This Old House Moves To A New Home MICHELLE RANCK Lancaster Farming Staff MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.) As a newly-married couple, Ben and Sarah Zurin have already experienced a life changing, moving experience. Their home was transported almost 400 yards to a new loca tion. The farmhouse, which the Zurins estimate is between 125- 150 years old, was formerly owned by Ben’s grandparents, Henry and Vema Stoltzfus. “They (Henry and Verna) were talking about tearing it down about two years ago, then somebody mentioned to them about moving it onto the devel opment and selling it as a regu lar house,” said Ben. “I jumped on it right away because I really liked the house, the develop- ■ The moving crew: from left, Henry and Verna Stoltzfus; Ben, Adam, and Judy Zurin; and house movers Dale S. Aungst and Mike Mallow. HFC Field Commander BRILLION HIGH CLEARANCE FIELD j, COMMANDERS CAN HELP , CONSERVATION PROGRAM ■ Rugged shanks feature , v v ''. v „ * 142 pounds of v * -* ‘j’ J; point pressure ■ 26" of underframe clearance to handle heavy residue conditions ■ 130” front to rear depth in 5-bar frame to let trash (low freely thru the cultivator ■ Replaceable bushings and grease zerks on every shank reduce maintenance costs ment, and this area,” said Ben, who noted that Sarah was also enthusiastic about the idea. The home sits on a 120-acre farm where the Stoltzfus family fed steers and ran a business. Henry, who patented and devel oped silo distributors, owned and operated Lancaster Level Flo, a silo distributor manufac turer. The couple resided on the farm for 46 years before moving into their new home in May. The move takes them across the field in a development, still within view of the old farmhouse. Messiah Village, an assisted living facility, now owns the land. When Ben and Sarah Zurin, who were married in June, moved into the house this summer, they knew they would be moving out while the house traveled across the field. The land was sold before the move, and the couple had until the end of the year to move the home to a lot on the adjacent develop ment. Cost of the transport for the Zurins was economical because the house moved across the field and not on a road, which would require a police escort and a spe cial permit. Zurin also noted that the frame house did not have the weight or require the special bracing of a brick or stone house. Ben and his father, Gary, are partners in Zurin Masonry and Roofing, so they have the neces sary resources and experience to completthejob. “We plan to do a lot of the work ourselves,” said Ben, “so that saves the cost of bringing Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 11, 2000-A33 The 125-year-old farmhouse stood here before moving almost 400 yards to a lot on an adjacent development. people in to do the work.” Sarah is finishing up her last year of nursing school. The couple moved into a nearby apartment while their house made the trip. Many of their furnishings remain in the house. “She even has her dishes still in the cupboard,” said Ben’s mother, Judy, also of Mount Joy. Aungst, who has been in the business since 1975, moves 15-20 houses a year, a full-time job. Based in Clearville, Bedford County, Aungst was introduced to the business by his father-in law, who is also in the house moving business. To move a house, movers dig around the entire foundation to make way for place the steel posts. The house is then jacked off of the foundation 10-12 feet. “We take the foundation out to get the wheels under it. The wheels sit on the basement floor,” said Aungst. The truck bed is then slipped under the house and nulled out by a bulldozer. A slope to the Contact your local mm dealer for details. ADAMSTOWN Adamstown Equip. Inc. 717-484-4391 ALLENTOWN Lehigh Ag Equipment 610-398-2553 BECHTELSVILLE Miller Equip. Co. 610-845-2911 EASTON Geo. V. Seiple & Son, Inc. 610-258-7146 INTERCOURSE Hoober, Inc. 800-732-0017 LEBANON Umberger's of Fontana 717-867-5161 OLEY Pikeville Equipment, Inc. 610-987-6277 Maryland Ag Industrial Equipment 410-658-5568 New Jersey ELMER Pole Tavern Equip. Sales Corp. 856-358-2880 Virginia HARRISONBURG Rockingham New Holland, Inc. 800-360-5313 foundation allows the bulldozer to pull the house over the exist ing hole. “People usually think the foundation is there when we get there, but it’s not. That’s fin ished later,” said Aungst. The Zurin’s farmhouse weighs in at approximately 65 tons, but Aungst movers have moved a house weighing S2S tons. The Zurins are not the first to move an existing home into a de velopment. Aungst has also moved homes away from a wire too close to the house or even moved brand-new houses built too close to a property line. Most of the moves are short distance. “If it’s a lot of miles, the wires are too costly to move,” said Aungst. PP&L ar rived to cut the wires and allow the house to move across the driveway. Besides finishing the founda tion, the couple plans to build a garage onto the house. 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