One mistake turns dream home into disaster: 'It's the pickle of all pickles'

Building a dream home often culminates years of planning, saving, and dreaming. It's a chance to create a space uniquely yours, a sanctuary from the world's hustle and bustle.

However, for one couple, Dave and Melanie Moor, their journey to create a peaceful refuge in the country turned into an unimaginable nightmare due to a simple yet costly mistake.

What was meant to be their perfect retreat quickly spiralled into a stressful and expensive ordeal.


In 2021, the Moors invested $300,000 in a five-acre block in Camperdown, western Victoria, to relocate a pre-existing home onto their new property.

Trusting in the council's expertise, contractors, real estate agents, and conveyancers, they believed every detail had been meticulously checked and approved.

However, six months after the home was connected to utilities and received council approval, the couple was shocked to discover that their dream home had been built on the wrong block of land.


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Dave and Melanie Moor's home was mistakenly built on the wrong lot, with repairs potentially costing $200,000. Credit: YouTube


The original owner had divided the property into two lots, and while the Moors had purchased block one, their home was mistakenly erected on block two, which belonged to someone else.

'We didn't think it was true because the council signed off on everything, so we thought it was a scam,' Mrs Moor told A Current Affair.

'It's the pickle of all pickles.'


The error was not just emotionally devastating but also financially crippling.

The couple faced the prospect of shelling out an additional $200,000 to move their home to the correct lot.

To make matters worse, they had already sent a shipping container filled with precious possessions and family heirlooms to the site, which they could not access without trespassing.

'This was going to be our forever home, and now it's our never home,' Mr Moor lamented.

The couple's health conditions compounded the stress of the situation; Mrs Moor suffers from a rare form of motor neurone disease, and her husband has stage four liver disease.

The dream of a tranquil haven had become a source of incredible stress as they scrambled to find a solution.


Fortunately, after much negotiation, their neighbour offered a lifeline by agreeing to exchange land titles, allowing the Moors to own the block their home was on legally.

The Moors agreed to cover the $50,000 fee for transferring the title, far less than the daunting $200,000 they initially faced.

While the Moors' story has a somewhat positive resolution, it serves as a cautionary tale for anyone embarking on the journey of building or relocating a home.

Verify all documents, get agreements in writing, and hire a licensed surveyor to confirm boundaries before construction to avoid costly mistakes when dealing with property.

Stay actively involved in the process, ensure proper insurance coverage, and have a contingency plan for unexpected costs.

The Moors’ experience highlighted the importance of vigilance, as even well-planned projects can go wrong without proper precautions.


Credit: YouTube

Key Takeaways

  • Dave and Melanie Moor faced a dramatic blunder when their dream home was built on the wrong lot without their knowledge, an error with a potential cost of an extra $200,000 to rectify.
  • The couple had purchased a block of land in Camperdown, Victoria, for their relocated pre-existing home, but due to a mix-up, the house was mistakenly placed on a neighbouring block that belonged to someone else.
  • After discovering the mistake, the Moors faced the stress of resolving the issue without accessing their belongings, as they would be trespassing on the wrongly assigned property.
  • Ultimately, the neighbour agreed to exchange land titles, allowing the Moors to own the block their house sits on, saving them from the initial exorbitant additional moving cost.

Have you or someone you know experienced a similar situation? Share your stories and advice in the comments below to help others navigate the complexities of home ownership and relocation.
 

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Fantastic solution from the actual land owners, they've done them a great favour. ❤
Should never have happened. Everyone except owners of house and land stuffed up big time and should NEVER have cost a cent to fix.. I do hope this will have a really happy ending for this couple. Council should pay big time.
 
My son was the person to build in the street on a new estate and when he started checking out a few things the eastern side of his property was actually in the next door neighbours pool. Each house from right to left had infringe onto the next block and no one, not even the council had pulled any of it up.
 
Surely you would want to pick the spot for your house to be and made sure it was by meeting them. Seems a bit naive of them but glad it worked out.
 
They shouldn't have to pay anything if they weren't involved those who moved the house and the council who approved would be liable
 
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Reactions: natalielocket
I'm so glad it worked out for them in the end. Their neighbours sounds like a very understanding and caring person to do what they did.
 
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Reactions: Liag
What a Nightmare poor things and to make things worse both had MEDICAL PROBLEMS
I am glad things worked out well for them it could have gone pear shaped.
I hope someone was held responsible.. AND made to fork out for the 50,000
Transfer fees I bet they got this response from the Council “ OH NO IT WAS NOT DOWN TO US “ .
 
The conveyer should have done a better search. Even rights of way or easements are so easily overlooked. Our title has a drawing of the parcel of land
 
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Reactions: natalielocket
Having bought a house recently the Lawyer/Conveyencer provides you with the title details which include the measurements of the land and measurements from fixed positions such as intersections.
 
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Reactions: Nantes

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