The cost to move a log cabin varies widely, depending on a ton of factors. But one thing is for sure: It won’t be cheap.
My wife and I looked into this a few years back — an in-law wanted to move the small hunting cabin he had inherited off of some land so he could sell the land.
All told, it was going to cost several thousand dollars. But that was a somewhat unique situation because the cabin was so hard to reach. There were no roads or even wide trails leading to it. Ultimately, it was cheaper for him to leave it where it was and include it in the sale of the land.
With that said, moving your log cabin may still be more cost-effective than buying or building a new one. It’s going to depend on the details of your situation.
So, let’s get into it. Here’s how much it costs to move a log cabin.
Cost to Relocate a Log Cabin
It’ll probably cost you somewhere between $15 and $20 per square foot to move your log cabin.
So, if you have a little 10×10 hunting cabin, you’re looking at $1,500 to $2,000. And if you’ve got a 2,000-square-foot vacation cabin, you’re looking at somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000.
Most people pay somewhere in between those two extremes to move their log cabins. Expect something more like $5,000 to $9,000 if your cabin is fairly average.
A few months ago, I would’ve put this estimate a lot lower. But with the costs of services skyrocketing (and showing no sign of slowing down), it’s best to expect a pretty high final cost to move your cabin.
Is It Worth the Cost to Move Your Log Cabin?
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth the cost to move your log cabin.
But think about it this way:
If your cabin is anything larger than 10×10, you’re likely going to pay A LOT less to move it than to buy a whole new one.
However, if you’ve got lots of cash on hand and want to spend it, you might reduce your stress by simply buying or building another cabin rather than moving your existing cabin.
That’s because the logistics involved with moving a log cabin can be a nightmare. And if you pay a service to take care of every detail, you’re going to pay a lot more money, anyway.
(When my wife and I looked into this, I was ready to give up when we saw everything involved in the process of moving the cabin. The cost really wasn’t the issue!)
But again, it’s up to you and depends on what you’re comfortable with.
Factors That Affect Log Cabin Moving Costs
There is no set cost to relocate a log cabin. Everyone will pay a different amount, and the final price will depend on the following factors:
The Type of Log Cabin
Some log cabins are relatively easy to move. Those are the ones that will cost less. Here’s a breakdown of which types of log cabin will cost the most or least to move:
- Raised log cabins. Traditionally built log cabins that are raised a little off the ground to prevent water damage are usually the easiest to move. That means they’re likely to be the least expensive to move.
- Log cabins with interlocking walls. Log cabins with pre-tooled interlocking walls usually come from log cabin kits or other ready-to-build cabin products. Because of their standardized nature, they’re usually easy to disassemble and move. Expect reasonable costs to move these.
- Tiny home log cabins. If your cabin is a tiny home in the style of a log cabin, you’re probably in luck. Most tiny homes are meant to be moved or at least relatively easy to move.
- Foundation-based cabins. If your log cabin has a concrete foundation, you probably won’t want to go through with moving it. You basically have to destroy the cabin to move it, and then you have to have a new foundation at the new location. That all adds up to a really high price tag.
How Far You’re Moving It
As a general rule, the cost to move your log cabin will be higher if you’re moving it far away.
For example, if you’re just moving your cabin to a different spot on the same property, you’re going to pay a lot less than if you’re planning to move it from Oregon to New Hampshire.
The Size of the Cabin
Bigger log cabins are almost always more expensive to move than smaller log cabins. Which seems pretty logical if you think about it.
Where this rule can get tricky is when you’re moving a tiny cabin, like a hunting cabin. Sometimes, the cost of moving these will be higher than simply buying or building a new one at the new location.
Utility Connections
Is your log cabin off the grid? It’ll be a lot easier (and less expensive) to move.
On the other hand, if your log cabin is fully hooked up to a source of water and power, expect the costs to be higher.
The reason why is simple: You’ve got to disconnect all that stuff before you can move the cabin. And, unless you’re a professional, that means you’re going to have to PAY someone to disconnect those hookups.
Transportation Method
This one is a bit of a balancing act. You have two basic methods to move your log cabin:
- Moving it all in one piece
- Disassembling the log cabin, moving all the parts, and reassembling it at the new spot
Moving the cabin all in one piece will likely be less expensive than disassembling it ONLY IF your cabin is small enough that you don’t have to rent some kind of specialty truck (or jumbo equipment) to get it onto the truck and where it needs to go.
So, if you’ve got a really small cabin and you’re planning to move it, you can probably save some money by moving it all in one piece. That helps you avoid the cost of disassembling it.
But if it’s a larger cabin, you may want to price out disassembly costs and compare them with the costs of the specialty equipment you’ll need to move a larger cabin in one piece.
Is It Cheaper to Move Your Log Cabin Yourself?
It’s almost certainly going to be less expensive to move your log cabin yourself. That’s mostly because you’re saving money on labor costs.
But SHOULD you do it yourself? Probably not.
Here’s why:
It’s a lot of work. And it’s really dangerous. Someone could easily get hurt. You could have a vehicle accident during transport.
And, last but not least, you could make mistakes that end up costing you a ton of money to fix. For example, you could improperly disassemble the cabin in a way that means you can’t fully reuse the same materials in your log cabin’s new location.
Final Thoughts
The cost of moving a log cabin can vary widely. And sometimes, it’s actually a smarter financial move to just build or buy at your new location.
But in some cases, it actually makes sense to pay to move your log cabin. If you find yourself in that position, we wish you luck and hope our articles help. Good luck!
