“The house is gone, David.”: Wrong house demolished in Texas

The wrong house was demolished in the northwest Fort Worth, Texas last Friday. Awkward.

According to CBS DFW, the demolition blunder occurred in the Lake Worth section of Fort Worth. The city hired a subcontractor to tear down the house at 9708 Watercress. However, the house they tore down was 9716 Watercress, which was right next door.

David Underwood bought the lake house from an aunt earlier in the year. According to Christian Science Monitor, the lake house had belonged to the Underwood family for decades. Underwood and his wife were planning to move into the house. The Star-Telegram reported that Underwood and his wife even put their house up for sale. Imagine the look on Underwood’s face when he pulled up to the property on Saturday.

Underwood went to mow the lawn on the property Saturday, but all he found was a slab and a mailbox.

Utilities were disconnected before the demolition began. The property was also vacant at the time of demolition, CBS DFW reported.

Bill Begley, a spokesman for the city of Fort Worth, told ABC News that the city is investigating what happened. ABC News also reported that it still has not been determined whether it is the city or the subcontractor who must compensate the Underwoods.

The city asked Underwood for a value on their family lake house. According to the Star-Telegram, the house had a $122,200 market value.

Brandon Bennett, the director of code compliance for Fort Worth told Dallas Morning News, “A mistake was made. We have to identify where the weak link was and fix it so it doesn’t happen again.”

Fort Worth better find that weak link. According to the Star-Telegram, this is the second time this has happened in Fort Worth in the last two years.