Home improvements are nice when done correctly. The new look and vibe could make your house feel like a million bucks for the foreseeable future, which is a huge deal.
However, a botched remodeling job can be beyond frustrating. Not only will you feel the effects on your bank account, but you will also need to deal with the eyesore that constantly reminds you of the mistakes that led to where you are.
Just take a look at these examples of the worst and dumbest home improvement fails. If you’ve had your own renovation disaster, hopefully, it isn’t as bad as any of these.
#1 Concrete Overflowed Out Of The Toilet
Concrete contractor unknowingly broke the sewer line while digging for a retaining wall. The concrete pumper came and literally pumped the entire sewer line full of concrete until it overflowed out of the toilet.
Image source: SoDakZak
#2 Badly Renovated Bathroom With Odd Shower Door
Image source: hambvrgerhelper
#3 A Driveway Crew Was Pouring Concrete At A New House Next To A Duck Pond. They Went To Lunch And Came Back To This
Image source: BluestarHUS
As a homeowner, you likely have a vision of how you want your home to look after the remodeling. But of course, you may encounter some “surprises” that are like a curveball coming out of nowhere.
According to the Good Housekeeping Institute’s home improvement and outdoor director, Dan DiClerico, one of them is the cost and time frame that fall outside your expectations.
#4 My Boss Thought These Were A Good Idea
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#5 This House Under Renovation Collapsed
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#6 Apparently They Called It A Day And Officially Finished My Renovation Today
I am not an expert in geometry, but I don’t think bricks are supposed to be like that.
Image source: SpecialistOk7989
“Your contractor might truly believe they can finish the job in three months or six months. But then they’ll run into hidden surprises, like structural damage behind walls or outdated electricals,” DiClerico told Good Housekeeping in a late 2025 interview.
DiClerico adds that fixing such issues takes time and money and advises adding “at least a 20% cushion” into your budget and timeframe.
#7 We’ll Use Liquid Nails To Put This Mantle On The Wall For Our TV, And It Should Be Perfect
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
#8 This Is Not What We Wanted To Find While Opening Up The Walls During A Remodel
We’ve had the place for a few years and we’re a bit shocked (or not, rather) that nothing has happened yet.
Image source: herma123
#9 My Brother Moved Into A Recently Remodeled Apartment And This Is How They Did Every Single Cabinet
Image source: sammytwelve
Home renovation costs money, but the avoidable mistakes tend to be more expensive. Underestimating the project scope and cost is one of the most common ones, according to Hippo’s home insights expert Courtney Klosterman.
“A realistic understanding of the project’s complexity helps you avoid running out of resources or hitting other roadblocks in the middle of a project,” she told Real Simple.
#10 The Family I Work For Just Renovated Their Home And This Was The Can Light Configuration They Ended Up With That I Get To Be Annoyed By Every Day
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#11 That’s Why Home Depot Was Out Of Caulk
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#12 A Somewhat Handy Family Member Of Mines Shower Remodel
Image source: DawNoFd3aTh
Many people who aren’t adept at DIY home improvement would rather shoulder the cost of hiring a professional. But as Klosterman says, there’s a chance you may be underestimating how much of the renovation you can do on your own.
“Break down the project into smaller tasks. Identify which tasks you can confidently handle and which require specialized skills,” she advises.
#13 This Remodeled Bathroom With A Carpeted Step Blocking A Vanity Drawer
Image source: TheSanityInspector
#14 Partener Tried To Dye Our White Couch Because It Had Some Stains. I Said We Shouldve Got Couch Covers But No
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#15 Drop Cloth Performed It’s Job Only In Theory
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Home improvement jobs are messy, depending on the scope of work. If you’re planning a full-scale remodel, you can expect mounds of dust to be present, along with possible contaminants. This is why DiClerico advises communicating with the contractor about how to contain the dirt and grime.
“Be sure to ask the contractor how they plan to contain dust and other airborne contaminants. Plastic sheeting should be part of the strategy,” he said.
#16 A DIY Shower I Saw While House Hunting
Image source: KarensVictim
#17 Husband Went Into The Attic To Fix A Leak. Lost His Footing And Fell Through. He’s Ok. The Whole Floor Level Of Our Home Is Not
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#18 Just Installed My New Sink!
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#19 Landlord Renovation Special, Mosquito Sealed Under Countertop Epoxy
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#20 Just Putting The Last Touches On A Kitchen Renovation. New Dishwasher And Fridge Are Great!
