A house can be moved. The real project is everything that surrounds the house move.
Moving a house in Los Angeles County is possible, but the move itself is only one part of the process.
A successful relocation usually involves feasibility review, planning, drawings, permits, agency coordination, site preparation, transportation, reconstruction, and final inspections.
This page is designed to help you understand the major steps involved so you can begin with realistic expectations.
Step 1: Identify a House Worth Saving
The process starts by identifying a structure that may be a good candidate for relocation.
Not every house is the right fit. Strong candidates often have:
- Strong bones
- Reusable value
- Good proportions
- Character or historic appeal
- A realistic chance of being moved and reused
Some houses are clearly worth another look before demolition.
Step 2: Identify a Receiving Property
A relocated house needs a property that can legally and practically receive it.
That means studying whether the receiving lot may be a good fit for:
- The size of the house
- Zoning and land use
- Setbacks
- Access
- Utility connections
- Foundation placement
- Neighborhood and planning context
A house may be available, but the receiving site still has to make sense.
Step 3: Study Feasibility
Before anyone assumes the move will happen, the project should be reviewed for feasibility.
This may include:
- Zoning review
- Title or lot configuration review
- Route and access review
- Site fit analysis
- Planning and Building & Safety issues
- Historic review issues
- Utility and site constraints
This is one of the most important stages in the process.
Step 4: Review Planning and Approval Issues
Relocation projects require review by Regional Planning and sometimes by historic preservation staff or other agencies.
Depending on the site and the structure, this may involve:
- Zoning review
- HPOZ review
- Historic review
- Entitlement questions
- Case management meetings
- Variances, adjustments, or other relief
This is one reason house relocation is not instant. The project has to make sense on paper before it can move forward in the field.
Step 5: Prepare Drawings and Application Materials
Once the concept appears feasible, drawings usually need to be prepared.
These may include:
- Plot plans
- Floor plans
- Elevations
- Site placement studies
- Foundation plans
- Permit and application packages
These documents help agencies understand the proposal and determine what approvals may be required.
Step 6: Coordinate With Agencies
A relocation project may involve multiple agencies and departments.
Depending on the project, this can include:
- Planning
- Building & Safety
- Public Works
- Transportation
- Utility agencies
- Sanitation
- Fire review
- Historic Preservation review
This stage often involves revisions, follow-up, and coordination over time.
Step 7: Prepare the House for Moving
Once approvals are in place or the project is close to move-readiness, the house itself must be prepared.
This may involve:
- Removing portions that cannot travel as-is
- Structural bracing
- Disconnecting utilities
- Separating the structure into sections if needed
- Installing steel support framing
- Preparing for cranes, dollies, and transport equipment
Some houses move in one piece. Others need to be moved in sections.
Step 8: Prepare the Receiving Site
At the same time, the receiving property must be prepared to accept the house.
This often includes:
- Foundation work
- Grading
- Utility planning
- Crane access
- Temporary site preparation
- Clearances for trucks and equipment
If the site is not ready, the house cannot simply be dropped into place.
Step 9: Move the House
The move itself is only one part of the overall project, but it is the part most people picture first.
This may involve:
- Traffic coordination
- Route control
- Pilot cars
- Temporary lifting of wires or obstacles
- Street use permits
- Cranes
- Trucks and dollies
- Early-morning or overnight movement
The move can be dramatic, but it only happens after a great deal of planning.
Step 10: Set the House on the New Site
Once the house arrives, it still must be carefully placed.
That may involve:
- Crane work
- Setting sections
- Alignment
- Structural connection
- Temporary stabilization
Arrival is a major milestone, but it is not the end of the project.
Step 11: Reassemble, Restore, and Complete Construction
After the move, the house still needs construction work before it is ready for occupancy.
This may include:
- Reconnecting sections
- Rebuilding removed portions
- Roofing
- Framing corrections
- Plumbing
- electrical
- HVAC
- Insulation
- Windows and doors
- Finish work
- Exterior restoration
- Code upgrades
This is the stage where the relocated house begins to truly become a home or usable building again.
Step 12: Final Inspections and Occupancy
As with any major building project, the work must undergo final inspections and approvals before the building can be lawfully occupied.
That final step matters just as much as the move itself.
Important Takeaway
A relocated house may save a worthy structure from demolition and give it a second life on a new property.
But the house itself is only part of the equation.
A relocation project still involves:
- Transport
- Permits
- Planning
- Engineering
- Site work
- Foundations
- Restoration
- Inspections
- Time
That is why the best first step is usually a conversation and an early feasibility review before anyone assumes the move will be simple, fast, or inexpensive.
Start With a Conversation
If you have a house that may be worth saving, or a property that may be a fit for a relocated home, the best place to begin is with a conversation.
A realistic roadmap can save time, reduce confusion, and help you determine whether relocating a house is the right fit for your project.
Cheers!
Alan Pinel
(213) 841-9988