Renovation Projects That Were Better Left In The ‘Before’ Stages

Funny | 7/22/21

One of the best parts about owning a home as an adult is that you can do whatever you want with it. You get to make every design decision, and you can take on all the projects you want.

The problem is, not every design decision is going to be a good one and not every project is going to be as great in reality as it was in theory. Some designs should have stayed in the hypothetical and never been given the chance to exist.

Add A Little Drama To The Dining Room

dining room table with water feature down the center, spilling into stone trough
Photo Credit: Reddit / libertetrading
Photo Credit: Reddit / libertetrading

Who doesn't love having a water feature in the center of their kitchen table that takes up half the usable space? It seems like there'd be absolutely zero issues with a piece of furniture like this.

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Always Measure Twice

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grate  on wall that's twice the size of vent
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
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There's a reason that people tell you to measure twice and cut once with any home renovation project. Otherwise, you end up with a grate over your vent that's twice the size of it.

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You Can Crouch

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son's bathroom reno with showerhead that's too short for him
Photo Credit: Reddit / xTwitchMain
Photo Credit: Reddit / xTwitchMain
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His parents renovated his bathroom while he was away at college and now they wonder why he never wants to come home to use it. It could have something to do with the fact that the showerhead is shorter than he is.

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Seems Like A Hazard

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electrical socket installed into toilet bowl
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
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Of all the places in the bathroom that we would expect to find an outlet, built into the toilet is not the place. Where does the power source for this even come from?

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That Must Be Damp

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bathroom interior covered in carpet
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit
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There's a big difference between innovation and abomination. Any form of carpet in a bathroom other than a bathmat is an abomination, and you can't convince us otherwise. That bathroom would never be dry.

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Now You've Got Two Things To Fix

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microwave slipped during installation and shattered glass stove top
Photo Credit: Reddit / biryanilove22
Photo Credit: Reddit / biryanilove22
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While trying to install a new microwave in the kitchen, this person slipped and dropped it, shattering both the microwave and the glass top of the stove directly below it.

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You Did This...For What?

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toilet fit into wall after cutting hole in drywall
Photo Credit: Reddit / Explosive_Mom_Bomb
Photo Credit: Reddit / Explosive_Mom_Bomb
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I can't think of any reason that someone would need to cut a hole in their wall in order to install their toilet. Can you? It's never been a problem in any other bathroom, but okay.

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What's Behind Door Number 3?

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fence made of repurposed doors
Photo Credit: Reddit / indigofire1o8
Photo Credit: Reddit / indigofire1o8
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Now you might be thinking, "Why would someone want to make a fence entirely out of a repurposed doors?" We don't have an answer for you. We're thinking the exact same thing.

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You Didn't Say The Outlet Had To Work

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outlet cover with drawn on electrical plug spots, no working ones
Photo Credit: Reddit / jaydon2317
Photo Credit: Reddit / jaydon2317
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When they signed the lease, the landlord informed them that there would be an outlet installed in the bathroom before they moved in. Apparently, they forgot to specify they also wanted it to work.

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The Tiniest Of Handrails

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small handrail on doorway that barely fits one hand
Photo Credit: Reddit / dannyprovalone
Photo Credit: Reddit / dannyprovalone
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Clearly, someone had a health and safety inspector come by who informed them they needed to install more railings on the premises, so they did the absolute bare minimum. I can respect that.

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Brace Yourself, And Your TV

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tv that fell onto floor from wall mount above fireplce
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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Clearly, whatever you used to mount the TV over the fireplace mantel was not strong enough. Now you get to go buy a new TV along with a new bracket for it!

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This Is Why We Needed The New Package

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broke scissors trying to open package of scissors
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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So you needed to buy the new scissors because your old ones were bad quality, but you can't access the new ones because you have nothing to open them with. Talk about a catch-22.

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Your Ride Is Here!

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school bus drove through wall of house into living room
Photo Credit: Reddit / i_tried_ok_
Photo Credit: Reddit / i_tried_ok_
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You might have been putting off that living room extension for a couple of years, but thanks to the school bus driving through the side of your house, you can move up your renovation timeline!

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A Wading Pool / Lunch Area

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picnic tables at school lower in ground so the patio collects water
Photo Credit: Reddit / MidmaMagic
Photo Credit: Reddit / MidmaMagic
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This school was doing renovations and decided to give students an outdoor patio area for eating lunch. The problem is that the new patio area is slightly below ground level, resulting in it turning into a wading pool every time it rains.

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An Indoor Porch Party

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porch inside that leads to wall with no door
Photo Credit: Reddit / zivinkxter
Photo Credit: Reddit / zivinkxter
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Many people dream of having a house with a patio or a large porch so they have a place to spend time outside on a nice day. The key word here is that it should be outside, not randomly against a wall in your home.

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Oh, So You Want To Break A Leg?

