BSA LIC. NO.893121 | Expert Advice - Work Guaranteed!

Archive for category: House Raising Brisbane – House Moving

Useful and interesting articles on House Moving, Sliding or On-site Moves by Black & White restumping services in Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

What Types of Homes Can’t Be Raised?

/in , , , /by

brick home

When it comes to raising a house, people do it for a variety of different reasons. The most common is for the purpose of elevating the building above flood waters. Other reasons could be when the house is being moved to a new location, or to increase the amount of space that is available to be used under the home, for extra rooms or for storage. It is well known that the Queenslander style wooden houses are the buildings that are most commonly raised but what sort of buildings are unable to be raised and why?

Structurally Unsound Houses

When we consider the process involved with raising a house, we can see how it is an extremely complex process whereby the building is taken off its foundations, put onto jacks and raised, before it is secured to new foundations. For this reason, houses that are not structurally sound, such as if the foundations are damaged by water, amongst others, will not fare well during the raising, and may present danger to the workers, and further damage to the structure. Before there is a commitment to raising a house it will be assessed for soundness.

Multi-story Houses

As you might imagine, due to the complex process of raising a house, multi-story houses are not able to be raised. This is due to the instability that would occur for the higher stories, during the process of raising the first level and how difficult it would be to stabilise them during the raising. Additionally, the weight of the house will determine how many jacks will need to be used to support the structure during the process, which would make it all the more challenging and costly.

Brick Houses

Most brick houses in Australia are built straight onto the concrete foundation, which does not allow for the building to be lifted easily away from its footings. Houses that have exterior brick or stucco wall coverings will complicate the lifting process as these exterior coverings will need to be removed before the house can be lifted.

Large Complex Design Houses

The shape of the house will determine how easily and if it is able to be raised, depending on how complex the raising process will be. The best houses for raising purposes are simple shapes, such as rectangles or squares that do not have too many extra additions. Houses that do have attached additions such as porches, verandas, garages or extended wings will prove to be much more time consuming and costly, as each of the additions will need to be raised separately. To speak with an experienced house raiser or for an assessment, talk to an expert from Black & White Houseraising and Restumping today.

woman in the middle of a house construction

The Dos and Don’ts of Raising a House

/in , , , , /by

Relocating and raising houses is a practice as synonymous to being Australian and more specifically, a Queenslander, as these traditionally built houses named after the people who come from the ‘sunny’ state. These iconic wooden houses, made for the warm Queensland climate and designed in such a way that moving them, or raising them to suit the changing tides of life is par for the course, are as much a way of life as the summer storms that roll across the land. If you happen to be lucky enough to own one of these beautiful buildings, you may be considering raising it up to create more space for the family, or for a new project. Here are some of the dos and don’ts that will assist you in the process.

Do Research regarding What Planning Approvals You Will Need

Although, we would like to think that we live in a ‘free country’, the fact is that there are a lot of areas where the government needs to feel included in the process of how we choose to live. One of these is in giving its approval for any work that is carried out to upgrade, develop or raise houses that are located within its jurisdiction. Unfortunately, if you fail to seek approvals, pay the fees (if applicable) and obtain the relevant paperwork, the council may deem your property to be illegal and force you to tear it down. So be sure to research and get the relevant planning approvals before you begin.

Don’t Finalise Anything Until You Have Consulted Your House Raising Team

This point goes well with the point above. Along with that process of obtaining planning approvals and other relevant paperwork, you will want to consult closely with your house raising team, to ensure that everybody is on the same page. Don’t finalise anything until you have consulted with them and made a commitment together regarding how the final product is going to look, and what is needed to make it happen.

Do Choose an Experienced House Raising Team

If you have not already found a team to conduct the house raising work for you, be sure to do your research and find one that has the experience and knowledge to do the work to the highest standards. An experienced house raising team, such as Black & White Houseraising & Restumping will come to the job with a huge amount of experience, well trained staff, well developed policies and procedures as well as the latest equipment.

