We Moved Our Entire Farm - Chapter 2

If you’re just starting here, make sure you go back and read Chapter 1 of this series.

Somewhere around mid-June, we pulled the trigger and decided we were going to move our house. We had gone over the pros and cons. We also talked to someone who had actually done what we were about to do and got all the details from them about what went well, what would they have done differently, was it worth it, etc... We went over our finances about a hundred times and found out that we really could move our house for less money that it would take to build it, even with a major remodel included.

It's going work out; it will be fine; we can do this. I probably told myself this at least 100 times every day. And I prayed. A lot.

The first step was to find a house mover. I mean, I know a guy who is pretty handy, but this isn't exactly a do-it-yourself project. And really, finding someone who moves houses in one piece isn't as difficult as you might think. I thought we were going to have to hire someone from halfway across the country, but we actually found two companies right here in Illinois that had been in the house-moving business for quite a while. They both had good reputations and good reviews, so we started with the one that had moved a house for our friends. The owner came out to look at our house and also looked at where we wanted to move it to, and he agreed to take the job. Not long after that he gave us an estimate and we had a mover hired. 

From point A (original location of the house) and point B (new location of the house) it’s only about a three-mile drive, but with the narrow and winding country roads, bridges, and wooded areas alongside the roads, it wasn’t going to be an easy trip. Plus, our house isn’t exactly little, and not only would it be hanging over both sides of the road, but it would also catch powerlines, trees, etc.… overhead because it’s a two-story house and the lift would add additional height, making it even taller. So, the plan shifted to moving the house across the field later in the fall after the crops were out. It was about a two-mile trip cutting across the field, and the only obstacles would be two powerlines; the rest of the way was pretty wide open and clear. 

With the mover hired, the route all planned out, and an estimated date decided upon, we next needed to start making some decisions on exactly where the house would sit on our new property. Easier said than done, my friend. We could pretty much set up things any way and anywhere we wanted. There was nothing there to work around except a gigantic dead tree (that would soon be removed) and a couple old outbuildings. But the buildings weren't where we wanted the house to go anyway, so that didn’t really matter. Where, exactly, should the house go? Which direction should it face? Where will the garage be? If we do move the barn, where will that go? So. Many. Questions to answer. It was so overwhelming. We had a completely blank slate but had no idea where to start.

This is the road view of our new property where the house will be moved to.

We decided to just start with things that didn't really require any decision-making that would have major consequences - cleaning up the property. Maybe if we spent some time there and walked around, we could get a better feel for what the layout should be. We mowed, cleared brush, cut down dead trees and small little saplings, and scrapping old metal. We hauled a lot of scrap.

Huge dead Black Locust tree (along with a massive amounts of poison ivy and some other small trees) that sat right where the house would eventually go.

By the time summer was starting to wrap up, we had made some progress cleaning up our new homesite, and after spending sometime there, we did start to see where we wanted to set the house. We were still pretty hush-hush about our plans because in the back of my mind, I still thought it was kind-of crazy. But it didn't take long for the neighborhood and people out for an afternoon drive in the country to take notice that that was something going on at "the silo" after decades of little to no activity.

Read the next chapter here.

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