And it crawled from the ocean...

Moving house!  Literally!

 Moving house can be a big job.  Especially when you actually move the house...

Before...

The Process:

I won't bore you with the months of preparation, the clearing of the land, the tearing apart of the decks and the sheds, trying to get skid logs under the beams of the house while it was floating (try jacking up a house that is on a watery surface!), There was months of backbreaking and tedious labor involved just to get it ready to move- let's go straight to moving day!

First the house was released from the protected little bay it had been anchored in for the past 6 years and pushed around the corner to its new home.

The photos don't show the picture very well, but the house is being pushed along by 3 skiffs behind it.  Orcas were sighted nearby on this day!

Above you can see the cleared area, below, moving the house toward the area, and the rollers set up to drag the house over.

Bringing it closer...

Waiting for the highest point of tide to float it as close as possible...

Cables were tied to the skids which were then pulled by a yarder (a big winch).

Slowly it would inch its way forward, with a bunch of readjustments needed every couple of feet or so.

Under the house, that which has not seen the light of day for a long time! Lots of eyes watching all around as it inched up...

And finally we are on land and off the float!  The whole thing took about three hours from the start of the pulling to landing!  It was so exciting, we accidentally beached a skiff or two!

Finally...

A week later, the house is starting to get into a more permanent position. It may look a little weather beaten, but it was an amazing little house which is why we had to save it.  It was so well built that the window frames did not move at all, a very sturdy little house!

A great start but still a long way to go....