Living In A Flood Zone? How To Prepare

/in , /by

As many people of Queensland experienced during the floods of 2011, flash flooding can happen at any time, without notice. If you are living in a flood-prone area you never know when a flash flood could interrupt your life, putting you and your family in danger, so it is important to take precautions and prepare for anything.

Have a Plan

The most important thing that you will need to provide for yourself and family if living in a flood prone area is a plan of attack should something happen. Because flood warnings often do not give you much time to prepare, having your plan will assist you in preparing to protect your home and getting to safety as soon as possible. Your plan needs to include what happens if there is a flood warning, as well as evacuation routes, who to contact and where you will go if there is a flood warning. Like with any emergency it is important to have a practice with your family to ensure that everyone knows what is needed, and stays calm in the event that something does happen.

Emergency Kit

Your emergency kit should include your plan as well as the basics that you will need in an emergency situation. It should also include some warm clothes, food, cooking utensils, a short wave portable radio, torch, first aid kit, essential medications, personal papers and other mementos in waterproof bags.

Make Preparations to Protect Your Home

If you have time to prepare and are able to do something to protect your home and contents you will need to be thinking ahead about what is needed and where to obtain it. Usually, councils will supply sandbags so these can be put around your home in low lying areas to prevent water from reaching your house. Decide where the highest ground is and know to where you will move personal possessions, vehicles and dangerous chemicals.

Ensure You Have a Radio

Having a radio is one of the best ways for staying in contact with the outside world, especially if your mobile phone battery goes flat, so be sure to have one handy, with spare batteries – just in case. Know which radio station to tune it to, and keep it with you so you can get updates about what is happening around you. This will help you to stay calm and be prepared for whatever eventuates during the flood period.

Black and White Houseraising and Restumping can assist you with lifting your house above flood waters, so that in the event of a flood your home and personal possessions will remain high and dry.

House raising icon

What is House Raising or Lifting, and Why Do It?

/in , , , /by

House raising or house lifting refers to the practice of putting in place the infrastructure to raise a house from its current foundations to a greater height than it was previously. This is usually done by using hydraulics or screw jacks and as you can imagine, is a huge exercise that requires experience and an understanding about all aspects of building.

It is only done by professional businesses such as Black and White Houseraising and Restumping, and can only be done on certain types of houses, because if things go wrong the consequences can be fatal. There are different reasons why people might do this, so read on for a greater understanding about this interesting work.

Relocation of the House

At some point, we may have all been driving along the freeway late at night and noticed a house coming along on a truck in the other lane, or ahead of us. The first step in actually getting that house off its foundations and onto the truck would have involved it being lifted or raised, using hydraulics, and placed onto the truck for removal or relocation. As you can imagine, a house is not the lightest of dwellings, so lifting the whole structure in one piece can be a very involved process, and requires skill and planning.

Renovations

Often when people choose to renovate their house they are doing so for the purpose of gaining extra space or adding more rooms. Often, if they are financially able, and their house is the appropriate kind of house, they will opt to have it lifted or raised up, to create more rooms downstairs, thereby extending the size of their house. Once it has been lifted, new foundations are put into the house to secure it in its new position, which require the assistance of an engineer to ensure that it is safe and that the new foundations can hold the weight of the dwelling. Doing so can mean a lot of work, but can change people’s lives dramatically with more space to spread out and enjoy in their home.

Raising the House Above Flood Waters

Another important reason that many people will have their house raised is to lift it up and away from flood waters. If a house has been built on low-lying ground, or the natural waterways have deviated and changed their course, it could be at risk of flooding. Rather than watching as their house slowly sinks into swampland, people choose to employ a company such as Black and White Houseraising and Restumping to lift them high and dry, thereby putting them away from rising waters and damp, and adding extra rooms.

man carrying a moving box

Subdividing Land – How On-Site Moves Can Help

/in /by

There is strong demand for land and residential properties, especially in business centres and central cities. If you intend to put money into property investments, it can be a bit challenging at the present time. Prices of land are on the rise, making it difficult for first-time investors.

