S. Rushton Construction- House Moving Experts

10/03/2025

Our modular division at 1st Century Movers has been flat out this year!

Between projects with our friends at Dora Construction, Eastcut, and Shaw Group, our team has been putting the miles on!

This year we have delivered four modular classroom sites, along with many modular apartment builds.

10/03/2025

10/03/2025

Here's an interesting project we completed near the end of last year!

We were contracted to relocate this 151 year old, provincially designated heritage building, the Walton Lighthouse!

The lighthouse was moved approximately 150 feet away from a steep erroding shoreline. We installed a new concrete foundation, turned the building a full 360 degrees, and added some faux stone cladding to the foundation walls to appear period. We also built a small pad and relocated the small gazebo to be used as a look off spot.

If you’re in the area, stop by and check out this lovely lighthouse and beautiful views!

Time Lapse on seperate posts!

10/11/2024

Some recent moves of these 28x40 buildings. One was taken from HRM to Tusket, NS (long haul!), the other was moved within HRM. We utilized both our hydraulic floats, which can lift these buildings up to 5 ft on the fly to clear obstacles. As you’ll see in the video, we had to engage our lift to clear jersey barriers and guard rails through a construction zone.

10/02/2024

What a Project to be part of!

The Elmwood is now firmly settled on its new foundation, ready to stand tall in the heart of South End Halifax for another 200+ years.

1st Century Movers, in collaboration with our sister company S. Rushton Construction, along with the property owners Galaxy Properties and the engineering team at Design Point Engineering, took on the incredible task of relocating this large heritage building.

In late August, we returned to Elmwood to complete the monumental task of moving the 220-ton, 200-year-old structure 16 feet toward Barrington Street to align it with its new foundation. From there, we pushed it approximately 45 feet to rest atop the foundation. To achieve this, we used a series of 50-ton hydraulic cylinders to lift the building an additional two feet to reach the desired height, followed by our precise jack-and-slide method. This technique, using 30-ton long-stroke rams, allowed us to carefully push the building, with a little help from an unlikely assistant—Ivory soap! This method ensures full control, preventing costly street closures and minimizing traffic disruptions, which is especially important in the busy downtown core of Halifax.

A Few Fun Facts About the Elmwood Relocation:

-Originally built in 1826
-Weighs approximately 220 tons
-Features roughly 9,400 square feet of living space
-Once owned by famed seafarer James A. Farquhar
--Supported by 34 steel beams during the move
Required over 3,000 pieces of 6"x6" cribbing
-Took about 1,000 bars of Ivory soap to complete the series of
moves
-dimensions of 85 feet long, 37 feet wide, and 3 1/2 stories high

With over 100 years of combined experience as 2nd and 3rd generation structural movers, our family knows how to save and preserve these remarkable heritage buildings using the right methods, equipment, and safety measures.

A special thanks to Galaxy Properties for their vision and courage in taking on such a monumental project. We’re excited to see their vision come to life!

And to our incredible crew—your hard work and long hours have made this possible. Some of the team may have nightmares about all that cribbing, but your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Lastly, a big shoutout to the unsung hero of the project and our most cost-effective tool—Ivory soap! Without it, this smooth transition wouldn’t have been possible.

Stay tuned! We have another major heritage project coming up just around the corner!

"Preserving History, One Move at a Time"

09/12/2024

We are back at the Elmwood!

After a long winter and a busy summer filled with multiple large-scale projects, we’re thrilled to be bringing The Elmwood back home to its new foundation. This beautiful 220 ton building will soon sit proudly in the heart of South End Halifax, ready for another 200+ years.

Last week, we lifted The Elmwood approximately 2 feet using a series of 50-ton hydraulic cylinders. Then, with a different set of push-and-slide rams, (and our Soap of course!) we moved it 16 feet toward Barrington Street. Now, we’re approaching the final 45-foot push to place her onto her new foundation.

Our push-and-slide method ensures that we have complete control of the building at all times. This approach not only offers precision but also helps us avoid costly and disruptive street closures, traffic control, and unnecessary space requirements.

Stay tuned as we bring this iconic piece of Halifax’s history back to its rightful place!

12/15/2023

Not everyday we get a call from the Washington Post to do an article on one of our moves! I can't share the article because its news, but you can find it on the Washington Post under
"A Heavy building wouldn't budge-so workers bought 700 bars of soap"