35 Times Stubborn Homeowners Refused To Move, And Faced Unexpected Consequences

We all love an underdog don’t we? Someone who won’t be bullied, who will stand up for themselves and their rights in the face of all powerful corporations and governments, they give us all hope that we little guys do have the power after all.

Often referred to as ‘nail houses’ or ‘holdouts’, cases such as these have become high profile media sensations, particularly in China where the brave homeowners receive widespread support against the perceived bullying of the powers that be. Anyone who has seen the movie ‘Up,’ or Australian classic ‘The Castle‘ will identify with this!

Scroll down to see the astonishing examples below, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite! (H/T: Bored Panda)

01. Edith Macefield Refused To Sell Her Home Even After Being Offered More Than 1 Million Dollars For It. She Later Became The Inspiration For The Movie “Up”

02. Mary Cook Had Refused To Sell Her Narrow, Handsome Home While All The Neighboring Homes Were Demolished. Today The House Sits Tightly Squeezed Between Its Giant Neighbors, Looking Much Like An Illustration From A Children’s Story Book

wirednewyork

03. Vera Coking First Refused To Sell Her House To Bob Guccione, Who Wanted To Build His Casino Around It. Later She Refused To Sell To Donald Trump

Library of Congress,Press of Atlantic City

04. An Owner That Refused To Sell His House In Melbourne, Australia

EddieAteDynamite

05. One Resident Of A Toronto Duplex Refused To Sell, So They Cut It In Half

The Huffington Post

06. This Slender Gothic-Inspired Townhouse, Flanked By Massive Prewar Apartment Buildings Up And Down The Block

Ephemeral New York

07. China’s Government Paved A Highway Around These Stubborn Homeowners. The Residents Eventually Moved Out But The House Had Become A Symbol Of Resistance Against Developers

news.nationalpost.com

08. Randal Acker Refused To Sell His Small Queen Anne Victorian Home In Downtown Portland, So They Built A Huge Portland State University Residence Hall Around It

ackerlaw.com,commons.wikimedia.org

09. In Guangzhou, The Authorities Have Had To Build A Ring Road Around This Block Of Flats Because Three Families Would Not Budge

chinadaily

10. The House Of Austin Spriggs, Washington D.c. The Owner Was Offered $3 Million, Said No, And Later Sold It For $4 Million

thecityfix,zusin

11. Although His Is The Only Standing Building In What Used To Be An Old Neighborhood Of Roubaix, In Northern France, Salah Oudjani Refuses To Sell The Coffee House He Has Worked In For The Last 46 Years

12. Now A Church, This Queen Anne House Prevented Yet Another Apartment Building From Being Constructed

ephemeralnewyork

13. A Lone Resident Holds Out Against Luxury Villas In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, In July 2013

HAP / Quirky China News / REX

14. Developers Were Forced Into Building Around These Holdouts In Washington DC

Forgotten New York

15. Living Under A Bridge

Dom Dada

16. The Founders Of This Hotel Couldn’t Buy These Houses Due To The High Asking Price. So The Hotel Was Built Around The Two Buildings Instead, And They Are Now Souvenir Shops

Roeland Koning

17. One Chinese Family Refused To Move Their Relatives Ancient Graves. The Small, Bizarre Column Stood 10 Meters Above The Foundation Floor For Months, Until They Finally Accepted Compensation

AFP

18. Farmers Live Stuck In Between Three Highways. Hundreds Of Households Were Relocated But The Government Wasn’t Able To Reach A Consensus With This Family

news.sina.com

19. Mrs Wu Ping Was The Only Person From 241 Properties Who Refused To Leave. She Battled With Contractors And Bids For Almost 3 Years Before Caving In April Of 2007 For Quite A Pretty Penny

venture160

20. This Saloon Refused To Sell Their Property To An Apartment Company And Now The Apartment Has To Build Around Them

AllCarsEatGas

21. This “Nail House” Is Blocking Traffic In Shanghai

22. The Spiegelhalter Family Refused To Sell Their Shop To The Expanding Wickhams Department Store

Reading Tom

23. The Entire Rockefeller Plaza Complex Was Moved, Due To These Two Buildings Whose Owners Refused To Sell

ScoutingNY

24. The Tenant Of This Apartment Building In Kunming, China, Has To Cross A Moat After The Contractors Dug A Ditch To Force The Last Family Out.