Image source: DarwinLizard
#21 1100 Dollars To Replace A Door That Wouldn’t Close All The Way… For A Nice Door That Doesn’t Close All The Way
Image source: Legitimate-BurnerAcc
#22 Good Lord
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#23 Too Broke And Lazy To Buy Shower Curtain Rings When I Moved Into My Apartment, So I Present To You My Solution. Zip Ties
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#24 Damm
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#25 Came Home To This In Our Only Bathroom. Property Company Didn’t Tell Us Work Was Being Done… It’s 9pm On A Wednesday
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#26 Just Finished The Bath Remodel In My Mother-In-Law’s Condo
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#27 They Said Kitchen Remodelings Are Hard, I’ve Done It In An Afternoon
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#28 My Grandparents Recently Remodeled Their Bathroom
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#29 This Is My Dad’s Home Made Dog Door. It Lives On. In Fact, It Now Has A New Custom Door Stopper
Image source: ToysNoiz
#30 My Neighbor’s New Walkway. They Are Doing Their Own Renovations Before Trying To Sell
Image source: aggierogue3
#31 Dorm Was Renovated Over Summer… I’m Only 5’7
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#32 First Time Doing Drywall. Think I Did Pretty Good!
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#33 Angles I Never Knew I Didn’t Want To See
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#34 Not Exactly Your Normal Door
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
#35 Looks Like The Ceiling Fan Sorted Itself Out
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#36 When You Use Every Drop Of Foam Sealant To Fix A Leak
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#37 Bought Our First House. Get Contractors To Remove Stucco And Put New Siding To Update The Look. Now They Find We Need A Alot More Than Siding
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#38 I Now Have Less Of A Bedroom
Dad hired construction workers to renovate certain parts of the house. They did a bad job, and since it’s raining season in ‘Nam, I MIGHT sleep in my bathroom.
Applepooh:
Ohhh… Holes… not lights. Ooofff
Hope all is well, you got this.
Image source: Thekiller200408
#39 After Having My Bathroom Profressionly Remodeled, I Drilled Into A Drain In The Wall When Trying To Put Up A Hand Towel Rack
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#40 The Remodel At My Workplace In The Shower Room
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#41 It’s Been About Two Weeks Since I Remodeled The Shower, And I’ve Only Just Realized The Faucet And The Handle Don’t Line Up
Image source: Fallenultima
#42 I’m 5’4” And This Was A Custom Basement Bathroom Remodel
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#43 Oven Handle Interferes With Top Drawer
We had our kitchen remodeled with custom cabinets, designed by a local firm. After installing the oven, we realized that the handle prevents the top drawer from opening all the way.
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#44 These Bricks On A Renovation Project
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#45 I Love My New House But I Cringe A Little Bit Every Time I Walk Past This
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#46 New Home Molding
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#47 I Remodeled This Bathroom Myself A Few Years Ago At My Moms House. Nobody Was Even Home When The Shower Door Exploded
Image source: TrulyBBQ
#48 My Grandparents “Remodeled” Sink
Why have they done this? To have “more counter room”.
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#49 The Floor In The Bathroom Of My New Place Is Just Aluminium Tread Tiles
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#50 Last Piece To Go In The Renovated Bathroom Was The Shower Door. Exploded While Carrying It Down The Hallway
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#51 The Bathroom Renovation Was Going Well
Sat the bathroom mirror I just brought home up against the wall while I opened the bathroom door. The mirror was hit by a cat. The cat Is okay. The mirror and my new carpet in my new house are not okay. The hand-made, irreplaceable, family heirloom table is largely dented.
Image source: Harvardbunny
#52 Guy I Hired To Do Some Work For Me Broke My Brand New Range
I had hired this guy before to remodel my bathroom. Hired him again to remodel my kitchen.
When he pulled up to my house his tire was flat (an omen of things to come, but one of my neighbors was out working on his car and came over to give his tire a look and then put his spare on for him)
We were working on installing the range/microwave vent and he put his knee on the top of the range and then… crunch.
In that immediate moment I was less than thrilled that had happened (as was he). We were both kind of walking on eggshells around each other for a lot of the rest of the day he was up working (i was not wanting to snap at him and he legitimately felt bad about it)
We should have moved it out of the way but hindsight is 20/20
He immediately owned up to it and agreed to pay what I had paid for it when I bought it as I didnt want to try and figure out what part(s) broke and dealing with repairing it and whatnot (and i just now ordered a new one that will arrive on Friday).
So in the long run it boils down to an annoyance I guess.
Plan on hiring him for work in the future cause he does right by me.
Image source: _Saint_Ajora_
#53 This Tiling Job On A Remodeling Show I Was Watching
Image source: BroSyzlak
#54 New House. Previous Owner Framed All Of The Mirrors With Matching Tile By Individually Hot-Gluing Each Piece Directly To The Mirror
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#55 Remodelers Put Tile Finish At Door Instead Of Carpet Or Hardwood, Refused To Let Us Buy The Materials To Change It
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#56 Amazing Work
Image source: Competitive-One-1877
#57 Probably Needs More Holes Tbh
Image source: HoratioWobble
#58 Ex-GF Ignored Sign And Used The Shower After Shower Screen Was Installed
I installed a shower screen in the renovation that my ex is currently living at and she ignored the sign intentionally. Silicone takes 24 hours to fully cure and should not get wet in that time.
Image source: derp-vader2
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