House on Blocks

[roly]

Can someone tell me? This farm that I am buying hasn't got a very good house. And with buying a farm, all the equipment, all the cattle and sheep, money will be tight. So I thought of moving a second hand house. But the basement will be quite expensive, is it possible to stand a house on timbers or blocks and still live in it for a year, till we can get the basement built? With being from the UK we don't have basements and we are not very familiar with moving houses as they are all built of brick. All your comments would be greatly appreciated.

[cowman]

roly, with the cost of timbers and the added cost of moving the house a second time, you are much better off to bite the bullet and put in your basement now.
The new type of basement that is some sort of styrofoam blocks with concrete poured seems to be the way to go for moving on a house.

I would really think if money was tight your best bet might be to purchase a good used moblie home and live in it for a couple of years until you could afford to build a basement and either build a house or buy a manufactured home. I would bet that you can pick up a good used mobile home for less than it will cost you to put in timbers and move your house twice.

[WoolyBear]

Most houses here in Canada don't have insulated floors as they are generally over a heated basement or crawl space. Another option would be to buy a bigger house, and put it on a concrete slab. Most basements are also really only a storage space for kids and junk.

There still is the option of living in a nearby town until you can purchase the basement. Your tasks seem so enormous Roly..... moving a family half way across the globe, setting up a farm, purchasing livestock, AND machinery.

Best of Luck

[WoolyBear]

Roly, living in a nearby town or village or possibly renting a house close to your farm for awhile might be a very good idea.
Also the choice of putting your house on a concrete slab and not having a basement is also a good option.
Basements here usually are used for the furnace, hot water heater, storage space etc.
Building more space onto a house is cheaper in the long run than lifting the house up and putting a basement under it.

My neighbours just went through this, they built a smaller house, then decided to put it on a basement. The crane to lift the house and put it on the basement was over $10,000 alone.
Cement for basements has really increased in price due to the demand in the construction industry. Mind you, that may not be the case in Sask.
I too, wish you all the best in your new venture. When are you planning on moving to your new farm ?

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions of us, we are willing to help and give you the best advice we can.

[WoolyBear]

We're seeing lots of family farms (where the kids are still around) taking double car garages, adding a second storey and using that space for living. A second building is constructed to serve as garage, and farmshop.

According to the mayor of Yorkton, he figures that there are lots of good houses out in rural towns, and farmyards that could be very affordable. His thoughts are that larger communities should buy the empty ones, refurbish them, and then rent or sell them back for investment purposes. Not an investment in the building, but as an investment in the communities. Families not wanting to pay the high prices in larger, newer developments, could buy an affordable home and still commute, and do their shopping in places like Yorkton. The kids would go to school in the smaller communities, so everyone is suppose to benefit. Food for thought anyway.

[WoolyBear]

WoolyBear, I am thinking that moving a house onto a basement or onto a temporary foundation would be a very costly venture for Roly, particularly if he isn't familiar with contractors and we all know there are some fly by night ones around.
Once he gets established on his farm, then finding a good house and moving it would likely be a good option if he chose to go that route.

[grassfarmer]

I suggest you look at a trailer Roly, you will be amazed at how large and comfortable they can be. I know they are something you will be unfamilier with coming from the UK - forget caravans these trailers are usually 70' x 14' at least with several rooms.

[wmoebis]

Does anyone know the approx. costs of having a house moved.

Including lifting off old basement setting on new pre built and milage?

Not including price of new basement or clean up of old?

[kato]

It's not just the basement that will cost money. Will the house need a new septic tank? How about the location of the well and such?

I would also price out a new ready to move home, even if it's just to get a comparison to the cost of moving an older one. Lots of times delivery is part of the package. You may save more money over the long run by having a more energy efficient home too.

Another thing you may want to check out is geothermal heat. It's getting to be a really popular way to go in Manitoba, but I'm not sure how common it is in Saskatchewan. If we were to build another house, we'd put it in for sure. The house is heated using heat from the ground. Pipes run underground and circulate back to the house. It keeps the house at a comfortable room temperature in the winter, and provides air conditioning in the summer at a fraction of the cost of running a regular furnace.

Research is the key. Check out all the options before you decide.

[kato]

roly we are bombarding you with information and some of it may not be in terms you are familiar with.
grassfarmer gave you some good advice about a trailer,they are referred to as manufactured homes here, and can be anywhere from 14' wide to 20' wide and as long as 80'.
There are many good used ones on the market as people decide to build conventional houses etc.

They do need to have skirting under them and heat tapes on water lines under them to avoid freezing.

Most companies that sell them also provide skirting and moving services as well.

On your search engine just type in mobile home manufacturers or manufactured housing in Saskatchewan and you will likely get lots of information. They are built to stand the canadian winters and are very cozy with numerous floor plans to choose from.

[kato]

Roly, check out the Manufactured Housing Association of Alberta and Saskatchewan website, they have lists of all manufacturers and dealers.

[PureCountry]

Just some words of experience, not necessarily wisdom....I moved my first house in. It was a 2 storey farmhouse built around 1900. We built a wooden basement w/a concrete floor, moved the house 25 miles, set it on and strapped it to the basement. All of that cost about $8000. We also paid $4000 for the house. By the time we drilled a water well though, and put in septic tanks and such, we ended up spending about $50,000. In the long run Roly, I wish I had spent that money on a manufactured home, because we had a new basement, but still an old house.

You can find good trailers/mobile homes/maufactured homes anywhere in Alberta and Saskatchewan, even used ones can be found in good shape for a lot less cost.

If I can help with anything, feel free to e-mail me : pcstockfarm@yahoo.ca

Take care.

[Horse]

I will tell you we built a house and basement about 25 yer ago and the basement cost app 1/3 of the cost but we would have to pour a grade beam if not a basement but I swear if I was to build again I would not put in a basement,all it does is colect junk and you are up and down all the time and as you age you realy start to notice the stairs.

[WoolyBear]

Watch out for mobile homes. Some of the manufacturers out there sure know how to build crap. Look good on the outside, but when it comes time to repairing things you sure find where they cut corners. Our friends have one where the gyproc is less than 1/2", the interior walls are not soundproofed, and are really only about 1x3" studs. The cupboards are put together with staples, and the countertops are pressboard. Guess what happens around a kitchen sink when water gets into that stuff! The appliances and fixtures are not built to last. In my opinion........ stay away from a mobile home.

Those homes that the Yorkton mayor was talking about would be ones in small towns that people would normally be able to buy (or rent) for peanuts compared to the city developments where the lot alone would be $10000 or more. And the neighbors are building $150,000 plus dollar homes. Wheres the sense in that if you can get a great used house in a town of less than 300 people (for example)for < $10,000 complete with water, sewer and plowed streets. You might have to drive 3 or 4 miles to the farm, but you can always put up a heated room to snooze in during calving season if you want.

[WoolyBear]

woolybear, I would hate to scare roly away from a manufactured home. There are a lot of good ones, and certainly there are poorer ones, but an older one would certainly suffice for a few years until roly decides if he want to build a house with a basement or not.

Driving back and forth to the farm may work for a short time but in calving time it certainly isn't feasible. You lose enough sleep in calving time without losing more driving up and down the road.