I Didn’t Know a House Could Be Moved

A lot of people say the same thing the first time they hear about what I do:

“I didn’t know a house could be moved.”

That reaction makes sense.

Most people have seen new construction. Most people have seen or heard of buildings being demolished, but many have never considered that an existing house might have another option besides demolition.

Sometimes, instead of being torn down, a house can be carefully relocated to a new property and given a second life.

That does not mean every house should be moved. And it does not mean every relocation is simple.

But it does mean this:

Demolition is not the only process to clear a property for a new housing project.

A Different Way to Think About an Old House

When people look at an older house, they often see one of two things.

• They either see a problem to remove.
• Or they see a structure with character, history, and reusable value.

I tend to see the second option.

Some houses still have strong bones. Some still have beautiful details. Some still have the size, shape, and presence that make them worth saving.

In some cases, relocating that house can be a creative alternative to building a brand-new structure.

Why Would Someone Move a House?

There are a few common reasons.

Sometimes a house is sitting on a property that is being redeveloped.

Sometimes a family wants to rebuild on a fire-affected lot and is open to placing a relocated home on the property instead of starting from scratch.

Sometimes a property owner wants to save a house with character rather than watch it disappear.

And sometimes an available or donated house is a rare opportunity to give both the structure and a future homeowner a new beginning.

Is Moving a House Easy?

No.

House relocation takes planning, coordination, permits, engineering, transportation logistics, and the right receiving site.

It also takes patience.

A house does not simply get picked up and dropped into place overnight. Well, actually, it does, but there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be completed before the building is physically relocated.

That is one reason guidance matters.

The house above was relocated in 3 sections. The roof was removed, and the house was cut in half so each half could fit on a flatbed.

Below, you can see where the building was split in half in preparation for loading onto the flatbed trailer for transport to its new home.

What My Role Looks Like

I help people move existing homes to new properties in Los Angeles County.

That includes helping clients think through questions like:

• Is this house worth relocating?
• Is this property a good fit for a relocated house?
• What approvals may be needed?
• What drawings need to be prepared?
• How do the Planning Department and Building & Safety fit into the process?
• What happens after the house arrives?

In simple terms, I help guide the process from idea to possibility.

Not Every House Can Be Saved, but Some Absolutely Can

House relocation is not right for every structure.

Some houses are too compromised. Some sites are not a good match. Some timelines are too tight. Some budgets are unrealistic.

But some houses are clearly worth another look.

And some families or property owners are looking for exactly this kind of solution without even knowing it exists yet.

A Second Life for a House

One of the things I love most about house relocation is that it changes the story.

A house that looked like it had reached the end of the road may actually be at the beginning of a new chapter.

A property owner may discover a creative alternative to new construction.

A family may gain a home with warmth, charm, and history.

And a structure that might have been demolished can be given new life in a new place.

Start With a Conversation

If you have a house that may be worth saving, or a property that may be the right fit for a relocated home, the best place to begin is with a conversation.

Because sometimes the first step is simply realizing:

Yes, a house really can be moved.

And sometimes that one idea changes everything.

Want a step-by-step house relocation overview? Visit the House Relocation Roadmap.

Long before I was helping families relocate real homes in Los Angeles County, Disney had already planted the idea in my mind that a house could be worth saving.

The first time I remember seeing that idea was in the 1974 Disney movie Herbie Rides Again.

Spoiler alert: Herbie helps save a Victorian-style firehouse from a developer who wants it gone.

Even as a kid, that stayed with me.

It showed me that an older building could be more than just something standing in the way of a new project. It could have character. History. Meaning. It could be worth protecting.

Looking at the photo above, I just realized that the car parked in front of the firehouse is a Ford Mustang. This movie must have settled more deeply into my subconscious than I realized, because the first car I bought when I was 16 was a 1966 Ford Mustang in the very same color as the one in the photo.

Then, in 2009, Up brought that same feeling back to me in a completely different way. Of course, Up is a fantasy. Real homes are not lifted into the sky by balloons, but at an emotional level, the story felt true.

The house in Up was never just a structure. It represented memory, love, and the life Carl and Ellie built together. That is part of what made the movie so powerful. It reminded me that a home can hold more than just lumber and walls. Sometimes the house itself becomes part of the story.

Looking back, both movies helped shape the way I think about older homes.

Not every old house should be demolished.

Some still have strong bones.
Some still have beauty.
Some still deserve a second life.

Today, I get to work on that idea in real life.

