SPRING HILL - For Taylor Bingham, the price was definitely right: $1 each for two 29-year-old homes that in 2009 each had assessed values in excess of $50,000. • The only hitch is that he had to haul them away from their present location on Elgin Boulevard.

For Bingham, that's not a problem. He's been buying and moving houses for years. So when he heard the county was looking to relocate eight houses along Elgin Boulevard to make way for a road widening project, he jumped at the opportunity.

"It's a good deal for me because I have had some lots in Citrus County for a while and these are perfect for them," said Bingham who plans to renovate the structures before renting them.

In addition to the two Elgin houses he already has, Bingham has a contract to buy a third. And if a fourth house becomes available, he would take that, too.

Work began last week to prepare the houses for their move, expected to take place within a week or so. For the job, Bingham hired A-Team Structural Moving Engineers in Oldsmar, which will oversee the operation from beginning to end.

Moving a 50-ton house isn't as tough a job as many people think, but it does take time and patience, said Mike Knapp of A-Team.

The work begins with disconnecting the house's outside plumbing and electrical connection. Next, crews dig a deep trench around the perimeter, then use steel beams to fashion a temporary foundation.

Once each of the 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath houses is propped up with steel, huge hydraulic jacks specifically made for houses will lift it high enough for a set of dolly wheels to be placed beneath it.

Knapp figures that hauling the homes simultaneously up U.S. 19 to their Citrus County sites will take about four hours. By state law, the move must be done at night with a law enforcement escort.

"We usually do about five miles an hour, 10 if we're on a straight road and everything's okay," Knapp said.

Moving costs vary with the job, but Knapp says a small house can usually be moved for $30,000 to $35,000. Moving two the same night will save on the cost of hiring a police escort.

"It might seem expensive to some people, but in the end you get a nice home that's in pretty good shape," Bingham said.

In all, the county has spent more than $6 million in recent years to acquire 34 properties along Elgin Boulevard. About $1.1 million in state grant money was used for the purchases.

Moving the houses will save the county the estimated $17,000 cost of razing them.

An expert carpenter and handyman, Bingham plans to do all the renovations himself. Which is why he sees the deal as win-win all around.

"I certainly couldn't build them as cheap as I can buy them," he said. "To me, it's a good way to make some money."

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 848-1435.