We have a 1-2 acre lot in the metroplex that has a 1950s house we have lived in for the past several years. It's a 3/2 about 2800 sq ft. It needs some work but overall in good condition. Pier and beam foundation.

We don't think a renovation would be the best use of our money and time. We've been quoted 300-400k at a minimum for a reno by multiple people to do what we want to do.

We love the location and the lot so want to build on our current lot where the current house stands. Is it realistic to sell or donate just the house? Or do we just need to salvage what we can and demo it?

We don't want to build on another location on the lot as there really isn't another good location to build on it. It just feels wasteful to demo. Was wondering what y'all's thoughts were.

Folks...if this was economically feasible, then why are 98% of homes in this situation just torn down?

I'm in the same situation with a much smaller home. Dozens and dozens of pier and beam homes around me have all been torn down.

I could be wrong, but unless it is something marked historic and moving it is some form of mitigation, I can't imagine anyone is going to bother.

I would tend to agree. Unless there is something special about the house, it won't be worth the cost of moving it. Moving a house isn't usually a cheap affair, lot of work on both ends of the move.

Not pretending to know any details, but I do know in recent years a church in Fort Worth wanted to expand but needed adjacent dirt. Over a number of years they purchased the (1200sf - 2000sf pier & beam) homes surrounding it as they came for sale, and also purchased empty lots a few miles down the road in a low income area. They moved the houses to the new lots and sold/gave/rented (not sure on the details) to deserving families.

evan_aggie said:

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Folks...if this was economically feasible, then why are 98% of homes in this situation just torn down?

I'm in the same situation with a much smaller home. Dozens and dozens of pier and beam homes around me have all been torn down.

I could be wrong, but unless it is something marked historic and moving it is some form of mitigation, I can't imagine anyone is going to bother.

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It happens all the time. I bought a house that was moved and renovated.

They're probably usually torn down because in the grand scheme of a project, demo is not that much. And it's easier. They don't want to deal with the hassle of finding someone and waiting on them to take it.

Corps_Ag12 said:

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I would look at your best case being someone interested in hauling it off at no cost. Otherwise you'll be paying to demo it & haul off the trash or paying someone to pick it up & haul it off.

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Agree with this.

There is a television show on this: https://www.diynetwork.com/shows/texas-flip-and-move

Several of the folks are in DFW area. But as the quoted post above says, it will not be you who makes any money off the move.

You are probably looking at up to $10k to demo house and dispose of properly. So having someone come haul it off saved you $10k.