Now, instead of only watching stories about saving homes, I help guide the permits, planning, and coordination involved in relocating existing houses to new properties.

In some cases, that means helping preserve a piece of history. In others, it means helping a family find a creative rebuild path, or giving a strong existing structure another chance to serve.

That is one of the reasons this work means so much to me.

House Relocation is technical, yes. It involves logistics, approvals, foundations, routes, and a long list of details.

But underneath all of that is a much simpler idea:

Some houses still have more to give.

So yes, thank you, Disney.

Those stories helped plant the idea that moving a house could be meaningful.

Now I get to help make that idea real.

Are you curious about relocating a home?

If you are wondering whether a relocated home could work for your property, or whether a house may be worth saving, HouseRelocation.LA is here to help you explore the possibility.

Cheers!

Alan Pinel

This project involved physically relocating an existing 1895 Queen Anne house from Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, to Altadena, as an alternative to demolition, and continued a preservation-minded rebuild effort tied to recent Altadena house relocation projects.

I arrived in Lincoln Heights at about 3:30 in the morning. It was still dark when I pulled up to 3024 N Main Street, where the historic 1895 Queen Anne I call 3024 was waiting for its journey to Altadena.

There is something surreal about seeing a house at that hour, lit by work lights, strapped and braced, quietly waiting to roll through sleeping neighborhoods before sunrise.

A few days earlier, two other historic homes had already been moved from this same site to Altadena, but this morning felt different. This house was larger and taller, and it carried a striking presence. Even in the dark, disassembled and sitting on 2 trucks, you could feel it.

This was no ordinary move. This was a 131-year-old two-story Queen Anne, preparing to leave Main Street in Los Angeles and begin a new life at La Venezia Court in Altadena.

At about 4:30 am, the trucks finally pulled away from the Lincoln Heights site. As they began heading east and north, I drove ahead to find different places where I could film the house passing by in the early-morning darkness. I wanted to capture the journey from different vantage points and document this remarkable move as it crossed from one community to another.

My first video was at about 4:45 am along Huntington Drive, just before the route crossed from Los Angeles into Alhambra.

My second video was at about 4:57 am on Fair Oaks, as the trucks traveled through South Pasadena and approached the Pasadena border.

By 5:07 am, I filmed again as the house continued north on Fair Oaks, passing Washington Boulevard.

Then came the final approach.

At about 5:16 am, I captured the first truck as it backed off Fair Oaks and slowly made its way along La Venezia Court toward the end of the block.

There is always something thrilling about that final turn, the moment when the house is no longer just traveling, but arriving.

At about 5:22 am, the first truck carrying the west side of the house came to a stop in front of the property.

From there, the next phase began.

Because of the site conditions, the house would not simply be rolled straight onto the lot. The property is enclosed by a 6-foot-high masonry wall, so a crane would be needed to lift the house from the truck, raise it above the wall, and carefully place it onto the prepared site.

By about 6:01 am, the crane was in position. The lot had already been prepared, and wooden cribs were placed to support the structure. These cribs would temporarily support the house while maintaining the required front-yard, side-yard, and rear-yard setbacks until the permanent foundation work could proceed.

As the morning went on, more people gathered to witness the move.

Brad Chambers was on site, along with local neighbors who came out to watch this remarkable old house arrive. I’ve been working with Brad since 2004, and I’ve always admired his creativity and his passion for preserving historic structures.

One of the things I especially appreciate is the way he sees value not only in saving old buildings, but also in repurposing materials from dismantled structures to create something new that meets today’s code while still carrying echoes of the past.

Anna, who received the two relocated houses on Calaveras Street just one block north, was there too.

Brooke and Michael, the new owners, were there to welcome the house along with their dog, Izzy. They are both artists, wonderful to work with, and deeply woven into the fabric of the Altadena community. Brooke’s mother was there as well.

Gwen and Jacques attended, along with their dog Lucy. Gwen and Jacques were the first family to receive a relocated house in Altadena, when a home was moved from Los Angeles to their property on Poppyfields Drive.

One of my favorite details from the morning was that Brooke brought coffee and croissants for the local neighbors and friends who came to watch the house be lifted from the truck and placed onto the property. Moments like that say so much about what this project is really about. Yes, it is about moving houses. But it is also about community, generosity, preservation, and people showing up for one another.

And there was one more important part of this story: DECRO generously donated the house, making it possible for this remarkable 1895 Queen Anne to begin a new chapter in Altadena.