25. A Nail House Sits In The Middle Of A Road Under Construction In Nanning, China, In April 2015. The Owner Of The House Didn’t Reach An Agreement With The Local Authority About Compensation For The Demolition

China Stringer Network / Reuters

26. Residents Of The Guangfuli Area Of Shanghai Have Collectively Decided Not To Leave Their Homes, Creating An Entire “Nail Neighborhood.” Tao Weiren Sits In Front Of His Two-Story House, Which Is Now Surrounded By High-End Condominium Buildings

Aly Song / Reuters

27. Zheng Meiju Outside Her Nail House In Rui’an, Zhejiang Province, In July 2013. She Has Been Living In The Partially Demolished Home For Nearly A Year, Even Though The Water And Electricity Supply Were Cut

China Stringer Network / Reuters

28. The Farm In The Middle Of Narita Airport. Farmers Are Refusing To Give Up Their Land In The Middle Of This Airport In Japan. The Runway Is Only Half Usable Because Of Their Refusal To Relocate. They Are Currently A Literal Stones Throw Away From The Flight Path And Must Be Living An Earth Shaking Experience.

Google Maps

29. Hard-Line Developers In China Diverted A River To Encircle Householders Who Refused To Move From Their 900-Year-Old Village

Imaginechina/ Rex Features

30. The ‘Million Dollar Corner’ That Macy’s Had To Build Around, And Then Hide Behind A Billboard

wiki

31. The Last House In This Area Stands In Front Of A Shopping Mall In Central China’s Hunan Province

Stringer Shanghai / Reuters

32. The Last House Of An Old Neighborhood Stands Alone In A Future Shanghai World Expo 2010 Parking Lot, Under Nanpu Bridge On April 6, 2010, In Shanghai, China. The Holdout Owner Of The House Was Shi Yuji. The House Was Destroyed Days Later, And The Owner Moved Into A Workers’ Dormitory

Lucas Schifres / Getty

33. This “Nail House” House Sits On A Mound Above Ground Level Because The Developer Dug Out The Land Around It

China Stringer Network / Reuters

34. Nail Houses Whose Owners Refused To Relocate, At The Construction Field In Taiyuan, Shanxi Province Of China

VCG

35. A New Motorway In China Has Been Cut In Two After A Homeowner Refused To Sell Their House To Developers. The Homeowner Has Been Considering Whether To Move Or Not For Years Now

CEN

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35 Times Stubborn Homeowners Refused To Move, And Faced Unexpected Consequences

01. Edith Macefield Refused To Sell Her Home Even After Being Offered More Than 1 Million Dollars For It. She Later Became The Inspiration For The Movie “Up”

02. Mary Cook Had Refused To Sell Her Narrow, Handsome Home While All The Neighboring Homes Were Demolished. Today The House Sits Tightly Squeezed Between Its Giant Neighbors, Looking Much Like An Illustration From A Children’s Story Book

03. Vera Coking First Refused To Sell Her House To Bob Guccione, Who Wanted To Build His Casino Around It. Later She Refused To Sell To Donald Trump

04. An Owner That Refused To Sell His House In Melbourne, Australia

05. One Resident Of A Toronto Duplex Refused To Sell, So They Cut It In Half

06. This Slender Gothic-Inspired Townhouse, Flanked By Massive Prewar Apartment Buildings Up And Down The Block

07. China’s Government Paved A Highway Around These Stubborn Homeowners. The Residents Eventually Moved Out But The House Had Become A Symbol Of Resistance Against Developers

