It Got a Lot Worse Before It Got Better

To fast foward somewhat, I submitted a sealed bid, which the church accepted. Now I had to find financing and a house mover. Lending institutions take a dim view of doing a mortgage on something that's going to be cut up into pieces. In fact, the way things are now, I doubt I would have even been able to get a loan. My bank said no, the credit union laughed, but a local savings and loan finally agreed to do it. However, they had one requirement; I had to insure it with Lloyds of London as a piece of cargo.

Finding a house mover proved harder even than the financing. Now there are house moving shows on TV. That would have been helpful. I'd been happy if I had been able to find a "House Moving For Dummies" book. No such luck. This was a "learn by doing" project. I interviewed 6 movers and chose one. We had the driest December on record that year, but by the time they started getting ready to move it we were into January and it was anything but dry. I'm sure in some parts of the country a house could not even be moved in the winter, but in Texas we can either have really good weather or really bad weather. I'm sure I don't have to say which one we had.

Here's what happens when you cut a house in half with a chainsaw...

The first half is leaving in this photo. There's a curious issue that has remained constant throughout my entire life (I think it's a variation of Murphy's Law). I have never ever done anything with a house that it hasn't rained. This day was no different...and it only got worse.

All day long as the crew worked to move the house, the temperature rose and the rain got heavier. Two days later, the bottom fell out. A flood and a house without a roof do not make a good combination. I came home that night to find my sister and the house mover making troughs out of plastic sheeting and pieces of lumber to channel the water that was pouring from the ceilings out through the holes in the floor where the floor vents had been.

By February the house was back together and roof was in progress...right up until the Ice Storm of the Century came in. This time around we had icicles hanging out of the antique ceiling fans and ice running down the inside walls. Our makeshift water channeling system with plastic and boards came back out to keep the floors from buckling. Well, at least I had an excuse to pull the carpet up and see what was under it...heart pine floors...without a single knot. You won't find new wood like that.

I will say...I've never been so happy to see anything as I was to see an actual roof on this house...and that Lloyd's of London insurance sure did come in handy.