Who doesn't love a home improvement project? It's like a makeover but for your house! Interestingly, most homeowners choose to do it themselves. A whopping 75% of homeowners at least attempt to DIY their home improvement projects.
But whether you do it yourself or leave your house in the hands of specialists, mistakes can still happen. And, sometimes, they're pretty hilarious mistakes. At least for those looking from the outside. So, we're presenting a list of the funniest and most unfortunate home improvement fails that we've found on the world wide web. Pandas, here's what to look out for in your renovation journeys!
#1 What Happens When You’re Renovating And Remove A Load-Bearing Wall
Image credits: fakeaccount572
#2 Facade Wall Contractors Used A Drill Too Long For The Job
Was showering for 10 mins, when I realized, two rooms were in this state.
Image credits: RealTeslaFan
#3 Lazy Plumbers Installed Leaky Pipes In My Bathroom. Now There Are Mushrooms Growing On My Ceiling
Image credits: ReallyTightJeans
Wouldn’t it be nice to buy a home and never have it upgrade and renovate it? It would definitely save us the cash and the hassle, that’s for sure! As 59% of American homes were built before 1980, Zippia averages that people renovate their homes every three to five years. When we say “renovate” here, we mean minor upgrades, like painting.
If people have lived in their house for more than six years, they’re more likely to do renovations than to just move to another place. People do major upgrades like whole room remodels less often, and the main reasons for that are either lack of time or money.
#4 My Parents: We Don’t Need A Paint Roller
Image credits: KiddieSpread
#5 Home Renovation Not Going As Planned
Doing some minor ethernet wiring with friends and he slipped. Unharmed other than pride.
Image credits: Dancing_Pandas1
#6 Rate My Husband’s Paint Job. “It’ll Be Fine After A Second Coat”
Image credits: Every-Swimmer458
In the same survey, 50% of the respondents said they intended to do home renovations themselves. At the same time, 56% said they would hire a professional to do at least a part or all the home improvements. The most sought-after professionals are electricians and general contractors.
People renovate their homes not only for themselves; they’re also thinking about the value of their house. In that sense, the renovations that give the biggest yields are those done to the kitchen. Minor kitchen upgrades yield a return of up to 96%, while major upgrades yield around a 50% return on investment.
#7 My Landlord Installed This Toilet Paper Holder In My Apartment During Renovation. Yes, It Is Glued Onto The Wall. No, None Of The Parts Come Off
Image credits: thriveth
#8 My House Is Under Renovation And The Mason Assured Me That It Would Only Take Two Days To Close The Roof Up. Now It’s Raining
Image credits: Vhad42
#9 My Friend Just Finished A Kitchen Remodel
Image credits: SirCadwaladr
Sometimes, I think I’m lucky not to own a home yet. How do people even know when it’s time for an upgrade? For example, when do your walls need repainting? The experts at PaintRite Pros write that repainting walls should be a job you do every five years at least. Hallways and corridors suffer the most as they get scuff marks, fingerprints, and other daily wear and tear.
#10 We Are Both Crying Inside, He’s Okay And Super Lucky He Didn’t Fall Above The Stairs
Image credits: reno_life_
#11 Just Moved Into Our First Home With My Wife. She Wanted To Hang A Picture, But Ended Up Drilling Into A Sprinkler Pipe. 40 Minutes To Shut Off, Do Not Recommend
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 Spent $40,000 Renovating My New Home. Just Got The Itemized Budget, “Install Sliding Door Stopper: $100”. Here’s A Photo Of The “Installed” Door Stopper
Image credits: reduxde
Experts claim that homeowners should also make minor bathroom improvements every five years. This includes painting the walls, updating cabinet finishes, fixtures, and lighting. The carpet is another thing you should replace more often. Although some carpets can last up to 15 years, experts recommend addressing heavy traffic areas like hallways, doorways, and stairs every five years or so.
#13 Dad’s New Shower Door Install Is Complete
Image credits: dewkiie008
#14 Fiancé Was Being Thoughtful And Taking The Paint Cans To The Basement. Turns Out He Tried To Carry Too Many At Once
Image credits: Marleyyy_S
#15 Just Finished Installing The New Dishwasher
Image credits: ci5ic
If you don’t have carpeted floors and have hardwood instead, you should upgrade them every 10 years. That means sanding them down and applying a new finishing coat. I have some personal experience with that, as we redid the wood floors in our family house a few years ago. The sanding machine is loud and can be quite hard to operate because it’s so heavy, but the result is totally worth it. More so because you did it yourself!
