Why Is House Lifting and Building Moving Becoming More Prevalent?

December 18, 2018

Have you noticed more people having their houses lifted? Are you seeing more buildings being moved than in recent years? You’re not imagining things. House lifting and building moving are on the rise, as people and communities realize the importance of prevention instead of repair…or even worse, complete destruction.

So why the increase in structure moving? What has changed that has created a greater interest in house lifting and moving? Let’s take a look.

Hurricanes Are Changing

Global warming is changing the weather, which is making hurricanes more frequent. While it used to be that a hurricane might hit a particular area every 10 years, hurricanes will now hit land every five. This is true all along the east coast, from Maine down to Florida.

At the same time, Hurricanes are becoming more powerful. The frequency of category 4 and category 5 hurricanes is on the rise, and when they hit land they are causing billions more damage. The seven costliest hurricanes in history have all occurred in the past 15 years (even accounting for inflation).

With hurricanes getting more destructive and more frequent, it’s obvious that the short-term solution — and that one that individuals can make happen with their own money — is to invest in house raising or outright structural moving to higher ground. Most people will see a considerable drop in their insurance rates if they move their home, so given enough time house raising pays for itself…and prevents a lot of heartache.

Building Lifting Services Are Getting Better

House lifting and building moving is a pretty recent process, if only because the machines used to make it happen are relatively new inventions. Before the advent of heavy hydraulic machinery, the only way to move a building was brick by brick or stone by stone.

That leads us to our next reason that people are investing in house moving and lifting: it’s getting more cost-efficient. Equipment is getting better and processes are streamlined. (Payne Construction Services has been doing this for 45 years, and we’ve certainly learned how to do our job more efficiently over the years.) House lifting is a surprisingly gentle process, and as people see their neighbors investing in flood prevention, they’re checking out the process to see if it’s right for them.

Nostalgia Is A Powerful Thing

Where does nostalgia come from? In most cases, it comes from having free time to think about the past! Farmers from hundreds of years ago were too busy barely eeking out a living to pine for the past, and life back then didn’t change much from century to century anyway.

But most of us today have free time in which we can go through photo albums and wistfully watch the grandkids running around. Nostalgia can play a big part in wanting to move a building rather than sell it or tear it down. When it comes to house lifting, many people are sick of their home being at risk, the same home in which they raised their kids and are keeping so many precious mementos. Public buildings that are in danger of being flooded or demolished can gain public support because of their nostalgic importance to the community.

Progress Threatens More Historic Sights

Most of us enjoy a measured level of progress in our community. While we might say we want things to stay exactly the same, in most cases we enjoy having a few more restaurants to choose from and the increased financial security it can offer our communities.

It’s when progress starts to completely change a community that most of us raise an eyebrow. If the plans to build new apartments downtown threatens a historic building, then it simply makes sense to move it. A growing economy is good for the community as a whole, but it also means that it’s threatening many buildings that should be moved instead of leveled. And speaking of historic buildings…

Important Buildings Are Getting Older

When we started our business in 1974, a building built in 1920 wasn’t really that old. Fifty-four years…what’s the big deal?

Think about that same building today; by next year it will be a hundred years old. There are more and more buildings that are being deemed culturally or architecturally significant, which mean more buildings — including residences — need to be moved if something comes along to threaten them.

Payne Construction Is Your Structure Moving Expert

If you need to protect a building, whether it involves house lifting or building moving, Payne has the equipment and expertise to make it happen. We can also repair the foundations of buildings that aren’t moving, or even support or move bridges. Whether you need residential services or commercial building moving, we’re there for you and your community. Contact us today to get more information!

 

 

 

Why Is House Lifting and Building Moving Becoming More Prevalent?

December 18, 2018

Have you noticed more people having their houses lifted? Are you seeing more buildings being moved than in recent years? You’re not imagining things. House lifting and building moving are on the rise, as people and communities realize the importance of prevention instead of repair…or even worse, complete destruction.

So why the increase in structure moving? What has changed that has created a greater interest in house lifting and moving? Let’s take a look.

Hurricanes Are Changing

Global warming is changing the weather, which is making hurricanes more frequent. While it used to be that a hurricane might hit a particular area every 10 years, hurricanes will now hit land every five. This is true all along the east coast, from Maine down to Florida.

At the same time, Hurricanes are becoming more powerful. The frequency of category 4 and category 5 hurricanes is on the rise, and when they hit land they are causing billions more damage. The seven costliest hurricanes in history have all occurred in the past 15 years (even accounting for inflation).

With hurricanes getting more destructive and more frequent, it’s obvious that the short-term solution — and that one that individuals can make happen with their own money — is to invest in house raising or outright structural moving to higher ground. Most people will see a considerable drop in their insurance rates if they move their home, so given enough time house raising pays for itself…and prevents a lot of heartache.

Building Lifting Services Are Getting Better

House lifting and building moving is a pretty recent process, if only because the machines used to make it happen are relatively new inventions. Before the advent of heavy hydraulic machinery, the only way to move a building was brick by brick or stone by stone.

That leads us to our next reason that people are investing in house moving and lifting: it’s getting more cost-efficient. Equipment is getting better and processes are streamlined. (Payne Construction Services has been doing this for 45 years, and we’ve certainly learned how to do our job more efficiently over the years.) House lifting is a surprisingly gentle process, and as people see their neighbors investing in flood prevention, they’re checking out the process to see if it’s right for them.

Nostalgia Is A Powerful Thing

Where does nostalgia come from? In most cases, it comes from having free time to think about the past! Farmers from hundreds of years ago were too busy barely eeking out a living to pine for the past, and life back then didn’t change much from century to century anyway.

But most of us today have free time in which we can go through photo albums and wistfully watch the grandkids running around. Nostalgia can play a big part in wanting to move a building rather than sell it or tear it down. When it comes to house lifting, many people are sick of their home being at risk, the same home in which they raised their kids and are keeping so many precious mementos. Public buildings that are in danger of being flooded or demolished can gain public support because of their nostalgic importance to the community.

Progress Threatens More Historic Sights

Most of us enjoy a measured level of progress in our community. While we might say we want things to stay exactly the same, in most cases we enjoy having a few more restaurants to choose from and the increased financial security it can offer our communities.

It’s when progress starts to completely change a community that most of us raise an eyebrow. If the plans to build new apartments downtown threatens a historic building, then it simply makes sense to move it. A growing economy is good for the community as a whole, but it also means that it’s threatening many buildings that should be moved instead of leveled. And speaking of historic buildings…

Important Buildings Are Getting Older

When we started our business in 1974, a building built in 1920 wasn’t really that old. Fifty-four years…what’s the big deal?

Think about that same building today; by next year it will be a hundred years old. There are more and more buildings that are being deemed culturally or architecturally significant, which mean more buildings — including residences — need to be moved if something comes along to threaten them.

Payne Construction Is Your Structure Moving Expert

If you need to protect a building, whether it involves house lifting or building moving, Payne has the equipment and expertise to make it happen. We can also repair the foundations of buildings that aren’t moving, or even support or move bridges. Whether you need residential services or commercial building moving, we’re there for you and your community. Contact us today to get more information!