Typically, the first step of construction for the developer who purchases the land is to demolish the old structure occupying the land. However, as per Renewal Development founder, Glyn Lewis demolition of buildings should always be the last resort.
His solution: Pick up the home, and shift it to a new location where it’s safe. As far-fetched as it might sound, it’s actually possible thanks to new technological capabilities.
When Did The Lightbulb Go Off?
As per Lewis, it all started back when he was a student at Simon Fraser University. While I was studying Chemistry at SFU, I became awakened to the climate crisis. This was around 2005 when An Inconvenient Truth came out, and I remember watching that as a student and thinking that this climate crisis was going to be the most important issue in our lifetime, and I wanted to commit myself to helping to address it.”
His awareness of the rising climate emergency urged him to shift his degree from Chemistry to Environmental Chemistry. Not long after he started finding ways to help tackle the climate crisis.
Recalling the lightbulb moment, Lewis said, “About four years ago, my sister was living in this really charming 1910’s home in Esquimalt, just outside of Victoria, and it was acquired in a land assembly by a developer. She really loved her home, her and her partner took really great care of it, and it was really sad to see it slated for demolition. But instead of allowing the developer to tear it down, she worked out a deal where she physically picked it up and moved it to another property they purchased just north of Sooke. When she did this, it really kind of opened my eyes to this incredible model of sustainable development.”
Lewis says in Metro Vancouver around 3000 homes are set aside for demolition each year. Out of these, over 700 are in perfect shape.
What Does Renewal Development Do?
Renewal Development takes on the role that is typically filled in by demolition companies. “We simply have a mix of a solution. What happens is if we’re looking at a 10-home land assembly, let’s say six of the homes we can’t move — they’re either too old, or too big. We will demolish those six homes, through the conventional means of abatement, demolition, taking the debris away, and recycling it. The other four homes, with good bones and are well-maintained, we will physically relocate them to a community that needs housing.”
Lewis says there are benefits associated with the relocation of homes both for the environment and the developer. He says, “There’s a marketing and community benefit to the developer or homeowner to do the responsible removable solution. Ultimately, my goal isn’t to be a demolition company. I’m not interested in being a demolition company, I’m interested in being a responsible removal company. I’m trying to save and move as many homes as I can and I will demolish homes that I can’t.”
How Is The House Relocated?
Lewis explains how the house is lifted, “Essentially, what happens is these steel beams go underneath the floor joists — the base frame — and then [the home] gets lifted through this synchronized hydraulic jacking system.”
Once the home is shifted, the company does some final work to strengthen and beautify the home. Lewis explains, “We will upgrade the windows, we’ll upgrade the insulation, we’ll convert the gas furnace to a heat pump, and we’ll do some cosmetic upgrades so that the home is a really beautiful and renovated building with great bones that’s going to be a great home for many decades to come. We never just deliver a home as is.”
