Man Spends $400,000 Having His Victorian Home Moved Half A Mile Away

A man has spent a whopping $400,000 (£283,000) on having his entire home picked up and moved so that a new apartment block could be built in its place.

Home-owner Tim Brown managed to get the £3.6 million ($5m) home up and onto the back of a truck before it was driven to its new location, approximately half a mile away.

Brown, a real estate broker, was given the thumbs-up for the move back in 2018, but said it had been a 'logistical nightmare' arranging the move.

The 139-year-old property was moved from Franklin Street in San Francisco to Fulton Street at speeds of about one mile per hour to ensure it stayed intact during the trip.

Brown said the cash he spent went towards 'shoring up the house and making sure the front porch doesn't fall off'.

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House mover Phil Joy, who oversaw the operation, told the San Francisco Chronicle: "We had to get 15 different city agencies to agree to this.

"Maybe it was 18 agencies. I'm not really sure."

But he insists despite the hassle involved with the move it was worth the effort.

"Why don't we demo it? Look at it. It's historic. Original lumber. You cannot get lumber like that any more. Tight grain from 800-year-old trees. No knots. It's a beautiful thing.

"Move a house, save a tree."

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He added: "This is a house is worth saving. Besides, it's what keeps us in business."

Joy's sentiments were echoed by Fiona McDougall from the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco who told the newspaper: "These houses are part of the fabric of San Francisco.

"It's important to preserve them rather than replacing them with a bunch of cold boxes."

Crowds gathered to watch the 5,170-square foot house transported through the city at the weekend.

Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, one onlooker said: "I'm obsessed with old houses and I'd always seen this house walking by. I wondered how long it would stay here. Now I know."

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While another said they'd set out to watch it because it was 'one-in-a-lifetime type thing'.

Someone else said: "It's the most excitement I've had in 10 years. What if it topples?"

Thankfully, it didn't topple and the property is now its new spot, while a 47-unit complex will be built where it once stood.

Topics: Interesting, US News, Weird

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19