A home destined for demolition has been preserved thanks to a major move orchestrated seamlessly near Vernon today.
The house at 7581 Baker Hogg Road was literally moved 400 metres down the road to its new home at 7868 Baker Hogg Rd.
Nickel Bros., a home moving company based in the Lower Mainland, handled the heavy, and at times precarious, move Thursday, Dec. 11.
“By moving the home instead of tearing it down, the project keeps a usable dwelling in service, preserves the materials and value already embedded in it, and prevents unnecessary waste,” Nickel Bros. said. “The relocation allows the home’s story to continue within the community, demonstrating how second-life reuse can reduce environmental impact while keeping meaningful housing in circulation.”
Loaded on steel beams constructed purposely for the home, the 69-foot long by 36.2-foot wide and 27.4-foot tall house was safely relocated.
An experienced crew of just five men from Nickel navigated the road, which was closed to traffic, plus supports from contractors needed to turn power off in the area and remove lines and wires for the home to safely get by.
On the move…a house makes its way down a BX road in a relocation and preservation effort between the RDNO and a family, with some heavy lifting by @nickelbros pic.twitter.com/RuD4nF2HfZ
— Vernon Morning Star (@VernonNews) December 11, 2025
It’s a job Nickel is used to, as the company has been in the home moving business since 1956.
“We used to move over 300 houses a year, now it’s about 30 to 50 a year,” said Noel Horton, Nickel’s health and safety coordinator.
The decline in the demand for moving homes has been replaced with a tear-down mentality which leaves landfills overflowing with materials.
The average house contains over 60 trees worth of lumber, which can be diverted from the landfill, according to Nickel.
Along with repurposing and preserving an approximately 10-year-old home, the move will provide warmth and shelter with a greater purpose. which owners Jim and Lisa Sullivan have in store for it.
The couple, with their two teenage daughters, will continue to live in their existing BX home on the property and hope to turn the new home into a wellness-type centre for youth. Lisa has worked with youth most of her life and continues to help struggling children in the Vernon School District.
And she has had her eye on this particular home for the last five years, since she moved in down the road.
Originally from the Lower Mainland, where Nickel is from, the couple bought the home as Lisa needed to be closer to her dad going through cancer treatments.
“Dad and I used to drive back and forth for treatment every day and used to wonder ‘what’s with this house,’” she said as they both thought it was lovely but often sat empty.
The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) purchased the home and its property in 2019 to construct a reservoir to meet peak water demands and enhance fire protection for properties around Swan Lake and serviced properties in Spallumcheen.
After the reservoir was built in 2021, Greater Vernon Water staff sought an innovative solution for the existing home.
Rather than demolish the well-lived-in family house, the RDNO partnered with Nickel Bros., specialists in structural relocation, to find a new owner.
That’s when Lisa came across an email about the RDNO looking to repurpose the house.
Her dad had since died, and she knew he would have been fully on board with it. In fact, he would have loved every minute of it, especially Thursday’s move.
“My dad would have been all over this,” Lisa said, while nervously watching the home slowly make its way down their driveway and having some second thoughts.
Every step of the move was carefully calculated and taken, from getting the home onto the trailer to getting it down the driveway with slats to protect the earth as the weight forced the truck tires to weigh into the earth.
As Horton explains, the shifting of the home does cause the drywall to crack, but is otherwise fine.
“Most houses are engineered, they are structurally sound,” he said, in between also capturing drone footage of the move, as most moves take place at night in order to close highways and major roads but the rural Baker Hogg Road is relatively quiet so can accommodate a daytime closure.
The RDNO is pleased to have been able to save the home and see it be put to good use.
“This project shows how infrastructure development and sustainability can go hand in hand,” said Bob Fleming, chair of the RDNO Greater Vernon Advisory Committee. “We’re proud to deliver essential water services while preserving local housing.”