Depending on the size and design of the steel building, there are two options for moving it. Larger steel buildings sealed to a foundation will need to be disassembled and reassembled, while smaller steel buildings can be moved short distances in one piece. Either way, moving a steel building 50 feet or 500 miles requires a lift and a qualified lift operator; if you are moving a significant distance, an 18-wheeler will be required.
It is possible to move smaller steel buildings like sheds or small garages without dismantling them. If a smaller building is moved a short distance, say from one end of a property to the other, it can actually slide. The process begins by carefully raising the front of the steel building with a lift and sliding wood under it to act as a support and then repeating this process again on the back of the building. Then, by attaching a tow rope to the wood under the building, the steel frame can be towed from one location to another.
While this method is much less expensive than disassembling and reassembling, it is also more risky. Uneven movement can cause bending and warping that can damage or destroy the structural integrity of a steel building. A desirable, but not safe, method of preventing flexing is to reinforce the skids by attaching 2×4 cuts the width of the building to the skids creating a sort of frame. In the end, a truck can tow the building on skids; much like a child who is sled down the snow by his parents.
If the building needs to be moved further, then it can be lifted up by the elevator from 2 until a truck can move under it, at which point the elevator can lower the steel building or dump it onto the truck bed. The truck can then relocate the building and then again lift and raise and lower the steel building to its new property.
Moving a larger building is much more complex because it involved breaking down a building into its basic components, transporting the components, and then reassembling them. The most important part of tearing down a building is the organization. Incorrect rebuilding can result in expensive expenses in the form of lost or damaged parts. It is strongly recommended that qualified workers be hired to ensure that the structural integrity of the steel building is protected during all phases of the moving process.
Tearing down a building is essentially done in the reverse order of building it. Remove the trim and accessories, then the ceiling and wall sheets, then the framing. A new foundation will need to be prepared with the appropriate anchor bolts at the new location. Once all the components are moved from the original location to the new location, the rebuilding process can begin as if it were a brand new building. High-quality buildings will be easier to move because their components can better withstand the wear and tear of being taken apart and reassembled. Additionally, pre-welded fasteners in buildings will speed up the entire process and prevent the loss of loose bolt-on fasteners during the move.
