How much does a house weigh?
 

Seriously!

20' x 36', wood frame pier & beam w/metal hip roof. Any ideas?

My house weighs about 35 tons, but it's a little bigger than that... :D

200 lbs per square foot and 275 for two stories.

i would estimate about 25 to 35#/sf for a one story with drywall on walls and ceiling and metal roof. with carpet and or vinyl on the floors.

so it is about 720 sf x 30 that would be 21,600# not counting anything below the wood floor system.

these are round numbers, why do you want to know?

oh yeah that is empty, with no furniture or appliances or people.

tom w

One question.

Why?

Do you plan on Fed-Ex'ing your house cross country?

It is 200 lbs a square foot that is a fact, google it.

just cause google says it doesnt make it so.

there is just no way that a frame ranch with metal roof weighs any where near 300# per square foot.

now if it were concrete and masonry then that is a different story. and of course the foundation weighs a good deal too.

as you will note in my estimate i excluded the foundation, since i have no idea what that is. that will vary all over that map depending on where you are and how deep it freezes there.

i do weight calculations on every building i design the structure for, adn that is every one i design, and occasionally i will design a structure for one i dont design. i have a book with all the materials listed with weights per sf and cubic foot.

now if you were to give me specific specifications i could do a complete weight analysis. then if you want to know for sure you could weigh it. but most of the time we just estimate the weight, size the stucture and build it.

i have been doing it for about 30 years. between 3 and 400 built structures. none have fallen down yet.

tom w

My numbers came from a house mover and google and do include the foundation and floor which in Michigan can be up to half of the weight.

It can't weight that much. I see trailers pulling 700 sqft. houses down the highway all the time. :D At 200lbs a square foot that would be 140,000 lbs!

I tried . . .
 

I just couldn't get mine on the bathroom scale to save my life. I guess I can't argue with 200lbs a square foot.

A true 1300 sq ft modular weighs 40-60 ton per half.

What does a house weigh? Some mental heavy lifting

Ask the Expert / Darrell Hay


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Q: How much does the average house weigh?

A: First, we need to define "average," then we need to define "house." But, in general, the average house today is about twice as big as the average house 50 years or more ago. But an older house (depending on exact age) will have solid lumber wall sheathing and floorboards instead of plywood, will have heavy lath and plaster walls instead of drywall and likely will have more masonry work.

So when we say "house," does that include the extremely heavy concrete foundation, concrete garage or basement floor? With all those variables, how could we possibly figure out how much a house weighs? There are three methods:

• Totaling the weight of the individual components.

• Pulling out a scale and actually weighing the finished product. (That would be one awfully big scale, but house movers tell me that most houses weigh in at between 80,000 and 160,000 pounds. Of course, this is sans foundation and concrete floor slabs, and house movers typically are dealing with older, smaller structures that have been stripped of many components (but not always).

• Rules of thumb around the construction industry are 200 pounds per square foot for a single-level home, 275 for two levels and 350 for three levels. This figure is predicated on no heavy features such as tile roofing or extensive masonry work, but includes foundation.

To check it out, I built a hypothetical 1,600-foot, single-level home in my head and on paper, based on known delivered weights of given materials. It totaled 345,000 pounds (including 160,000 for the foundation and 30,000 in the garage floor), compared to the rule-of-thumb house weighing in at 320,000. Pretty close! Of course, what good is a house without a deck? In my hypothetical house, I added a deck, a gazebo and a hot tub, which pretty much explains the difference. Adding in the weight of a foundation, slabs, appliances and fixtures to the house-mover's figures, we cross-check pretty well.

Refiguring for the "average" 2,200-square-foot, two-level newer home, rule of thumb comes it at 605,000, which I suspect is on the high side. Why do I think that's high? Because the foundation hasn't increased dramatically in size over my hypothetical single-level house. But then again, I don't have a scale that big, so what do I know?

that guy just doesnt know what he is talking about.

sorry.

unless he is building the walls fo 12" thick concrete.

lets see, a 24 x 24 foot garage slab 4" thick is about 30k #, so he got that right. his other figures are way too high unless he is talking about a brick adobe with 2' thick walls.

now lets see a 1300 sf modular weighs 40 to 60 ton, that is 80 to 120,000 pounds or about twice the legal limit for a semi, am i right? i dont think so.

i have a 35' travel trailer, it weighs about 8,000 pounds and has three axles. so lets see it is 8.8 x 35 or about 300 sf. so by that calc a 1300 sf modular would weigh about 35000 pounds.

tom w

Hmmm. @ 200lbs ft2, that makes me heavier than a house per ft2........:eek:

Mine currently weighs about $170,000. :)

Since I have actually built and shipped modular homes I can safely say that you maybe an architect but you are way wrong. The bare minumum weight for a home stripped for moving is 40 lbs square foot. That is with part of the roof removed, plumbing HVAC ect.

