$1 million home was placed on wheels and moved on NC island. Then came the flat tires

A large, pricey home on North Carolina’s Oak Island was put on a trailer and hauled away this week, but the move did not go smoothly for the house or the town.

The 3,060-square-foot behemoth ended up stuck more than four hours at an intersection, when multiple tires went flat on the trailer, officials said.

Traffic had to be rerouted around the intersection of S.E. 40th St. and East Beach Drive (the main strip through town), but town officials had a sense of humor about the “mechanical issues.”

“It’s been said that ‘with the right equipment, any home is a ‘mobile home’ — and that can be seen today,” officials wrote on Facebook Wednesday.

Oak Island warned citizens in advance the two-story home would be rolling past porches and driveways, which resulted in an audience. Gawkers posted photos and videos on social media, and tossed in a lot of “moving sale” and “homesick” puns.

Complaints were also lodged, not just about the backups, but about crews removing mail boxes, street signs and traffic lights. That led to even more jokes.

“If they planned on fleeing the scene of the ‘crime,’ they didn’t pick a very good getaway vehicle,” Todd Ruge wrote.

Oak Island is about 27 miles south of Wilmington, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Beach homes dot both sides of the barrier island, and the house being moved sat at a prominent spot on the southern tip, known as The Point.

The four-bedroom, four-and-a half-bathroom home — which had a view of the ocean across West Beach Drive — was appraised at $1,032,800, according to Realtor.com. It was being moved about 8 miles north to N.E. 68th Street, town officials said.

The question on everyone’s mind: why a home built in 2005 was being moved already? Some speculated the owners were fleeing erosion and potential flooding — common problems for beach homes in the Carolinas (particularly on the Outer Banks).

There are beach erosion problems on the west side of Oak Island, but town officials said that is not why the house is being moved..

Turns out the large home is to be replaced by “a mega house” that may exceed 4,000 square feet, according to the State Port Pilot.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 12:16 PM with the headline "$1 million home was placed on wheels and moved on NC island. Then came the flat tires."