just spilled some baby news.