House & Building Moving

Moving houses, historic buildings and whole structures since 1954 - from a Gulf Coast cottage to a 4,830-ton lighthouse.

Talk to a House Mover

Yes, You Can Move a House

Most people have never thought about it until they need it. Maybe the lot is being bought out, the shoreline is creeping closer, a road is going through, or you found the perfect old house and the perfect piece of land - just not in the same place.

Moving a house is what our family has done for four generations. Expert House Movers started in 1954, and the Matyikos have moved everything from small frame homes to churches, theaters, an airport terminal and, most famously, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Here on the Gulf Coast, Joe Matyiko Jr. runs EHM of Texas out of Galveston. Our own crews do the work with our own equipment. We don't hand your house off to somebody else.

Joe Matyiko Jr.
Owner · Fourth-generation house mover · (409) 750-3448

Frame house loaded on steel beams and dollies being moved down the road by Expert House Movers

Four generations of structural moving

What We Move

Houses, Buildings & Structures

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Residential House Moving

Frame homes, pier & beam houses, cottages and brick homes moved across the lot, across town or out of a flood zone.

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Historic Buildings

Old houses, churches and landmarks that are worth saving. Slow, careful moves with the kind of experience old framing demands.

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Commercial & Large Structures

Our family has moved theaters, terminals, lighthouses and other structures most people don't know can be moved.

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Moving Out of Harm's Way

Sometimes the best flood protection is a new location. Whole communities have moved homes to higher ground - our family has done exactly that.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse during its 1999 relocation by Expert House Movers

The Move of the Millennium

The Family That Moved a Lighthouse

In 1999 the shoreline at Cape Hatteras had eaten its way to within a few hundred feet of the tallest brick lighthouse in America. Expert House Movers lifted the 4,830-ton tower and rolled it 2,900 feet inland to safety.

That move earned the American Society of Civil Engineers' Opal Award for outstanding civil engineering achievement and the International Association of Structural Movers' "Move of the Millennium" honor. The family has also set Guinness World Records, including moving a lighthouse the farthest distance and the heaviest building moved on wheels.

We don't tell you that to brag. We tell you because when somebody asks "can you really move my house?", the honest answer is: we've moved a whole lot harder things. See our awards and record moves.

How a House Move Works

1. Look and plan. We see the house, the old site, the new site and the route between them. Size, weight, construction type, trees, power lines and turns all matter.
2. Permits and the route. We get the moving permits and coordinate with the city, the county and the utility companies for anything along the route - like lines that need to be lifted.
3. Prep. Utilities are disconnected, and we dig and set steel beams under the house so its weight is carried evenly.
4. Lift and load. Our unified hydraulic jacks raise the house evenly, then it is set onto heavy-duty moving dollies.
5. The move. The house rolls to its new spot, slow and steady.
6. Set on the new foundation. We lower the house onto its new foundation and it gets hooked back up.

From start to finish, a typical home move runs about 30 to 45 days - most of that is prep and the new foundation, not the move itself.

House on steel beams and moving dollies ready to roll

Is It Worth It?

Moving a House vs. Building New

It depends on the house. Here is how we would think it through if it were ours.

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When Moving Makes Sense

The house is well built, you love it, it has history, or new construction on the new lot would cost a lot more. Older homes often have framing and lumber you simply cannot buy today.

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When It Might Not

The house has major rot or damage, the route is impossible, or the house is small and simple enough that new is cheaper. We will tell you if we think that is your situation.

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Buyouts and Flood Lots

When a flood-prone lot is bought out, some owners move their house to new land instead of losing it. Ask us early - timing matters.

House Moving Questions

For a typical home, about 30 to 45 days from start to finish. That covers prep, the move itself and setting the house on its new foundation. Bigger or more complicated moves take longer.

Yes - usually right up until the day we lift it.

The new foundation is its own part of the project. We will plan it with you and spell out in writing what is included.

Mostly clear the way. We need about 10 feet of working room around the house, so landscaping, sheds, fences or anything else in that space may need to be moved first.

Usually yes. A tight lot means more hand work and more time for our crew, so it can cost more, but it can be done.

Yes. We get the permits and coordinate with the city and utility companies along the route.

Yes. Historic and fragile homes are a big part of what our family has done for decades. They just need a slower, more careful approach.

Call us or use the form below. Tell us where the house is, where it is going, what it is built on and send a few photos of each side. We can usually give you a ballpark first, then a firm price after we see it.

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Talk to Us About Moving a House

Tell us where the house is now, where it is going and what it sits on. A few photos of each side help a lot. We will call you back - no pressure, just straight answers.

📞 (409) 750-3448