​Deitz House Moving Engineers is proud to announce our involvement in a unique preservation project. We’ll be assisting in the restoration of the historical Bignell Schoolhouse.

Located near the shores of Lake Michigan, the Bignell Schoolhouse rests in the charming town of Grand Haven. The one room schoolhouse closed its doors sometime in the mid 1950s. Little known and almost forgotten, this relic of the past has survived nearly a century and a half.

The story of the Bignell Schoolhouse is almost entirely a mystery. We know it was built in 1876 by Hattie and James Bignell on their 160 acre farm. Hattie was the original schoolteacher and the one room schoolhouse seated 52 children, grades 1-8.

Over the years potential buyers have considered tearing down the schoolhouse, unaware of its historical significance. That is, until the property was rescued by its current owner Tim Travis. Tim intends to discover the hidden secrets behind centuries of renovations.

The Deitz House Moving team will be carefully lifting the Bignell schoolhouse from its failing foundation, installing a brand new foundation and gently setting it back down. Upon completion, the Travis family intends to restore the character and charm of the original 19th century architecture.

Deitz House Moving is harnessing the power of social media to share our story. With our NEW 'Behind the Scenes' Youtube playlist, viewers can catch a glimpse of a day in the life of a structural mover.​

With the goal of educating the community and raising awareness of the house moving industry, Deitz hopes to inspire a new generation of home owners to consider recycling structures. Watch skilled structural engineers dig in as they lift, stabilize, build, excavate, and move heavy structures.

Subscribe to Deitz House Moving on YouTube to find out more!

I just finished reading an article titled, “How to promote your company without sounding like you’re bragging.” And it got me thinking. Deitz House Moving features some amazing projects completed by our talented crew. Are we bragging? I think Walt Whitman said it best when he replied:
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​Well, we have done it. Deitz House Moving has been setting the standard in structural engineering for over 70 years. Our top of the line equipment together with 115 years of combined structural moving experience, allows Deitz House Moving Engineers to safely transport even the heaviest and most fragile of structures. Our talented team utilizes state of the art, industry standard, CAD systems and unified hydraulic jacking for exceptional precision and design. Structures “float” on innovative transportation systems carrying them along as they are being relocated to their new home.

​The projects featured in our portfolio are only the tip of the iceberg. The Deitz Team has moved historical structures, commercial structures, beloved homes, trains, planes, churches, and so much more. We have stabilized, lifted, preserved, relocated, and repaired structures throughout our community at the highest quality. So are we entitled to a little bragging? I think so. Share our enthusiasm for a job well done and follow Deitz House Moving today.

I love house moving. I have been a house mover for over forty years. If I include the years I worked while attending high school, even longer. I have to say that I have always enjoyed moving buildings. Picking up a built in place structure, placing it on wheels, and rolling down the road is an amazingly gratifying occupation. Many people ask how I got into house moving and where I learned how to do it.

Deitz House Moving Engineers is a family business. House moving is an art form industry which is often shared from generation to generation. My grandfather shared his knowledge with my father, my father shared it with me, and now I'm sharing it with my son. It would have been wonderful to have worked on a job with my grandfather, unfortunately, by the time I was old enough to work on the jobsite, he had passed away.

Deitz House Moving Engineers is a fourth generation family owned and operated company with over seventy years of excellence. By hiring Deitz to complete your project, you can be confident that the job will exceed your expectations. Our accumulated knowledge and experience gives our company a unique understanding of moving heavy and fragile structures, repairing foundations, preserving historical structures, and so much more.

​Please visit our About Us page and contact Deitz House Moving Engineers for your next job.

​For our first Throw Back Thursday post, I have chosen a unique job we completed for the Yankee Air Museum in 2007. The structure was originally a school building which was built by Henry Ford in 1938. Donated to the Air Park after a devastating fire destroyed much of the Yankee Air Museum, Deitz House Moving Engineers was commissioned to relocate the structure.

The building was constructed from cinder blocks made from coal cinders salvaged from the Rouge Plant in Dearborn, MI. The school was built within a block of the Willow Run Bomber plant where Ford was producing B-24s. During WWII, it is said that children of female workers, dubbed "Rosie the Riveter", attended school there.

In 2007, we moved the school across the Willow Run Airport to its new location where it became the temporary headquarters for The Yankee Air Museum and eventually The Yankee Air Museum David & Andrea Robertson Education Center housing the museums library and archives.

If you have a commercial or historical structure and want to know how Deitz House Moving Engineers can assist you, please contact our team. Deitz is pleased to preserve the past so it can be enjoyed for generations to come.