The Process
The process for house removals in Northland and beyond
The TR Building Removals team would be more than happy to point you in the right direction and provide advice if you are exploring your options of purchasing a second-hand building or relocatable home. House relocation provides a rewarding, cost-effective option for first and subsequent homeownership, developers and landlords alike.
We ensure a seamless process of support right from the start and:
- Assist our clients in choosing just the right house for their site and purpose.
- Provide full and detailed information about the process
How house removals and building relocations work
Purchasing a site
If you have decided to go ahead with a house relocation, you’ll need a site on which to locate your new home. You will need to ensure the site is suitable and that:
- No covenants exist on the property that excludes the re-siting of a relocatable home.
- Access to your property is wide enough, and unobstructed at the entrance to the site and along the access roads, to enable a house to be transported to the site.
- The provision of power to the site and drainage and sewerage discharge from the site is achievable and affordable.
- Your site is not located in an extremely high wind zone, or a potential flood zone, or on an area of unstable ground. If so, you may still be able to relocate a house to the land, but you’ll need additional engineering.
Finding the perfect house
One of the first things to consider is to ensure that the house you are interested in buying and relocating is structurally sound. The houses we stock are of good quality and suitable for removal. Most are built with strong, native timbers.
You’ll want a house with a layout that can be orientated on your site to take full advantage of the sun. It’s important to know where the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening in relation to the main living rooms of the house.
As you’re buying an existing home, you’ll possibly want to make alterations to the layout. Carefully plan for those details, such as opening an exterior wall, adding a new door onto a deck, or replacing the kitchen or bathroom. We’re here to help point you in the right direction and we’ll advise you to our best ability.
Making your house relocation project happen
We value your trust in us, and our team will make sure to provide you with approximate costings that fit your budget.
You’ll need…
A Geotechnical Report
This report shows your soil stability, which is vital in the house relocation process. Unstable soil could cost you up to $50,000 in additional foundations.
Think of it as part of your due diligence when buying a property suitable for house relocation. If the geotechnical report identifies any concerns, you’ll possibly need an engineer to design your foundations and it may take a few weeks to complete.
Septic & Storm Water Reports
This report clarifies what septic systems you will need. The company that does your geotechnical report can organise the septic and storm water reports for you. If you have a mains connection, you will not require this report.
A Building Report
House relocations in Northland and other parts of the North Island generally involve a building report. This report attests that the house is in a sound and suitable condition to be moved.
A Site Inspection
Looking out for the interests of our house relocation clients is important to us, and the first thing to do is to visit and inspect your site. We’ll check the access, establish if there are any concerns around access in the local vicinity or enroute with trees, bridges or other obstructions that may block the route.
It might mean that we need to cut the house, crane or winch it to manoeuvre around obstacles. If there are any additional costs relating to this work, we’ll discuss these with you during the site inspection, so you are fully aware of the cost and timings involved. This is the perfect moment for you to also ask questions and discuss any concerns you may have.
You’ll also need to…
Decide where on the site you want the house to be placed
The site will need to be pegged out by a surveyor before the house is delivered. The positioning should be according to the stamped plans, which will show its orientation, exactly how many metres from the boundary and any obstructions that may hinder the possible positioning of the house. Typical obstructions are things like power poles, creeks, ponds, driveways. We work with some excellent architects who are more than happy to assist you with your house placement on-site.
Consider your finance
Some house relocation clients require second-tier lending or bridging finance. It depends on your situation, but it can sometimes be challenging to obtain finance for a relocatable home. You may wish to consider working with a finance broker as they tend to be more creative in their application.
Resource consent
A resource consent is usually required to bring a second-hand building into an area. and your site may require additional resource consents if you are subdividing or putting a secondary building on it. A resource consent is not always required, but it pays to be prepared for the additional work and charges, just in case.
Moving the house to the new site
This is the exciting part of building relocation! Depending on the size and shape of your relocatable house, it may need to be transported in more than one piece. Once at the new property, it can be re-joined and then lowered onto its new foundations. The process of moving a house is usually done at night.
A direct relocation from Point A to Point B is obviously the more cost-effective option when moving a house. Once your relocatable house has been lowered onto its foundations, you can start on making any alterations.
If it is not possible to move the house directly to your new site, we can arrange storage. This is often required if your site work is held up by any additional Council requirements. Please note: Extra costs may be incurred.
Once the house arrives on site, you’ll need to follow strict safety procedures. You’ll need to arrange safety fencing and abide by all health and safety laws pertaining to a building site.
Insurance
You will need to arrange insurance for your house throughout the relocation process. You’ll need insurance for the house on its original site from the date of purchase, transit insurance and contract work insurance.
The foundation works can begin when the council plans are signed off and if the house has been moved already, it can now be lowered onto its foundations.
Questions?
We are always happy to have a meeting and discuss any questions or concerns with you. We aim to make this experience as enjoyable and rewarding for you as we possibly can. You can also check our FAQ page as you’ll find some more answers there. If you would like more information, please contact us or request an Information Pack.
Feedback from our clients
We can talk about our service all day long, but we’d rather let the results – and our happy customers – speak for themselves. Here’s what they say.