Home improvement projects should come with warning labels—especially for those who believe YouTube tutorials qualify them as structural engineers. We’ve collected 30 homeowner horror photos that range from mildly inconvenient to downright dangerous. Some disasters happened in slow motion, like the ambitious DIYer who removed a “useless” beam that turned out to be holding up the entire second floor.
Others struck in an instant—like the infamous glitter spills that will continue appearing in random spots until the end of time. From the husband who decided to drop a paint can down the stairs to the family who went on vacation without closing their windows during a blizzard, these cautionary tales prove that sometimes the biggest threat to your home isn’t natural disasters or wear and tear—it’s the people who live there.
#1 What Happens When You’re Renovating And Remove A Load-Bearing Wall
Image source: pf3
#2 Spraying Weed Killer Instead Of Weed N Feed
Image source: hilltophermit
#3 Landlords- Please Don’t Paint Over Cockroaches
Image source: hackergirl888
#4 When You Live In Svalbard, Norway And Forgot To Close The Window To The Home Office
Image source: Kjakan
#5 I’m Doing Renovations And My Roomba Found A Tiny Piece Of Sheetrock
Image source: AStrangerSaysHi
#6 Home Renovation Not Going As Planned
Doing some minor ethernet wiring with friends and he slipped. Unharmed other than pride.
Image source: Dancing_Pandas1
#7 Just Finished Renovations In The Master Bathroom A Month Ago
Image source: MortalLock
#8 Main Water Valve Was Not Shut Off For The Winter In A Cabin
Image source: kentiiboyy
#9 Fixing A Toilet Leak. I Took 2 Trips To Home Depot, Worked With A Hernia, Had A Pain In The Ass Time Putting The Wax Ring And Screws On…only To Install The Toilet And Forgetting About The Door
Only to install the toilet and forget about the door. I’m an idiot
Image source: Dreyyy
#10 DIY Fail
Image source: jetaimezombies
#11 There Are No Words
Image source: InSaInIsInSaN
#12 Slipped In The Shower, Landed On The Toilet
Image source: Bonsonoptic
#13 New Homeowner At 26 And Grilled Too Close To The Plastic Siding Of My House And Warped It
Image source: IAmTheeMoose, Splattabox
#14 Rate My Husband’s Paint Job
Image source: Every-Swimmer458
#15 Long Story Short, I Saw A Cockroach
Image source: x313
#16 Pest Control Guy Finds A Weak Spot In My Attic (He’s Ok, And Invited To Thanksgiving)
Image source: bzzinthetrap
#17 Time To Move, I Guess
Image source: Missburr
#18 Wife Bought A New Plant Pot And Put It On The Shelf Over The Toilet. And Hour Later We Heard A Crash
Image source: hinrichs98
#19 Brick Is Meant To Breathe. Painting It Can Trap Moisture Inside Your Walls
Image source: jo-z, Don Foster Masonry Cosmetics, Inc.
#20 My Parents: We Don’t Need A Paint Roller
Image source: KiddieSpread
#21 Apparently My Post Isn’t Appropriate For R/DIY So I’ll Share With Y’all. I Installed My Own Microwave Today And Saved $150 In Install Fees!
Image source: zingusdingus
#22 Fiancé Was Being Thoughtful And Taking The Paint Cans To The Basement. Turns Out He Tried To Carry Too Much At Once…(Also We Just Bought This House And I’m Dying Inside)
Image source: Marleyyy_S
#23 We Are Both Crying Inside, He’s Okay And Super Lucky He Didn’t Fall Above The Stairs
Image source: reno_life_
#24 I Left A Platter Of Cookies On The Stove And My Dog Decided If He Couldn’t Have The Cookies, No One Could
Image source: Physical_Month_548
#25 Putting Egg Shells Down Your Drain/Garbage Disposal
Tons of people do it. It can create a cement and clog your drain. A plumber told my wife that decades ago so we never did it. I figured there’s no harm in not doing it so better safe than sorry. Then some friends of ours had plumbing problems. Lucky for them, the point of compaction was above an unfinished room so it was easy to get to. He cut out a section of PVC pipe and it was like a chunk of cement inside. All caused from egg shells.
Image source: CaptainAwesome06, Sir_Tom_Tom
#26 Gravity Wins. But I Live To Trip Another Day
Image source: Shaneblaster
#27 Got Up In The Middle Of The Night To Get A Drink Of Water, And When I Opened The Fridge The Door Fell Off In My Hand
Image source: ItsMeMurphYSlaw
#28 I Just Broke The Door Handle Of My Appartement And Cut Myself. I’m Also Locked In
Image source: Kyscool
#29 Moved To Texas Around A Year Ago. Learned The Hard Way That During Dry Hot Months You Are Supposed To Water Your Foundation To Help The Clay Like Soil Settle In And Around It
Image source: Hotsaltynutz, nhireddy99
#30 Flushing “Flushable” Wipes
Image source: SousVideAndSmoke, turokassault
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