#16 Currently Having The Bathroom Above Our Newly Renovated Kitchen Redone, This Is What I Came Home To Today
Image credits: DJSTR3AM
#17 Just Finished Remodeling My Kitchen And I Broke The Glass Top To My Stove. It Has Been Discontinued. A New Top Costs About $500 And Used Tops Are $250 In Not Good Condition
Image credits: 40ozT0Freedom
#18 Easy Installation Shower Door, They Said
Image credits: War00Path
Experts also recommend replacing your water heater every 10 years. At this point, most of the systems start to decline in quality after 12 or so years, so when you hit that decade milestone, it’s a good time to start thinking about a new one. If a water heater starts producing murky water, leaking, rusting, or producing odd sounds, those are signals to replace it too.
#19 Me: I Would Like To Remodel My Kitchen To Have More Cabinets. Contractor:
Image credits: herzogzwei931
#20 Contractor Insists This Is Ok
Image credits: MoltenCamels
#21 In The “Newly Remodeled Bathroom” Of My Apartment
Image credits: hardnormaldaddy
The dishwasher is another appliance that loses its full efficiency at 10 years old. Experts say that if the costs of the repair exceed 50% of the appliance’s original cost, it’s not really worth repairing. If it’s more than 10 years old, just go for a new one; you’ll have to eat out of the plates and bowls that it washes, after all.
#22 When The Contractor Installs Your Brand New Vanity And Does This To Make The Pipes Fit
Image credits: Sampyify
#23 My Brother-In-Law’s Remodeled Basement
Image credits: ucchan801
#24 New Windows That Are Supposed To Help With Thermal Efficiency Break During Install
Image credits: jonsey_j
The repairs and renovations experts advise doing every 15 years are more serious and costly. They include partially remodeling your kitchen, replacing the central AC, and the asphalt shingles on your roof. The kitchen will likely be the most costly of the three, as some estimates claim a mid-range kitchen remodel would cost around $20,000.
#25 Trying To Remodel. Brand New Kitchen Is Edgy I Suppose
Image credits: OrokinDiapers
#26 My Contractor Was Re-Sheathing The Roof When His Labourer Accidentally Installed A Skylight In My Son’s Room With His Foot
Image credits: Spice-Nine
#27 How Not To Install A Metal Roof
Image credits: Xander395
When your lovely home becomes 20 years old, it’s time for some serious improvements to the outside of the house. This includes replacing the gutters, windows, and wooden fencing. One thing inside the house you should upgrade every 20 years is the light switches. At that point, they’ll probably have discoloration and be loose or wiggly. Time to shop for some new ones!
#28 My Dad Painted The Light Yellow
Image credits: yasbo
#29 On The Other Side Of Our Guest Bathroom Is Our Kitchen Where He Had Our Microwave Installed By “Professionals”
Image credits: CommanderLexaa
#30 Hired A Guy For A Shower Renovation. Here Is His Tile Work. He Came Highly Recommended
Image credits: GuitarHair
If you’re thinking about remodeling, Pandas, be sure to be careful; you probably wouldn’t want the adventures here on this list to happen to you. If you’re looking for some more home improvement disasters, head here! And if you’ve recently taken up a home improvement project, let us know in the comments about how it’s going!
#31 Just Don’t Leave The Water On And Swing The Faucet. This Is A Remodeled Kitchen In My Sister’s New House
Image credits: funny_ha_ha_ho_ho-
#32 “Measure Twice Cut (Or Drill) Once” And Make Sure The Cabinet Pulls Go On The Correct Side Of The Door
Image credits: homeownerpartyofone
#33 Fell While Painting My Bathroom
Image credits: addictedtotreegas
#34 Was Told By My Builder That This Was The Correct Paint Color For The Walls
Image credits: Jay-rodMo
#35 My Partner Spent The Last 3 Weeks Sanding And Painting Our New Kitchen Drawers. We Go To Screw Them Back On And
Image credits: fj_kelly
#36 When The Contractor Quits And Leaves You Without A Kitchen For Months
Long story short, the kitchen designer I worked with at Home Depot referred me to a contractor that I assumed worked for Home Depot. He conned me into paying cash up front and took off with my money. I was left without a kitchen and have 3 small children. It was absolute hell.
