In the Big Department: Area House, Weighing 100 Tons, Inches Down Road, Part of 'Recycling' Effort

It was moving day in the Sammamish area on Tuesday and not just in the rent a U-Haul truck, load the futon in and cruise down the highway way.

Robert Cook, president of Seattle-based Cook Structural Movers, who oversaw the tender-loving-care project in this portion of King County dubbed it a recycling project of, well, gigantic proportions.

The two-story house that left its foundation off Northeast 8th Street - east of the 244th Avenue Northeast traffic circle in Sammamish - weighs about 200,000 pounds and has a hulking footprint of 56 feet by 38 feet, he said.

So: How did Robert Cook and his brothers, James and Dan, accomplish their goal of moving 3,800 square feet of living space a large block from the east to 250th Avenue Northeast?

It was similar to the goal depicted in the movie, "UP," and the whole idea was moving something from one point to another. But that's an animated motion picture and there were many balloons.

This project had heft, gravity and things that could crumble.

The brothers did it the old-fashioned way: They used steel girders, placed underneath the house, a thick steel cable, chains, pieces of wood to balance areas and a heavy-duty towing truck that once served in the military and still has a torque-tolerant winch.

And they rolled that house down the street at about 1 mph, Robert Cook said. In fact, one of their friends used her cell phone camera to capture the moment - actually moments. That video clip, she said, is about 90 minutes.

"We're just recycling a house, basically. This is what recycling is," he said. "Someone saved it. They called us to do it."

To get the job done, they used jacks that could support tons. Other workers had to trim tree branches alongside the road and utility crews had to temporarily take down wires hanging high in the air, he said.

Another truck pulled part of the garage on a trailer.

One advantage of moving a house to a different location, as compared to buying a new one, he added, is that it can save people money.

On Tuesday afternoon, sofa cushions could still be seen through one of the house's big bay windows. Robert Cook explained that carpet, flooring and cabinets remained inside the house as it and the truck crawled down the road. 

"Everything you can think of is inside the house," he said.

That also included a sink and some type of oven in the kitchen.

So, how did he and his brothers figure out how to move a 100-ton house without, well, having the thing tip over or just crash to the ground?

"It's all in my head," he said.

In other words, it's rare for any type of class to be taught about how to move a 100-ton house down a road.

His grandfather entered the structure moving business decades ago in the same way that many people get started in any enterprise. He tinkered. In this case, his grandfather started salvaging items. That interest grew into a business.

"It's like most structure movers are born into this," Robert Cook said. "No one just starts out. It's always a handed-down company."

The Tuesday move, he added, went smoothly. The owners will have to put down a foundation on the land. In the morning, he said, residents lined the street and took photos. Some captured the neighborhood event with video cameras.

While the Tuesday move cost $22,000, that big blue, military surplus truck that did the heavy pulling only used a small amount of fuel.

How much?

About 20 gallons of diesel.

"It's just another day on the job for me," Robert Cook said.

Editor's note: This story has been revised to include the new location of the house.