Dude, Where's Your House?

**Dakota Valkyrie** · December 5th, 2011, 12:14 PM

Imagine having your house burn down, waiting 15 months for it to be re-built and then driving past to discover the replacement building had been stolen.

That is exactly the predicament Millmerran's Sinclair family found itself in after brazen thieves dismantled and stole everything but the concrete slab of their half-rebuilt home.

"If there was a kitchen sink, they would have taken that too," Tracy Sinclair said.

"I drove past on November 11 and that was the last time I saw the house.

"This morning (Friday) I pulled up and it was deja vu - the house had disappeared."

The Sinclair family lost everything when a raging fire tore through their home on September 15, 2010.
[...]

The rebuild was going at a snail's pace but the entire frame had finally been erected and the outside cladding was waiting to be installed.

"The windows were in the frames and everything was ready for the cladding," Mrs Sinclair said.

"But someone has dismantled and stolen the whole bloody thing."

The isolated location of the house contributed to the level of damage caused in last year's fire.

It also meant whoever stole the Sinclairs' house had plenty of time and space to pull off the colossal heist.

Mrs Sinclair said police were following several leads, but her insurance company was still "scratching its head" over whether or not she would receive compensation.

"What lovely people these thieves must be," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
[...]

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story...me-disappears/

**Tundratot** · December 5th, 2011, 12:18 PM

I've never heard of anyone doing this before, but we've had some thefts of building materials around my neighborhood. I would have to think that the contractors building the place are the most likely suspects. Building materials are expensive, too expensive, nowadays. Here, for the past few years, it's been cheaper to buy an existing house than to build new. So I can imagine that someone in the process of building would really benefit from scavenging materials from unsecured sites. Who better to know where the right and best materials are to be found than the contractors who are involved?

**Obsolete** · December 5th, 2011, 01:08 PM

The company I work for has a Course of Construction policy our policyholders can buy when they're builing a house. Things like this would be covered, I hope this families insurance company can find a way to cover this loss.

**Obsolete** · December 5th, 2011, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tundratot

I've never heard of anyone doing this before, but we've had some thefts of building materials around my neighborhood. I would have to think that the contractors building the place are the most likely suspects. Building materials are expensive, too expensive, nowadays. Here, for the past few years, it's been cheaper to buy an existing house than to build new. So I can imagine that someone in the process of building would really benefit from scavenging materials from unsecured sites. Who better to know where the right and best materials are to be found than the contractors who are involved?

I disagree. This shit happens on my hubby's jobsites all the time, not the whole house but close to it. He's a commercial superintendant for a construction company and in the 12 years he's worked there they've experienced a loss like this at least once a year. A few times the thieves have been caught, they always worked for other construction companies in the area but never for my husband.
Most guys aren't going to steal from their own job because it means more work and less money for them.

**kniption** · December 5th, 2011, 01:33 PM

@Obsolete 's comment reminds me of a story...

a six-year-old girl is living next to a house that is being built. she is fascinated by the process and finds herself spending more time watching the construction than playing in her yard. pretty soon, under the watchful eye of her mother from the kitchen window, she starts helping out in small ways - fetching boxes of nails... holding the end of a tape measure... things like that. her mother begins fixing her a sack lunch so she can eat with her "crew."

the week is going by and - with each passing day - the little girl is feeling more-and-more pride for her participation in this big project. at dinner time she gives her family reports on what progress has been made and how she has helped.

at the end of the day on friday, the crew is called together for paychecks to be distributed. the mother is worrying from a distance that her daughter will feel left out but, sure enough, the general contractor has made sure that there is a small paycheck in the pile for the girl. she runs to her back porch beaming with pride.

her mom and dad tell her that - since she is working now - they will take her to the bank to cash her check and open a bank account. the next morning, they reach the bank and the girl proudly presents the check to the teller. the teller is surprised to see a check from a construction company written to such a young girl and asks about it. the girl explains that she has a job and has been working all week on a crew building a house. the teller, clearly amused, asks the girl if she will be coming back to the bank again next week to cash another paycheck.

...and the girl says, "well, that depends on whether those assholes at home depot deliver the motherfucking sheet-rock on time..."

**nopatience** · December 5th, 2011, 02:26 PM

This is so sad. @Obsolete, how long would it take to dismantle an entire frame for a house? I can't help but wonder that something of that magnitude would take some time. I'm floored that no one noticed it until it was completely gone. I would think the contractors would be working on it. How long of a break did they take?! Hopefully, they will be able to get something back and finally get back into a home they can call their own.

**Obsolete** · December 5th, 2011, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by nopatience

This is so sad. @Obsolete, how long would it take to dismantle an entire frame for a house? I can't help but wonder that something of that magnitude would take some time. I'm floored that no one noticed it until it was completely gone. I would think the contractors would be working on it. How long of a break did they take?! Hopefully, they will be able to get something back and finally get back into a home they can call their own.

Depends on how many guys were working on it. It was just the frame so this is something they could have done overnight if they had 3 or 4 guys.

**62julietandvoid** · December 5th, 2011, 02:39 PM

Similar has been happening around here, just not as extreme...or maybe as much, idk. They stole a woman's copper roof somewhere in WV. Had to call the popo on some guys trying to find a way into my mother's old home....abandoned or non occupied houses/buildings are the new thing. Cutting out the plumbing n shit.

The sheriff's dept caught a pair stealing the plumbing out of an old school after a sting was set up. It was reported in the paper that no sooner then the cops left, someone ELSE broke in and did the same thing. I think they still had the cameras up but as far as I've seen, nothing was reported further about that.

Here, drug addiction and ABSOLUTELY NO WORK = mad thieving.

**Angelinfl** · December 5th, 2011, 03:07 PM

People are breaking into foreclosed houses and empty places and stealing EVERYTHING... well pumps, copper piping, a/c units, appliances anything the tenant hasn't destroyed or taken. There are tons of very bitter people out there and we may have a war of the haves and have nots.

I know of a house that burned near where I live. I'm not so sure the guy didn't do it by wiring the a/c air handler. He has a travel trailer on the property and no means have been made to rebuild the house which I bet you was upside down in equity. Since the land value has gone down too, is the insurance company responsible for the whole amount of the note or was there an agreed upon price for the structure and what if the amount was not enough to cover the mortgage? Meanwhile ... according to building/zoning since they are not in the process of building they should not be living on the land in a trailer. Interesting to see what happens.....

**nikk077** · December 6th, 2011, 10:12 AM

Some guys stole a bridge not far from where I live...

http://www.wpxi.com/news/29496135/detail.html

There is also a lot of theft for scrap around here as well. Last week it was on the news that people are stealing the outside a/c units from homes. One house was robbed of the interior portion of the unit and the next night, the thieves returned and took the rest.

**Mommyof2** · December 6th, 2011, 06:22 PM

Where I live it started with taking the siding from any house that was unoccupied. Once there were no houses left with siding in the neighborhood they started stealing all the copper piping. Now almost no empty houses have that they have moved onto hot water tanks and even the gas lines. We have had a few houses explode because of that crap. Oh and now they have had to punish the scrap yards in my area for taking in man hole covers from the streets. These crazy fuckers have even been breaking into our power sub stations to steal the wiring. They will even steal your fences! I hate to see what is next but my old neighborhood looks like a freaking war zone.