When I contacted Home Depot, they said that their worker was not supposed to refer me to the contractor because he, in fact, didn’t work for them and was just one of their valued customers. They told me they can’t be held liable. I explained that regardless if the worker wasn’t supposed to do it they still did and I am without money or a kitchen now. Home Depot did not care. I don't know if this worker had a side deal with the "contractor" or what was going on.
I ended up having to build my own kitchen, my mom helped me but that was the most stressful 2 months of my life. Yes I have all proof and will be taking the con artist contractor and Home Depot to small claims court.
Image credits: Charisma_Fairy813
#37 We Haven’t Had A Kitchen In Months And We’re Finally Ready To Move Things Back In. Our Cabinets Are Smaller And Our Plates Don’t Fit Anymore
We had a pretty bad leak under our kitchen floor. Took forever for our landlord to get someone to fix the flooring after the leak was fixed. They decided we needed to remodel the kitchen and our new cabinets are smaller than the ones we had previously. Not quite sure how to work this one out.
Image credits: wildblueh
#38 Put A Little Too Much Pressure While Drilling A Hole Through My Wall
Image credits: lioxo
#39 Mom And Dad Are Getting The Bathroom Renovated And The Tiler Did This
Image credits: -langko
#40 An Unholy Mess Of Ceiling Drywall Repair
Image credits: Pardon_my_baconess
#41 How My Friend, Who Has A Mechanical Engineering Degree, Installed His Mailbox
Image credits: IvanBeefkoff
#42 Installed The Stove, Boss
Image credits: nothings_unpossible
#43 Just A PSA To Not Use Handymen To Do Any Plastering. This Was Also “Sanded”
Image credits: GirthyBrain
#44 Has The Tiler Done A Reasonable Job Here?
Not sure if I am overreacting to the tiling quality. Having our kitchen done and most of it looks fine but this section just looks wonky and I am pretty disappointed. The guy doing it is a friend who says there is nothing you can do as the wall was not even. Is that really true? This has not been grouted yet. Will it look better after that (it was going to be dark grout).
Image credits: Strangely___Brown
#45 Contractors Have Tile Spacers But Don’t Know How To Use Them
Image credits: LoopeyMonkey
#46 How The Worker Installed My Baseboards After Getting New Flooring
Image credits: Mahmoud0Tamim
#47 Dad Was Drilling In New Blinds And Shattered The Glass
Image credits: Navy-NUB
#48 Mom Spray Painted A Perfectly Good Microwave And Fridge To Match
Image credits: BeanFrank2
#49 I’ve Always Religiously Worn Gloves When Using Expanding Foam. From Today Onwards, I’ll Also Wear A Hat
Sealing up some gaps in the under stairs cupboard after a recent mouse infestation. Didn’t realise I had smooshed my head into the foam for over an hour, by which time it had almost fully cured.
My already receding hairline is even balder now after having to cut it all out. Stay safe guys.
Image credits: Mexijim
#50 My Airpod Fell Into Paint
Image credits: verycoldadventurer
#51 My Grandparents Recently Remodeled Their Bathroom
Image credits: Wedgiepants
#52 What We Thought Were A Few Planks That Needed To Be Replaced Turned Into Thousands Of Dollars To Repair The Rot In Our House. Our Siding Is Also Low In Stock So We Can’t Get Enough To Fix It
Image credits: The_Angry_Fish
#53 New Shower Started Leaking
We remodeled our shower recently because the floor pan of the old one started leaking. I went to take a shower in it today and water came pouring out of one the light fixtures in our kitchen. I had to poke holes in the ceiling to drain the water while we wait for remediation. Fun times.