As the site crew continued preparing for the lift, the first truck was rolled back at about 8:24 am, approximately 30 feet east, repositioning it from directly in front of the house to a point in front of the crane near the center of the street, alongside the east side of the corner lot.

The crane cables had already been attached to the steel frame supporting the house at about 8:20 am, and at 8:35 am, the first half of the Queen Anne was lifted off the truck.

A few minutes later, at about 8:40 am, the house rose above the street and was carefully carried over the masonry wall and into the property.

Then, at about 8:50 am, the first half of the house was lowered onto the wooden cribs.

It was an incredible moment. I was in awe of the technical precision of the moving team, how the house was prepared for travel, how it was transported through four cities on its way to Altadena, and how it was carefully lifted by crane from the truck, up over the masonry wall, and onto the wooden cribs.

Technology has evolved so much over the past 131 years that this challenging move from Lincoln Heights to Altadena seems almost simple.

One of the moments that stayed with me most was hearing the small crowd of neighbors gasp along with me as the house rose into the air. In that moment, I felt even more connected to the Altadena community and to the magic of what we were all witnessing together.

After traveling from Main Street in Los Angeles through multiple cities and arriving in Altadena before sunrise, the first half of this remarkable 1895 Queen Anne was finally in place on La Venezia Court.

Next came the second half.

The second truck was rolled into position, and the crane lines were attached to the remaining half of the house. At about 10:03 am, the second half was lifted from the truck. By about 10:15 am, it was set down adjacent to its other half.

With both sections now on the lot, the crew carefully lined them up and fit the house back together.

Then, at about 10:45 am, the existing roof trusses, very heavy and full of original material, were lifted back onto the top of the house so they could be assembled later.

Minor adjustments were made to the building as the placement work continued.

When the two halves of the building were finally lined up, I felt a real sense of completion. There is still a long road ahead, months of paperwork and approvals, the pouring of a new two-story foundation, the reassembly of the second story and roof, and the interior remodeling and restoration still to come, but bringing those two halves together felt like the close of an important chapter in the story of 3024.

By 11:42 am, I was walking back to my car to head to the office in time for a 12:00 pm meeting, leaving behind a scene that had looked impossible just a few hours earlier. What began in darkness on Main Street had become, by late morning, a reassembled 1895 Queen Anne standing once again on a lot in Altadena.

That is what I love about house relocation.

It proves that old homes still matter. They matter because of their craftsmanship. They matter because of their beauty. They matter because they connect us to the people and neighborhoods that came before us. And they matter because, with the right team and a lot of determination, they can still be saved and given new life.

For more than 130 years, 3024 stood in Los Angeles. On this morning, it made an extraordinary journey and began a new chapter in Altadena.

From Main Street in Los Angeles to La Venezia Court in Altadena, another historic home was given the chance to begin again.

If you are exploring relocating a home, offering a house for relocation, or trying to understand whether relocating a home may be a realistic option for an Altadena rebuild, start by visiting the House Relocation Roadmap, scheduling a Free Discovery Call, or visiting our House Relocation inquiry pages.

Thank you for reading…

The story of 3024 continues…

Cheers!

Alan Pinel

(213)841-9988

In 2004, more than 20 years ago, I was approached about helping secure building permits to relocate a historic home from Hill Place in Chinatown, Los Angeles, to the Garvanza neighborhood in Highland Park.

The house relocation permits from Building & Safety were secured in 2005. At the time, I had no idea that this first historic relocation project would become the first of many.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to help with the planning, permits, and coordination involved in relocating historic homes across Los Angeles. In partnership with Brad Chambers, we have helped protect and restore homes by moving them to new properties instead of losing them to demolition.

In early 2025, Brad reached out again to talk about new house relocation opportunities in Altadena. When I heard about the scope of work and the families these projects could help, I knew I wanted to be part of it.

I am currently working on relocation home projects associated with Calaveras Street, Poppyfields Drive, and La Venezia Court in Altadena, as well as another historic relocation project from Boyle Heights to Highland Park.

What excites me most about this work is that it creates another path forward.

Instead of demolition, an existing home may be moved to a new property and given a second life.

Instead of starting from scratch, a family may have the opportunity to rebuild with character, craftsmanship, and history.

If you are interested in relocating a home or building to Altadena or anywhere in Los Angeles County, the best next step is to reach out and start a conversation. I would be glad to help you understand the permits, planning, and next steps involved in a house relocation project.

Want a step-by-step house relocation overview? Visit the House Relocation Roadmap.

Schedule a Free Discovery Call or text/call(213) 841-9988.

Alan Pinel