Homeowners in the United States facing fire, flood or landslide risk are increasingly choosing to move their entire house rather than abandon it, according to Anicet Mbida, an innovation and technology journalist speaking on TF1's morning programme "Bonjour ! La Matinale TF1".
Mbida said the technique has existed in the United States for several years and was originally used mainly to relocate historic buildings and monuments. It has since become popular enough that prices have fallen, making it available to the general public, particularly for homes threatened by natural disasters.
How the process works
Moving a house is not as simple as it might sound, Mbida explained. Workers must dig new foundations, place the house on girders, and reconnect its pipes and utilities before it can be resettled. Despite the complexity, he said, the method works.
A standard house move already costs a lot of money, Mbida said, citing a price of 100 to 150 euros per square metre. He added that this is still cheaper than buying a new house, which is why the technique is favoured when a home risks being destroyed.
A cliffside rescue in England
Mbida pointed to a house on the edge of a cliff in England as an example. The property was at risk of collapse because the cliff face was being worn away by erosion. According to Mbida, the house was picked up and moved back slightly to protect it, after which a new foundation was built so the home could be reinstalled.
Restoring a property's value
Relocating a house within a move is expensive, but Mbida said it restores value to the property that would otherwise be lost. Shifting a house by just a few metres requires a plot of land large enough to accommodate the move, since it is not possible to displace neighbouring properties in the process.
When there is not enough space on site, Mbida said, owners instead put their house on a trailer and move it to a different neighbourhood altogether. He described the option as remarkable, noting that someone wanting to live in the countryside, in the middle of a forest, can load their house onto a truck and move it on logs to its new location.
