The answer is yes.
Ok, thanks for reading this article!
Just kidding of course. There’s much more to this article than just that sentence. Yes, your metal building can indeed be moved to another location. However, it’s not as simple as it may sound. There are many things to think about before a metal building can be moved.
It’s incredibly important for you to realize that this isn’t something that just happens. It needs to be carefully carried out by a professional if you don’t want to risk damaging your building beyond repair. Even if your building is made out of BuckSteel or any other high quality metal product, care must be taken when moving a metal building.
However, before you make the decision to move your building or not, you should decide whether it’s even worth it to move. Deconstructing and reconstructing your building in another location might be a lot more effort than it is actually worth, especially if you aimed to replace your building soon anyways. As you’ll be able to tell from this article, if you have a larger building, you should weigh the costs versus the benefits of keeping your building and moving it or getting a new one in its new location.
The below article will take you through the two main methods of moving a metal building: one for a smaller building and one for a larger building. There are many differences to take into account between the two, so read on to discover how you can get your building moved.
How to Move a Small Building
This section is for those of you who want to move a smaller metal building like a shed or small outside building. Moving smaller buildings are obviously going to be a lot easier than moving bigger buildings. Many small buildings are anchored to the ground with simple anchors that can be removed, making the building free to transport to another location.
The main way you’re going to be moving small buildings is by keeping them assembled, unlike with larger buildings that you will disassemble first. Let’s imagine that you want to move a small shed where you keep your lawn supplies from your backyard to your front yard. To do this, one side of the shed will be lifted with a power lift and wood slabs should be placed underneath. Then, the same thing will be done to the other side of the shed. Hook up some ropes to the wood pieces and you’re ready to slide your shed to the front yard.
Now, because this process can put your building in a little bit of danger of warping or slight damage, it is advisable to create a sort of frame around the building with wood planks to stabilize it. This creates a secondary structure around your building to keep it safe from any danger. However, overall, this process is a lot more affordable than the second method of disassembly and reassembly.
On the other hand, perhaps you need to move the shed to another part of town or maybe to your neighbor’s house down the street. You will still raise the shed with a power lift, but you will be raising it high enough so that your truck can back up and it can lie nicely on your truck bed. Then, you will be able to drive the shed to wherever you need to and use the lift to bring it safely down again. This method takes away any possibility of damage or warping that may be caused by the sliding method.
How to Move a Big Building
Now, let’s move on to bigger buildings than the shed in your backyard. Going in reverse order of construction, you will be deconstructing the building and reassembling it in its final destination.
And yep, you guessed it. This will be costlier and will require more skilled labor than with smaller buildings. So, don’t try to do this one on your own!
This should be a very organized process because if you mess one thing up, the newly assembled structure definitely won’t be to your liking. With the professional help that you acquire, you should come up with a detailed plan beforehand of how you’re going to disassemble the building, transport the pieces, and assemble them back in one piece. Figure out in what order you will take apart the building and how you will properly handle the materials. It is normally a good idea to come with a system to keep the pieces in order as you go through the deconstruction process.
As mentioned, the disassembly of your bigger metal building is going to go in reverse order from when you constructed. Start with taking off the outside fixtures and trimming and move into the framing. Once all the parts have been disassembled, they can be easily transported to its new home and reassembled, just like you assembled it the first time.
However, as mentioned before, this should be undertaken by a trained professional just in case anything should go wrong. If a piece is damaged or warped during disassembly, you won’t be able to re-construct your building the way it once was. And nobody wants to deal with those costs!
Moving your metal building is no laughing matter. It should be undertaken with the utmost care and caution to make sure that nothing goes wrong in the process. If something were to go wrong, it could be extremely costly for not only your wallet. You will have to spend a lot more time getting new pieces or figuring out a way to repair your building. And when you’re talking about construction materials, the costs can easily skyrocket way past your budget.
No matter whether you’re moving a small or big building, it is best to have a trained professional help you through the process. However, if that is not possible, the tips above will assist you in getting your building to its new home in one piece.
