Bringing Down the House

Our project on Capitol Hill is (literally) moving along! The existing house has been moved closer to the street and the three townhouses behind it are nearly finished with framing. In order to get the house where it needed to be, it was lifted onto two steel beams supported by hydraulic columns. Once in place, a forklift was used to pull the entire house forward. Here are a few photos documenting the process so far, let us know what you think!

The gap between what moves and what stays. The two orange beams sat on rollers which allowed the entire house to be pulled closer to the street.

The truck to the left controls the hydraulic lifts that keep the beams on which the house sits level.

The moment of truth: a forklift pulls the entire house closer to the sidewalk.

Framed facade of the new triplex. Steel beams were used to frame an entry moment and support the cantilevered volumes above.