As an aritect a guy would think that you know the difference between a modular and manufactered home but apparently you do not. A modular is stick built and nearly identical to a stick built home by spec to local residential building code.

Then how do they haul those 260,000-450,000 lb excavators?

Then how do they haul those 260,000-450,000 lb excavators?

Q: "How much does a house weigh?"

A: According to our professional house lifter/mover, normal old houses weigh 60 to 80 tons. Since we still have the Time magazines from the Carter Administration and way too much furniture, he estimated that ours weighed in at about 85 tons. (He had to use a little different strategy to get everything lifted correctly.) See the next question, too. Of course, our house is full of heavy plaster walls and ceilings and has a two chamber brick chimney, too. New houses would weigh much less. (This is almost a daily question on the Google searches that hit our site. Why do people really need to know how much a house weighs? If you hit our site as a Googler for this question, send us an email.)

fine. i claim no special expertise about either modular or manufactured homes. i have not built or had anything to do with either. 40# per sf sounds about right to me for a trailer delivered modular double wide?? and 40 x 1300 is what, 52k pounds, right? not 80 to 120k.

of course a modular will weigh more than a house less the foundation. it has a frame to support it as it is towed down the highway. a house just has to sit there and resist wind.

the orignial question was what did a frame house weigh of a specific size. i gave an estimate of about 21k #. actually i gave a range of 25 to 35 #/ SF. i stand by that estimate. with more information i might be able to get closer.

now i dont know about excavators weighing 425,000# but i am sure that it requires a very special trailer and a very special permit to move one. not a normal semi by any means.

one day i saw a triple articulated (i made that name up so i dont know if it is correct at all) trailer with about 16 axles and a tractor in front and a drone tractor on the back pushing. it was most impressive.

hey, lets be friends.

tom w

A modular is a stick built home; in fact it is more rigid than a site built home in almost all circumstances due to the reinforcement needed to handle the shipping load I have seen them on the scales with my own two eyes and know what they weigh. A manufactured home is much like your travel trailer with a light steel or aluminum frame and what we commonly refer to as double wides.

Off-topic but interesting:

In Australia, in the "outback" (the barren, VERY sparsely-populated center of the continent), one can sometimes see semi-trucks towing a series of 4, 5 8, even 10 trailers at once!!! :eek: A pretty amazing thing to witness, especially when you see one for the first time.

Out in that no-man's-land, there's no traffic or congestion or sharp turns to deal with, so.... the towing ability of the truck itself is really the only limit to the number of trailers. :)


Mike

Speaking of weight Mike I am doing the final removal of stuff from my old house so the speakers will be ready to ship, all 5 ft tall of them.

thanks for the clarification. so does a modular have a permanent frame and wheels or does it sit on a separate trailer?

tom w

Stick houses scare me...mobile homes even more.

Of course...that goes along with the geography.


There are some builders in the area that have a block first story, and a stick second story. That, would scare me too....since I think that the second story would me more exposed to high winds and blow away sooner than if it were block.

I'd rather be paranoid than sorry. :D

In pieces on several trailers, and that's one biga## excavator!

A true modular is no different than a site built home it is loaded onto a trailer and unloaded after it is set it can take a trained eye to tell the difference after it is set. The main beam is usually two laminate beams bolted together and the marriage wall is covered. The legal definition is that a modular conforms to the state residential building code while a manufactured home complies with HUD code and has a steel frame and is really much more like a trailer. You would have problems financing a manufactured home vs a modular which is considered the same and appraises the same as standard site built homes.

