These pictures show a house in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, being lifted off its foundation and moved to a new location during Winter 2001. Ever wondered how a house is moved? It's an everyday event in Calgary, but still provides a fascinating show, particularly when there's a complication. In this case a home in the northwest community of Montgomery had to be moved round some trees and over a bank to get it on the road.
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Work started several days earlier when fences, railings and steps were removed, and the concrete basement wall drilled all round the perimeter just under the sill. Services were cut off and the inside secured for the move.
The actual move took two days. The basement was cracked around the sill, and the structure lifted off the basement with hydraulic jacks. Supports for steel I-beams were constructed with heavy wood ties, and the house lowered onto cross beams separated by steel rollers. A mobile crane winched the house sideways several feet, at which point the house was lifted again, more supports built, and the process repeated.
This was done until the house was clear of the trees that prevented it being moved directly to the road. Then the beams were oriented in such a way that the house could be slid towards the road. This time the cross beams moved directly on greased I-beams, using the same shuffling movement. It should be mentioned that the crew was working in sub-zero temperatures on fresh snow.
Eventually, the house was on stilts over the road, and it was converted to a trailer by lowering it onto wheel units, which were then attached to the base. A tractor unit moved the house to its waiting position at the end of the block. Finally in the early hours of the next morning, the house set off on its journey out of Calgary.
Peter Reath
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See also...
| Calgary Scenes | Heritage Park | Stampede Rodeo | Highland Games |
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