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Chalk the Line

Chalk the Line

Contractor Demolishes Wrong House

comments (2) July 13th, 2009 in Blogs        
epirnik Ed Pirnik, producer
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Video Length: 1:15
Produced by: Associated Press

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I'm a big believer in modern technology but this just seems absurd. A Georgia contractor decided to forego the use of a good old-fashioned street address, choosing GPS instead, to locate a house scheduled for demolition. Trouble is, they got the wrong house.

You'd think a demolition contractor would first check that a structure is empty before proceeding with a complete tear-down. Had that been done in this case, crew members might have noticed the furniture and other personal possessions inside the house. Those clues alone would lead any sane person to perhaps inquire as to the veracity of the demolition approval or question a possible mistaken address. I highly doubt any individual whose home is about to be demolished, is likely to leave a lifetime of personal effects inside.

While we don't really cover demolition here at Fine Homebuilding, we have covered the fine art of salvage. For an interesting look at the gems saved from destruction by Vermont Salvage, have a look at Michael Dobsevage's piece, "What's Old Is New Again."

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posted in: Blogs, salvage, demolition, demolish, demolished, salvaged, architectural salvage
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Comments (2)

Ruth Ruth writes: omg, this is awful. would you be this calm if it happened to you? yes, he'll get $$$, but that can't possibly make up for this incredibly stupid error.
Posted: 4:36 pm on July 17th

mattfranklin mattfranklin writes: In Decision Analysis, you'd say that the quality of their decision was very poor because their information was very poor.

GPS is fun, novel, and high-tech... but apparently not sufficient for a decision of this magnitude.

If they don't pay up pronto (with damages), it's time to get the lawyers. Hopefully the contractor will make it right for the poor guy.


Posted: 5:26 pm on July 15th

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