Preparing the destination before the home arrives

The transport is the visible part of a relocation and the least likely to go wrong. What goes wrong is that the home arrives and there is nowhere to put it.

Start with the perc test

If the destination needs a septic system, the perc test and the health department permit are the longest lead item in the entire project — four to six weeks is normal, and it is entirely outside our control. Start it the day you confirm the land.

Then the pad

1. 01Grade and cut for drainage away from the home footprint
2. 02Compact to the bearing capacity the support plan calls for
3. 03Set footings or pour the slab to the manufacturer's layout
4. 04Confirm the rig can physically reach the pad, including turn radius

That last point is the one people forget. We have arrived at prepared pads that a toter could not reach because the approach had a ninety degree turn between two mature trees.

Stub the utilities and cap them

Water, sewer, electrical, and gas brought to the footprint and capped. If the utilities are not stubbed, the home sits on its piers unconnected while you wait on a trade, and that gap is where the cost of a move quietly grows.