The house I grew up in, which my family still owns and which we still use as a second residence, is likely to be claimed by the city in the next few years for major street improvements.
It’s a damn shame, because it’s a historic, custom designed house, built in 1938 by a local architect in the International style, with materials and techniques that were not in common use in our area - most notably a stucco exterior over the traditional wood frame, and a slab foundation (no basement). It’s one of perhaps 4 houses in this style in a town of 50,000 population without much architectural distinction.
The first time I talked to my dad about these developments, I suggested moving the house. It’s not a big house, and it’s done all the time with frame houses. He said, “I don’t think you can move a stuccoed house. It’d just crumble to bits.” I reminded him that it’s not masonry - it’s wood frame, studs and wallboard and like that, and outside, the stucco.
We’d want to move it maybe 6 blocks - maybe buy a cheap house/lot further back in town, pull down that house, and plant ours.
Assuming the whole enterprise isn’t going to cost us One Million Friggn Dollars (not likely given local property values), my question is: is it possible - and feasible - to move the house?
