If you have any questions that have not been answered here, contact us. You can also fill in an online interested buyer form.

FAQs Main Buying a House FAQs Move FAQs Lot Move FAQs Frequently Asked Questions When Raising Your Home Can you raise the house with the chimney & fireplace? We used to raise the fireplaces & chimneys with the buildings but recent changes to various municipal regulations have made it prohibitive. We now recommend that the fireplaces and chimneys are removed prior to the lift. Does the façade of the fireplace have to come down too? The interior façade can sometimes be saved if tremendous care is taken in the demolition of the chimney. Does NB build the foundation? NB does not do any construction for raised houses but would be happy to recommend some qualified builders to you. We suggest that you only choose contractors with experience in working under raised buildings. How do you dig a basement once the house is blocked up? If excavation beneath the building is required, the method of raising the building is somewhat different. NB would need to know this up front for quoting purposes. In these scenarios there is usually an additional site visit required with our equipment to re-locate support cribs. In choosing an excavating company, they would need to have small enough equipment for digging under the building and have experience in this field. It is important that the excavation company chosen for the job has proper insurance coverage. Can you live in the house when it is up on blocks? We do not recommend it, although many of our customers do. How high can you block up a building? There are no physical restrictions to height, but there will most likely be economic and aesthetic restrictions. The higher you go the more costly it becomes. How do you know how much weight the blocks can hold? Are these engineered? The blocking and design of the support cribs are engineered and may support various levels of weight depending on the layout of the blocking. Does weather play a factor in raising a house? If there is no excavation involved, it generally does not become a factor. If there is excavation to be done, and/ or a new foundation to be installed, then it is wise to plan the project for a time of better weather if possible. Can the additions be raised as well? The hydraulic jacking systems that NB use, are the most advanced in the industry. This allows us to raise any wing or additiion of a building symetrically with the main building. What about porches? Yes. Who is responsible for removing the fireplace/stairs etc? We require that all building preparation such as these are done by the customer or their contractor. At the customers request we can provide the names of people experienced in these type of preparations. Does the landscaping get damaged? For the majority of buildings that are raised, we do no damage to perimeter landscaping. Is there much damage to the house when it is raised ie: cracking etc. Will our insurance cover this? The amount of cracking in the house is directly proportionate to the degree of settling that has already occurred to the existing foundation. Many houses we raise, are done so without any cracking. Minor cracking is not covered by our insurance. There should be no other forms of damage to the building structurally, or aesthetically caused by our work. If there is, it would be covered by our insurance. What kind of insurance does Nickel Bros. carry? NB carries the most comprehensive insurance policy in BC for raising and moving buildings. It would be truly negligent to have your building raised without adequate insurance, this applies not only to the building mover, but to all of the contractors involved in the lift. Our policy in general terms covers up to $2,000,000 worth of cargo/ liability. What if our house falls down? The building is fully insured. What if someone is hurt on the site when it is up on blocks? If the incident is relative to NB being on site, our liability covers up to $5,000,000. Do we need to hire a contractor that has worked on a raised house? Although it is not a NB requirement, we would not recommend the customer using a contractor who cannot provide references for other projects he has worked on where the building was lifted. Do contractors hire NB as subcontractors normally? This happens on occasion, but the safest method insurance wise is for the customer to contract directly with NB. Are their any restrictions with the size of house to be raised? We maintain that the only restrictions to raising any building are economic. If men can build it, we can move it. How does NB get their equipment out once the foundation is completed. Some holes are required to be made, in the new walls for the removal of our equipment How long does it usually take to raise a house. An average 1200 square foot house can generally be raised in one day. Do you need a copy of our house plans prior to raising? Having a set of plans is helpful in determining a firm price for raising any building. It is normally required of the local building authority to provide them with a set of plans for the project and a copy of these plans are all that we need. Do you need a building permit? A building permit is required for all new construction to take place beneath the building, although it is not required to have a building permit prior to raising the building, we do not recommend doing this without your building permit approval. Are their any added costs that are usually associated with raising a house that we wouldn't think of? It is important at the outset to determine whether the foundation will need to be replaced, we recommend that you contact your local building inspector to view the foundation prior to setting your budget. Research your local building and zoning by-laws to make sure there are no surprises. Ensure the contractor you have chosen is competent and qualified. If any excavation is required, we recommend you acquire a firm price, this can be the biggest grey area for budgeting. NB price to the customer is firm and final, provided the customer meets the requirements of the contract. How much does it cost to raise a house? Please contact the office nearest you for an estimate.