All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Willin Smarda, you're quite welcome!

The setback information is likely published online at the jurisdiction's website.  However, it may serve you best to contact the jurisdiction and go meet with one of the planners there.

A land planner/civil engineer can help you with that too.  They'll want a copy of the plat for your lot as well as the footprint dimensions of the house to be moved (the former, presumably you already have a copy of, the latter may need to be physically measured or extracted from the plat of record for it).

The physical move of the existing structure is just one scope of work among many.  And unless there is some historical protection, I'd be very surprised if grandfathering were allowed - but meeting with the folks at the building department should answer the vast majority of your questions with an accuracy that cannot be provided here.

A company that specializes in house moving should be on your list of calls.  If a local contractor is needed for the front and/or back-end work, they'll let you know.

And no, I've not personally moved a house before... I've built 'em from the ground-up and took care of the front and back ends for modular too, but never relocated one... sounds fun!  And as I am local, please let me know if and when moving day is, I'd love to see it happening.

While simplified:

I'd wire the building with all forms of wire that are used (e.g., coax, fiber) using my contractor (in part so it's done to my standards), including wire(s) to the roof (for your satellite).

I'd also trench and bury several conduits (with pull ropes and/or coax and/or fiber and/or etc.) from the building out to the easement area (near pole or box, etc.).

You then have the option to choose which provider(s) you want to work with/allow into your building, while controlling the onsite infrastructure and without giving up easements or exclusivity.

If you're up to the task and want to recoup your investment and later profit from it, serve as a re-seller to your tenants... watch how fast they make good on it once their TV/internet is cut off.  Just be careful about one tenant adding wi-fi and allowing/selling it to other tenants.

@Willin Smarda - as you're already aware, there is a lot to consider in moving a house, but the efforts are often well worth it.

- Will the house fit on the lot and meet all the setback requirements?

- Are there overhead lines in the path of travel?

- Will public roads/streets come into play?

- Etc., etc., etc.

Yes, a new foundation (among other things) is required.

There is a very real cost to the developer in tearing down and disposing of the existing house (tipping fees can add up to a tidy sum).  Assuming you could meet their timeline, they may very well give the house to you and may even pay for part of the move.  On a project we're working on, we needed to bring in some 500+ truckloads of dirt to address a bad soils condition.  A nearby developer not only gave us the dirt, but they paid for the bulk of hauling it to us (as they had to get take it offsite as the site was not balanced).  The developer might even want to use it as a PR opportunity (e.g., "Developer Salvages Houses Instead of Adding to Landfill"). 

I'd start a dialogue with the developer to gauge their interest.  If there's potential that they'll work with you, then a trip to the local building permit office would be in order.  If the lights stay green, you'll need to engage at a minimum, civil and structural engineers.  And of course, a contractor who can pull it all together.

Good luck!

Welcome to BP @Tom Ayd!

My guess is that the beam pocket was cracked when the house was being built (e.g., the steel "bumped" the backside of the beam pocket when it was being placed; the weight of the steel can easily do some damage on an un-reinforced section of wall like that).

Time and/or the freeze/thaw cycle, may have eventually popped it loose.

If the beam has proper bearing on the foundation, then this may need little more than to simply be patched properly.  

@Tim Wilkinson, you're welcome, but it seems had I absorbed what I read, I wouldn't have posted since you clearly wrote about being "30' short of frontage to have 2 homes".

Sorry about that.

Start in the attic and check out what's visible up there... it's possible the water just continued on the path of least resistance and worked it's way to the slab and then out underneath the wall plates, without causing any damage along the way.  What's largely at risk is the framing, insulation and drywall.  And since it appears to be a vertical problem and not a horizontal one, the extent of areas affected should be quite narrow.

If you're concerned, then you might have to cut in several inspection holes in the drywall to check.

Welcome to BP @KALLISA MORSE... curious, is someone hanging around on a busy corner in Silver Spring with a sign that says to "Join BP" (as in the "going out of business fashion" with twirling signs)?  Seems like folks from SS are joining us with frequency! You'll find that several of us grew up there too!

Wishing you success!

@Tim Wilkinson, while deeding an easement is a great suggestion as @Darlena Jones suggested, this assumes that there aren't any restrictions (e.g., zoning, covenants) that limit the parcel size to house ratio.  I lived in a place that only allowed one house per 20 acres and I'm managing some projects now that are on "conservancy lots" which vary in size from 11-40 acres.  Guest houses are allowed on the conservancy lots, but not separate dwellings.

As for the extra land being valuable to most?  Best to consult local realtors for guidance on that. 

As I see it, if he's conveyed what he wants to get by presenting it via a specific cap rate, that's golden as the task at hand isn't getting him to agree on a price, but rather he needs to be enlightened at how to use the cap rate formula.  Once he understands, then he'll be able to do the math.  Saving face is the challenge and I believe you'll best accomplish this by not being the one to correct him.

If you're willing to pay the cap rate, then agree to that figure and then leave it alone... don't renegotiate it.  BUT, qualify the agreed upon cap rate calculation to determine the final selling price, as per the industry standard,  as determined by an independent third party appraiser (or someone he trusts - his banker perhaps?). You may be able to make the offer with a LOI this way, but check with your attorney of course.

Once he's been educated properly, he's likely to be quite dismayed and you may need to let it cool for awhile.  When the time is appropriate, one way to potentially lift his spirits toward a productive negotiation there is to offer a more than what the appraiser determined, but have him carry the paper at a below market rate.  It could be a win-win for you both.