Manufactured = Doublewide
Modular = Conforming home

Excellent! :D Lemme' know when, and I'll work out the details. :D

Mike

A Komatsu PC400 weighs 105,000 lbs and that is middle of the road, you see those on the road every day.

Here is a good example of a true modular http://www.discoverycustomhomes.com/our_homes/floor_plans/rosemont/index.asp

Each section of that home weights about 10 ton maybe a tad over.

so you are saying that each 500sf section weighs 20k. and that then is about 40#/ SF. and then how are they constructed so that they can be lifted by a crane? the walls for the first floor arent just free standing there, right?

tom w

The outer frame is laminate beam and big ass straps drop it in place, it is a nifty operation. Ranches are sometimes roll set and rolled into place on I beams, the crane is too heavy for most roads so rolling is the only option. The crazy part is the rails are so level and smooth one guy could push the house into position.

Ranches are way heavier per sq/f because of the extra reinforcment needed for the long spans.

Another modular.

http://www.modularcenter.com/collection/images/doubleeagle1.jpg

When I was little I used to go around to job sites with my dad or one of his friends in the truck. Hugh Mack, with a goose neck flat bed. Moving large equipment is done everyday, not a big deal really.

I forget the model's but they had two excavators, a medium one that was a Cat, and a larger one that was a Volvo I think. I am sure both were north of 100k pounds.


Actualy the largest problem is stupid drivers who forget that a 16ft tall load doesn't fit under a 15ft bridge.:rolleyes:

a bunch of us eat a lot at the same table in the back room of a local tavern. funny cause none of us ever drink at lunch. but we have me, an engineer, an accountant, a lawyer, a judge, and a contractor who has a lot of heavy equipment. the contractor has some good stories, well others too, but he tells about his dump truck drivers a lot.
one forgot to lower the bed after making a dump. he took off for the shop and began taking down tv, phone and power lines. he didnt stop til he had downshifted several times and ...well... the front end of the truck started coming off the ground!

that last picture is hard to picture as being a modular. amazing.

tom w

so with a load of 105000 what does the trailer look like? how many axles?
of course the laws about all this are different according to the state.

for example in indiana, you have a load permitted per axle and a total gross load limit. so you just see semis with two axles under the fifth wheel and two at the back of the trailer.

now in michegain you just have a load per axle limit, i believe and no total limit or if you do it is very high. there you will see trailers with axles running from the back of the tractor all the way to the back of the trailer. it is very interesting.

tom w

I think there is a max load but its real friggin heavy there is a winter limit but I can't remember. I have seen 100 ton bumper presses being moved I am sure they pay a nice fee for that weight though, the trailer was enormous. The trailers used to haul the excavator is a normal "low boy" I think it has four axles in the rear.

so what state you in?

tom w

meeeeechagan

nice place. my mom and two of my eight siblings live there in kalamazoo. lots of recreational outdoor activity opportunities there.

tom w

Thanks all.

My House
 

I have a similar question, with more information. I need to know the weight of my house since it will be raised and supported while the foundation is built underneath it. It is an old (80yrs), 22 X 30, 2 story house. It has plaster walls and ceilings and is partially furnished. Obviously, I do not need to include the weight of any existing foundation. Any help would be appreciated. I have guessed it to be 54 tons.

Speaking of trucks with problems this was in todays local news.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091117/ARTICLES/911179974/1353?Title=Crews-working-to-remove-crane-from-split-house
This is a little different kind of construction but I am hoping to do one of these some day. http://www.topsider.com/

Back From the Dead?
 

does anyone else realize that this thread ended 05/2006??

Yea, houses just don't weigh what they used to...

If it is wood siding not brick and shingle or metal roof not clay tile or slate, I would estimate from 60 to 80# per sf more or less which makes 40 to 50,000 pounds, plus whatever the furniture weighs which is probably not that much.

In alberta, there are trailers that haul the big oilfield equipment, and they have 192 tires and can have 4 pull and 4 push trucks on them... Glad I never drove those things.... They do pay well though...

Thanks
 

I knew this was an old thread, but it had good discussions with the type of information I needed. Thanks t walgamuth for your reply. Your estimate is about half of mine and since I want a comfortable factor of safety using a 50 ton estimate should work. Now to select my I-beams and design the support structure.

Hey! we just paused to think of what we wanted to say next:P