Image credits: i_is_snoo
#54 This Remodeled Bathroom With A Carpeted Step Blocking A Vanity Drawer
Image credits: TheSanityInspector
#55 Waited 3 Weeks For New Countertops. Installers Dropped And Broke The Sink Side Piece
Image credits: labtech67
#56 This Is What Happens When Mom Tries To Install Something
Image credits: RandalGraves
#57 A Somewhat Handy Family Member Of Mine’s Shower Remodel
Image credits: DawNoFd3aTh
#58 They Ran Out Of Tiles When Renovating And Created This Monstrosity
Image credits: CaitySoul
#59 Dropped A 1/2 Gallon Of Paint Down The Stairs
Image credits: YoungSaucyTheDripGod
#60 Downstairs Landlord Came Round To Fix Some Stuff A Week Ago. He Left The Shared Front Door Like This
Image credits: Bi0-D
#61 Pretty Sure The Previous Owners Used A Can Of Pineapple To Fix The Floor
Image credits: docmarty73
#62 Why Hire An Electrician When You Can Just Improvise? An Extension Cord Turned Permanent Outlet! Remember Folks, Some Things Are Best Left To The Professionals
Image credits: lesliesellssavannah
#63 DIY Vent Cut In Basement Glass
Faced with the prospect of either cutting through a wall or replacing the window in my (separate from living area) basement I decided to have a go at cutting a hole.
Pretty safe to say I’ve nailed it, AMA, happy to share my wisdom.
Image credits: exarch19
#64 Plumbers Did This And Vanished
Image credits: SyanticRaven
#65 Hired A Local Contractor To Fix A Leak Under My Kitchen Sink A Few Years Ago, Never Inspected His Work. Installing A Dishwasher Today And This Is How He Repaired It
Image credits: flippergonzo
#66 My Parents Hired A Contractor To Add A New Window To Their Bedroom
It’s a holiday home, the contractor was supposed to add the window during winter while my parents were away. The contractor ran away with the money. My parents worked with these guys many times before so they trusted them.
Image credits: seriouscheeseaddict
#67 Contractor Drills Through The Ceiling Right Into My Bathtub
Image credits: dead_meat101
#68 My Friend’s House. “We Will Finish Renovating, Someday”
Image credits: martymarty004
#69 My Toilet Was Installed Too Close To The Wall So I Can’t Fit The Cover On The Tank
Image credits: TobogganFetish
#70 Just Had Our Bathroom Renovated. The Attention To Detail Was Second To None
Image credits: JacobBailes
#71 The “Fix” My Plumber Used After Damaging My Bathroom Wall
During the installation of the soap case and new taps, plumber accidentally drilled into a pipe, causing the wall to flood from the inside. To rectify the situation, it took an extra hour and broken tile which he charged me for. Also, I forgot to mention that he put in this abomination of a tile instead of matching the original design.
Image credits: shivanik19
#72 Renovating For My Old Man. I Knew I Had Safety Glasses Somewhere But Couldn’t Find Them. Ended Up With A Wood Chip In My Eye. My Safety Glasses Were On My Head The Whole Time
Image credits: hurthunna
#73 Floor Repair Was Going Well, Until We Opened Our New Tile Boxes And Realized The Store Sent Us The Wrong One. Also, The Tile Manufacturer Has Been Hacked And Can’t Access Their Inventory
Image credits: woof_eichler
#74 Spilled A Whole Can Of Paint On My Wooden Floor. What Now?
Image credits: clem_ha
#75 Drilled A Hole For Some Electrical Wiring Outside, But Forgot Our Terrace Stuff Was Moved Outside Yesterday
Image credits: Smile_S77
#76 Was Excited About Our Upcoming Long Weekend Kitchen Remodeling Project
Image credits: nepal2america
#77 My Door Was Loose, Some Of The Screws In The Hinges. Landlord Did The Renovation Themselves
Image credits: RainbowUnicornDrag
#78 It’s Like The Wall Ate The Light Switch Cover
Image credits: denver_2_cosprings_real_estate
#79 I Decided To Finish Up A Sample Size Of The Paint For Edging And Then Start Rollering. Found Out The Sample Was Satin And The Wall Color Is Flat
Image credits: LogicalVariation741
#80 The Contractor Who Both Installed And Painted Around This
Image credits: PettyDangleberry
#81 Tiles Were Installed Yesterday
Image credits: rachelowitz
#82 Just Got My Bathroom Remodeled
Image credits: Richroyrich
#83 I’m Renovating My Bathroom. This Is How My House’s Previous Owners Installed The Outdoor Spigot
Image credits: Mizzinno
#84 This Was My Mom’s Fix To Her Tile Work
Image credits: mouthwashcatt
#85 Do Your Best, Caulk The Rest
Image credits: reddit.com
#86 Another Interesting Showing. I Don’t Need To Wash My Hands That Bad
Image credits: urbanopolis_to
