Home Improvement and DIY Nightmares

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February Jumpstart is just getting started and we've already received a number of impressive entries from you are our readers. But since it's Friday and we all deserve a laugh or two, we thought we'd share some examples where home improvement and construction didn't go so well...we mean, hit your forehead bad. Jump below to see the full slide show.

Most of these are from construction projects from other countries, but a few were gathered from home inspectors here in the United States (i.e. plastic water bottle stopper in pipe, tree growing through rooftop). There's plenty more over at Dark Roasted Blend's Unbelievable Blunders in Architecture and Construction series and This Old House's Home Inspection Nightmares to marvel at.

The last image in the slideshow is an argument of why NOT to hire a professional.

Have any particular home improvement nightmare stories or photos of your own. Send them to us!

Comments (28)

Those are truly frightening!

posted by monicah on February 6th 2009 at 4:57pm
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hilarity.

posted by mfpants on February 6th 2009 at 5:00pm
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Where can I get that electrician?

posted by bepsf on February 6th 2009 at 5:01pm
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i needed this. thanks gregory!

posted by Aaron on February 6th 2009 at 5:03pm
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For some sick reason, these really made my day.

posted by madsarah on February 6th 2009 at 5:07pm
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we worked on a remodel of a large apartment building that has 67 subpanels off the main electrical box. there was conduit going everywhere, often doubling back into the box it came out of. the electricians were rightfully terrified. they were using one of those pen size current detectors to try and figure out what was hot until they realized that the detector would just trip without touching anything - they could stand near the panels and it would go off.

posted by matt in kc on February 6th 2009 at 5:12pm
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jeez louise!

posted by kdkaboom on February 6th 2009 at 5:13pm
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haha. thanks for the laugh. those are great.

posted by animalhouze on February 6th 2009 at 5:17pm
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Wow - makes my handiwork look professional!

posted by LilyC on February 6th 2009 at 5:23pm
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This post is hilarious!
Delikatissen

posted by delikatissen on February 6th 2009 at 5:52pm
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Are these for real!?! Too funny!

posted by nazrd on February 6th 2009 at 6:13pm
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The door notched to fit over the toilet seat cracked me up! Ridiculous!

posted by Myshkin on February 6th 2009 at 8:00pm
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The notched door was funny, but the one that me us laugh the hardest was the sloped ?!?!? driveway.

posted by dewonangus on February 6th 2009 at 8:14pm
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The tree-shed picture reminded me of Odysseus's bed, which was intentionally built around the trunk of an olive tree. -geek-

Hehe electrical services.

posted by chikiyuu on February 6th 2009 at 8:31pm
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I am truly embarrassed for these!! Sheeesh

posted by Marie Provence on February 6th 2009 at 8:42pm
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these remind me of my current (soon to be EX) apartment!

posted by RalphEMole on February 6th 2009 at 10:10pm
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My first apartment had a notched bathroom door that went over the toilet seat.

posted by mrsegg on February 6th 2009 at 10:23pm
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Dark Roasted Blend is SO much fun XD

posted by ryttu3k on February 6th 2009 at 10:37pm
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I had a great laugh, thanks!

posted by Eefje on February 7th 2009 at 2:21am
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http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/fotos/2007/07/27/011007B4670FD4A6BC8401D71E34753D46F3.htm#

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/fotos/2007/07/27/011007B4670FD4A6BC8401D71E34753D46F3.htm#

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/fotos/2007/07/27/011007B4670FD4A6BC8401D71E34753D46F3.htm

posted by Pepita Pulgarcita on February 7th 2009 at 4:29am
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My apartment has a door that hits the toilet seat; a notch would have clearly been too much work.

posted by bean on February 7th 2009 at 10:44am
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That sloped driveway was amazing -- even if it sloped to the road it would be too steep. Who didn't see that much, much earlier? Why did the concrete guys even try? How many people screwed up on just the one job??

The toilet seat hits close to home, though. We just built a new house based on the floorplan of the one next door, but considerably modified. There is a ground floor lavatory. In the model home, it had a pedestal sink. We wanted a cabinet for storing necessities. The builders didn't think about it when they ordered the door, and they ordered the wider one like the model has. It clears the cabinet by less than an inch! The problem wasn't apparant until everything was installed, long after the framing for the door was done. (Stand to the side in front of the toilet when closing it!)

posted by SherryBinNH on February 7th 2009 at 1:46pm
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oh wow... hahaha

posted by wampler on February 9th 2009 at 9:34pm
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Wow- now what my hubby does -it doesn't look so bad after all. Never looked at it as "things could be worse". Ha

posted by EileenB on February 10th 2009 at 4:51pm
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hahahaha XD

posted by Fuzzyummy on February 10th 2009 at 5:26pm
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Thank you Greg from ATLA. Well done

posted by SpanishOlives on February 11th 2009 at 4:05am
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posted by Zenger Stone on February 11th 2009 at 9:33pm
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The balcony photo!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by h144 on February 15th 2009 at 3:16pm
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