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stairs with strange angles coming out of two bedrooms, set up to trip people
Photo Credit: Reddit / PythonRegal
Photo Credit: Reddit / PythonRegal
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Having a staircase that's directly outside of a bedroom door is already a risky move for someone designing a house. Choosing to put one that doesn't even have a solid landing at the top is even worse.

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Plant Your Own Palm Trees

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palm trees planted in pots on top of stumps on front lawn
Photo Credit: Reddit / effervescent-bubbles
Photo Credit: Reddit / effervescent-bubbles
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Oh, you thought that palm trees couldn't grow in Indiana? Well, you thought wrong. This person brought the palm trees to them, proving to all of us that you can always create your own tropical oasis.

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She's Holding Strong

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nail in piece of wood that broke two hammers trying to remove it
Photo Credit: Reddit / -herekitty_kitty
Photo Credit: Reddit / -herekitty_kitty
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This person never imagined that removing the nails would be the hardest part of their renovation project, but this nail managed to take out two hammers and she's still standing!

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How Elegant

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bowls made out of hot glue
Photo Credit: Reddit / dreatheplaya
Photo Credit: Reddit / dreatheplaya
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This woman went over to her boyfriend's house and discovered he had recently added a few new pieces of decor, including bowls made entirely out of hot glue. An interesting design choice.

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Clothesline Yourself Every Morning

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wrestling bed for sale on fb marketplace
Photo Credit: Reddit / ItsNotArk
Photo Credit: Reddit / ItsNotArk
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First of all, glad your son had that realization on his own, but it's unfortunate that it wasn't before you made him the custom bed. Second of all, this definitely seems like a hazard for when you're trying to get out of bed every morning.

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A Lawsuit Waiting To Happen

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black and white checked stairs that are impossible to tell they're stairs
Photo Credit: Reddit / Paarnahkrin
Photo Credit: Reddit / Paarnahkrin
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Coming up the stairs, the black and white checkered pattern looks great, but going down? You might as well just close your eyes and hope for the best because you are flying blind.

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This Doesn't Seem Sanitary

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bathroom surfaces including toilet decorated with rocks
Photo Credit: Reddit / pixiepebbles
Photo Credit: Reddit / pixiepebbles
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Not only does this not seem sanitary (because, how the heck do you clean this?!) but it also doesn't seem like it would be a terribly comfortable experience to try to go to the bathroom here.

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Clean Up On Aisle 3

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kitchen cupboards broke and spilled everything onto floor
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
Photo Credit: Instagram / @greaseball1987
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You've been saying for weeks that you want to reorganize your kitchen cupboards to sort through all your mismatched Tupperware and dishes... Your cupboards were just getting a head start for you.

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Keep Your Mail Warm

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microwave as a mailbox
Photo Credit: Reddit / bastiwp97
Photo Credit: Reddit / bastiwp97
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It feels like a bit of a waste to use a microwave as a mailbox, but I'm sure the mailmen appreciate it when they need to heat up their lunches while driving around.

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Don't Walk Under It

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christmas tree made out of ladder
Photo Credit: Reddit / Sketch_crush
Photo Credit: Reddit / Sketch_crush
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People tend to get a little crazy at Christmas, especially when it comes to decorations, but building a "tree" out of a ladder and a string of lights seems like a bad luck gesture.

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Imagine Trying To Clean These...

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DIY patchwork denim staircase in home
Photo Credit: Reddit / niko13107
Photo Credit: Reddit / niko13107
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What do you mean you don't think that dozens of pairs of old jeans should be used to re-do the stairs in your home? Just look how nice these distressed denim steps are!

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Feel The Wind In Your Cans

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wind chimes made of mountain dew cans
Photo Credit: Reddit / Miskatonixxx
Photo Credit: Reddit / Miskatonixxx
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How desperate are you to have wind chimes in your life that you would go to the effort to make your own out of soda cans? This doesn't really feel like a necessity.

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The Reflections Aren't Real

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reflections on wall from window are painted on
Photo Credit: Reddit / EvilDuncan
Photo Credit: Reddit / EvilDuncan
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Why anyone would want to have the reflections from a window on the wall in the house without the actual windows is beyond me, yet here we are. Embrace that unnatural light.

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Some Upcycles Don't Need to Exist

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meat grinder turned into candle holder
Photo Credit: Reddit / spezi_is_life
Photo Credit: Reddit / spezi_is_life
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There are plenty of products around your house that you could upcycle into something else, but a vintage meat grinder is not one of them. Your candles deserve better than this.

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Raise The Roof—Literally

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roof built directly on top of older one, on stilts
Photo Credit: Reddit / PegglePython
Photo Credit: Reddit / PegglePython
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When you told your wife that you thought you should get a new roof, this probably wasn't what she was picturing... I guess you can save money if you skip the demolition part and just build on top of the old.