08. Randal Acker Refused To Sell His Small Queen Anne Victorian Home In Downtown Portland, So They Built A Huge Portland State University Residence Hall Around It

09. In Guangzhou, The Authorities Have Had To Build A Ring Road Around This Block Of Flats Because Three Families Would Not Budge

10. The House Of Austin Spriggs, Washington D.c. The Owner Was Offered $3 Million, Said No, And Later Sold It For $4 Million

11. Although His Is The Only Standing Building In What Used To Be An Old Neighborhood Of Roubaix, In Northern France, Salah Oudjani Refuses To Sell The Coffee House He Has Worked In For The Last 46 Years

12. Now A Church, This Queen Anne House Prevented Yet Another Apartment Building From Being Constructed

13. A Lone Resident Holds Out Against Luxury Villas In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, In July 2013

14. Developers Were Forced Into Building Around These Holdouts In Washington DC

15. Living Under A Bridge

16. The Founders Of This Hotel Couldn’t Buy These Houses Due To The High Asking Price. So The Hotel Was Built Around The Two Buildings Instead, And They Are Now Souvenir Shops

17. One Chinese Family Refused To Move Their Relatives Ancient Graves. The Small, Bizarre Column Stood 10 Meters Above The Foundation Floor For Months, Until They Finally Accepted Compensation

18. Farmers Live Stuck In Between Three Highways. Hundreds Of Households Were Relocated But The Government Wasn’t Able To Reach A Consensus With This Family

19. Mrs Wu Ping Was The Only Person From 241 Properties Who Refused To Leave. She Battled With Contractors And Bids For Almost 3 Years Before Caving In April Of 2007 For Quite A Pretty Penny

20. This Saloon Refused To Sell Their Property To An Apartment Company And Now The Apartment Has To Build Around Them

21. This “Nail House” Is Blocking Traffic In Shanghai

22. The Spiegelhalter Family Refused To Sell Their Shop To The Expanding Wickhams Department Store

23. The Entire Rockefeller Plaza Complex Was Moved, Due To These Two Buildings Whose Owners Refused To Sell

24. The Tenant Of This Apartment Building In Kunming, China, Has To Cross A Moat After The Contractors Dug A Ditch To Force The Last Family Out.

25. A Nail House Sits In The Middle Of A Road Under Construction In Nanning, China, In April 2015. The Owner Of The House Didn’t Reach An Agreement With The Local Authority About Compensation For The Demolition

26. Residents Of The Guangfuli Area Of Shanghai Have Collectively Decided Not To Leave Their Homes, Creating An Entire “Nail Neighborhood.” Tao Weiren Sits In Front Of His Two-Story House, Which Is Now Surrounded By High-End Condominium Buildings

27. Zheng Meiju Outside Her Nail House In Rui’an, Zhejiang Province, In July 2013. She Has Been Living In The Partially Demolished Home For Nearly A Year, Even Though The Water And Electricity Supply Were Cut

29. Hard-Line Developers In China Diverted A River To Encircle Householders Who Refused To Move From Their 900-Year-Old Village

30. The ‘Million Dollar Corner’ That Macy’s Had To Build Around, And Then Hide Behind A Billboard

31. The Last House In This Area Stands In Front Of A Shopping Mall In Central China’s Hunan Province

32. The Last House Of An Old Neighborhood Stands Alone In A Future Shanghai World Expo 2010 Parking Lot, Under Nanpu Bridge On April 6, 2010, In Shanghai, China. The Holdout Owner Of The House Was Shi Yuji. The House Was Destroyed Days Later, And The Owner Moved Into A Workers’ Dormitory

33. This “Nail House” House Sits On A Mound Above Ground Level Because The Developer Dug Out The Land Around It

34. Nail Houses Whose Owners Refused To Relocate, At The Construction Field In Taiyuan, Shanxi Province Of China

35. A New Motorway In China Has Been Cut In Two After A Homeowner Refused To Sell Their House To Developers. The Homeowner Has Been Considering Whether To Move Or Not For Years Now

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