Moving a house (if lava comes)- Urban legend?

[Greg]

Either my memory is being stimulated by this conversation, or I'm totally halucinating, but........ I seem to recall the Lyman House Museum was moved to it's present location for some reason.

[StillHope]

Carey,I've seen mobile homes on roads.but never a real (brick,for instance) one.

[EightFingers]

So based on all this, is it a good idea to have a "go to lot" somewhere in another location in case it gets too hot on your lot?

[leilaniguy]

Brick buildings can be moved. When I was a kid in Medford, Oregon the city moved 2 brick office buildings to make way for a new city hall. In 1999 Cape Hatteras lighthouse in N. Carolina was moved inland half a mile.

[StillHope]

Thanks,Leilaniguy.Always nice to learn something new.

[StillHope]

quote:

---

Originally posted by EightFingers

So based on all this, is it a good idea to have a "go to lot" somewhere in another location in case it gets too hot on your lot?

---

I am asking myself the same ?

But the key word should be "insurance".

If a house is insured (and fire burns it),the insurance will pay that limit specified in your policy.
In my case that will be about the same as it costs.Bigger houses are not completely covered.

Though HPIA should be happy if someone will save them a bunch of money by moving the house,but I don't see them paying a penny for the moving expenses.
Interesting if you can work out some kind of agreement on this.
But since there's no competition (HPIA -the only one in Hawaii for the risk zones),I don't see them bother with it.

[Dave Smith]

As some have mentioned, there were dozens of former plantation homes on the Hamakua coast either moved or dismantled in the mid-1970s, many from Hakalau and Ookala. The homes, which were remarkably well-preserved after five or six decades, were being sold to make way for a little more cane land (rather short-sightedly, in retrospect). Many went for around $100 and contained a variety of lumber (actual dimensions Ð a 2x4 measured two inches by four inches), redwood panelling and roof metal.

Moving out of lava's way has been going on for some time. A man I interviewed for a Trib article a few years back was forced from his home in 1955 when lava burst out of his cucumber patch three miles down Kalapana Road from Pahoa. He went back when the activity subsided and moved the semi-scorched remains to a lot in Hilo.

[TheodoreJay]

The rule of thumb is if a truck can haul it you can move it (at a cost).
One very large multi storied brick historical home in Denver was moved. The house was given away free to anyone who would promise to move it. I'm thinking if I built in the Puna area I would def. build a house in easy to move modules then pray if I ever needed to there would be time or adequate moving truck or a place to move the house to. The alternate is pick the cheapest possible plot of land and basically a screened in shack, furnish it with garage sale stuff (if Pele takes it away, oh well).

[Carey]

Stillhope... even if your house is insured against fire, if lava flows over it, the land cannot be immediately rebuilt on (some of the flow land from the 1990's is just now being built on)

Be aware that many fire insurance policies do not cover rebuilding a house on a different lot (probably to reduce fires set to avoid selling & moving costs...) If you are planning on claiming fire damage in case of lava intrusion, you may not be able to rebuild for quite a while.... (lava & earthquake damage are not very well covered in this state.... as many on the north end of the island found in 2006)

Have you also looked at what you will do if your structure sustains earthquake damage?

[StillHope]

Thank you,Carey!
Then definitely- moving! (If I can).
With no competition,I don't expect anything good from that insurance anyway.