One good way of getting into property investment is by subdividing land. One can either buy a parcel of land and subdivide the land to create a housing estate, or an investor can use an existing property to see if it is possible to have it subdivided.

Subdivision Opportunities

If you can afford to invest in a fresh parcel of land, it is a good idea to subdivide it for a more profitable return. You can build town homes or residential units on the subdivided land to accommodate the growing demand for rental properties in your area.

You can also look into subdividing your own lot. This is the best way to start in the subdivision venture as it involves a smaller risk than purchasing a raw parcel of land. You can build a second house, duplex or multiple residential units on the extra lot. For this option, you will have to check with the local council to see if subdividing your property is feasible.

There may be special conditions that you need to follow. There may be zoning issues in your area, or there may be minimum size requirements for the residential units that can be built. The council can give you the best advice when subdividing your property.

House Moving

If you have an existing house on the property you plan to subdivide, you can count on a reliable house raising service for help. Black & White House Raising provides house sliding and on-site moves . This service involves transferring and positioning the house to another location on the property.

Black & White House Raising makes use of advanced hydraulic jacks to raise the house in one piece. The house is then repositioned to the desired to location. Additionally, this can be a good opportunity to re-stump  the house if ever there are damaged timber stumps in the house.

Relocating the existing house can give you extra space for a subdivision. Consult with the local council for information on limitations and conditions in subdividing your property. You can then get the services of a surveyor or planner to lay out the plan for subdividing the lot. There are risks involved in subdivisions, but with good information and the right people helping you, it can turn your existing property into a profitable investment.

To learn more about house sliding and on-site moves for your subdivision, visit www.bwhouseraising.com.au.

Big Yard But No Space? House Sliding Could Be the Solution

/in , /by

While modern housing trends for small blocks of land or apartment living have started to make their mark on the Australian landscape, most dwellings still sit on large blocks with much of the space occupied by lawns and gardens. As demographic changes take place with each succeeding generation, and it becomes harder for young people to save a housing deposit, the necessity to better utilise this space has become more urgent.

Better Use of Existing Space Needed Now

All major Australian cities have become a victim of urban sprawl. Not all that long ago the only solution to the need for more housing was to push further away from urban centres by subdividing the cheaper land that was readily available. This created unemployment and social problems in many areas because affordable housing was too far away from vital infrastructure.

Recognising that this could not continue, local government agencies have relaxed the planning laws that applied to existing dwellings, to allow more than one dwelling to be built on these larger blocks of land. As a company that specialises in raising houses to create extra living space underneath, here at Black & White Houseraising and Restumping we also offer house sliding services  to our clients.

Time to Correct Early House Siting Mistakes

House sliding is a perfect solution to creating extra yard space. When many of these older homes were built, they were situated in the middle of the block, so that any attempt now to use wasted land for additional housing does not meet planning requirements. The only way to optimise this very valuable commodity is to slide the existing house to another location on the same block.

It sounds easy doesn’t it, but in practice it is actually quite difficult. House sliding should only be undertaken by experienced contractors  with all the relevant insurances and professional associations. We are members of the Master Builders Association and also hold a current BSA (Building Services Authority) licence.

We use our advanced hydraulic jack system to lift the existing house off its stumps and position it to the desired location on the property, hence the term “house sliding.” The house is held in position to allow the installation of structural steel columns, or if necessary, restumping. When everything is in place, we lower the house onto its new site, leaving the extra space our clients need.

Subdivide for Profit, Build a Second Dwelling or Install a Pool

Some of our clients move their houses to subdivide the back half of the block  and sell it as an investment opportunity. Others want a safe home for elderly loved ones, a teenage retreat for emerging adults juggling work and study or an independent living arrangement for a young couple just starting their lives together. A tennis court, a pool, space for large hobbies, the need varies with each project we undertake.

If any of these scenarios sound like something you need, contact us here at Black & White Houseraising and Restumping for a quote. We can help you turn your wasted space into a value proposition.