Moving house is rated as one of life's key experiences. Medical professionals agree that it is on a par with marriage, the birth of a child or a change of job in terms of the excitement and challenge it provides. Adapting to a new layout can be distressing at first. The stresses are compounded if you are also relocating.

Moving house for most people means moving the house's contents and the lives of the people who lived in it. However, if you love the house you live in, you won't relish leaving it. If you live on the family farm that grandpa build, you will not want to wave goodbye to all that history. Perhaps the neighbourhood is not what it was when you moved in, or you were never happy with the location and now have acquired the plot you always wanted. Sometimes a historical building is under threat by the local authorities and the family wishes to avoid proceedings. Nothing simpler - up anchor, and bring the house along, too.

Increasing numbers of people are opting for picking up the whole house and transporting the entire structure to a new, optimal setting. Plumbing, heating, wiring - it all goes along with the house. Think of it as a heart transplant. Or a hearth transplant.

This is no longer the unusual procedure it once was, when a house moving made local and even national news. The procedure still attracts spectators along the way, though. The main difference nowadays is that the people contracting these kind of services are fired by an enthusiasm which tends to be contagious with onlookers. They are not usually motivated by cost, but by a passion for conservation of something which is vital to their sense of self.

If you opt for saving the life of your existing house, you will want everything to go as smoothly as possible. Unpleasant surprises should be avoided at all costs. That is why you will wish to contract a reliable house moving firm to accompany you through this life-changing experience. There are now a number of firms dedicated full-time to this highly specialized precision activity.

It typically takes about a week to complete the "all-in-one" removal process. After the various lines have been cut for water, electricity and so on, hydraulic jacks are used to raise the house onto a platform, which is then hauled by a mighty powerful vehicle. A unified jacking system is brought into play, in which the jacking is controlled by one person. The jacks are locked to act together, despite differential loading, although the jacking units are separate. This ensures that a drop in pressure from one jack will not cause instability by allowing the other jacks to lose pressure, too.

All kinds of buildings have been moved in this way, including a lighthouse from Cape Hatteras. The heaviest house ever moved on wheels was the Historic Gem Theatre in Detroit. It is five storeys high and weighs a little under 2750 tons.

A typical house move will set you back about $7,500 for the transportation itself - although then having the sewers and wiring connected will cost considerably more than this. In many cases, it actually proves more cost-effective to move a desirable house than to demolish it. A house recycle saves up to $10,000 in demolition costs.

About the Author

Kelly Hunter owns and operates http://www.house-moving-services.com , she also writes about House Moving Services.