50 Hilarious DIY Fails That Show Home Remodeling Isn’t as Easy as It Looks
Remodeling your home is a great way to put your stamp on your home. Home improvement projects are something that many homeowners take pride in, and according to statistics, almost 75% of people engage in DIY home improvements every year. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life up to a point. These incidents, which may feel annoying at the time, become funny stories and beautiful life lessons.
For example, measuring is a very basic step in any project. It seems straightforward; one little miscalculation, and suddenly the brand new door you just bought is a few millimeters too small for the frame. Now you either have to wing it or head back to the hardware store.
Then there’s painting. Come on, what can go wrong with a little brush and roller? Well, plenty. Trying something crafty and chic, like ombré walls, can go seriously awry—tie-dye awry, sometimes. These instead are little things that aren’t Pinterest-perfect, but that’s part of the charm and hilarity in your home’s story.
Light can be tricky too. You may fantasize about a sophisticated chandelier shining a soft light above your dining table. Or expertly hung in a schedule, but if it gets calculated wrong, you will get that high-end fixture swinging back and forth in a tight corridor as more like an obstacle than a design element.
On the other hand, the real Bhagya is the plumbing disasters most of the time. A quick sink installation can become a tiny river, and before you know it, you have wet floors and a much bigger cleanup than you counted on. Such blunders are a reminder that some things might need to be done by the professionals—or at least the professionals should be second-checked.
Pencil boxes are even more safe, and yet, projects like hanging shelves can quickly become a nightmare. That those sleek, modern shelves will look great? If you don’t level them properly, they might end up looking like abstract Picasso art. Anyway, they will always be great to start a conversation.
So, although some DIY fails feel like a loss, they almost always have a silver lining: things learned, stories to tell, and the occasional piece of accidental decor that gives your home a real sense of identity. Get set for some fun and inspiration? If these DIY fails (and the reason why home improvement doesn’t always work out quite as planned) have you cracking up, take a look at these.
75% of homeowners seek to do their own home renovation work.
“Facade Wall Contractors Used A Drill Too Long For The Job”
“Home Renovation Not Going As Planned”
“Lazy Plumbers Installed Leaky Pipes In My Bathroom. Now, There Are Mushrooms Growing On My Ceiling”
“What Happens When You’re Renovating And Remove A Load-Bearing Wall”
“My Parents: We Don’t Need A Paint Roller”
“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”
“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”
“When The Contractor Quits And Leaves You Without A Kitchen For Months”
For the past decade, home remodeling has exploded in popularity, and DIY projects have become a favorite pastime for homeowners. While HomeAdvisor data shows 77% of American owners tackled at least one DIY job this past year. I see clearly why it holds an appeal: a budget-friendly way to customize your surroundings, learn to do something new, and succeed at completing a task. No surprise here, but statistics show up to 35% of DIYers face big dilemmas—from hidden expenses to blunders requiring professional help.
The transition from an idea to a project can be very complicated, and people tend to overlook this. This is based on a Porch survey According to a survey commissioned by DIY Network and, well, DIY. Wrong measurements, incorrect use of materials and overlooking essential steps in the instructions are common mistakes. Another common cause of DIY disasters is attempting to cut corners or working too quickly. The result? Projects that feel more like Pinterest fails than magazine makeovers.
However, the DIY trend is booming as there are numerous online tutorials and social media platforms that inspire individuals to take the risk. To avoid mistakes, experts say that careful planning, thorough research, and starting small are crucial. The hindsight may not always be rosy, and not every project leads to perfection either, but the experience felt is invaluable, and so is the comic relief if nothing went according to plan!
“My Friend Just Finished A Kitchen Remodel”
“Dad’s New Shower Door Install Is Complete”
“Rate My Husband’s Paint Job. “It’ll Be Fine After A Second Coat”
“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”
“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”
“Contractor Insists This Is Ok”
“Fiancé Was Being Thoughtful And Taking The Paint Cans To The Basement. Turns Out He Tried To Carry Too Many At Once”
“We Are Both Crying Inside, He’s Okay And Super Lucky He Didn’t Fall Above The Stairs”
“Just Finished Installing The New Dishwasher”
“Currently Having The Bathroom Above Our Newly Renovated Kitchen Redone, This Is What I Came Home To Today”
“Easy Installation Shower Door, They Said”
“My Brother-In-Law’s Remodeled Basement”
“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”
“In The “Newly Remodeled Bathroom” Of My Apartment”
“When The Contractor Installs Your Brand New Vanity And Does This To Make The Pipes Fit”
“How Not To Install A Metal Roof”
Economic factors have brought other home improvement projects under the DIY umbrella—people wanting to save money on rising labor costs, for example. Home remodeling projects often are 40–60% of home expenses for hiring professionals, a far higher figure, according to a report from Angi (formerly AngieList). On the other hand, a large part of the overall budget can decrease by doing them yourself, which makes home improvement a bit easier. But blatantly discounting prices is a tightrope with hazards below. So it comes as no surprise that 63% of DIYers go over budget by making mistakes, wasting materials, or requiring professionals to correct their failed attempts, according to research from ImproveNet.
The freedom of creativity is another factor influencing the trend of DIY. According to a 2021 study by Houzz, 72% of homeowners view DIY as a chance to inject creativity into their homes and express their personalities. That said—and while this creative itch isn’t out of the question—professionals still warn that some jobs—hey, electrical work, structural change, plumbing—are best left to the licensed. The safety risks or building code requirements for these types of jobs are often underestimated by DIYers, leaving them open to incurring significant fines or a potentially dangerous situation.
According to psychology research, even when they fail, DIY projects have the power to be emotionally positive, which is interesting. Behavioral scientists have dubbed this phenomenon as the IKEA effect, because it’s often associated with how we appreciate items that we’ve labored over building, regardless of the outcome. Perhaps that explains why homeowners are open to occasional fail as part of the journey toward their dream home, ultimately finding joy in the process rather than the product.
“Just Don’t Leave The Water On And Swing The Faucet. This Is A Remodeled Kitchen In My Sister’s New House”
“Me: I Would Like To Remodel My Kitchen To Have More Cabinets. Contractor:”
“On The Other Side Of Our Guest Bathroom Is Our Kitchen Where He Had Our Microwave Installed By “Professionals”
“New Windows That Are Supposed To Help With Thermal Efficiency Break During Install”
“Trying To Remodel. Brand New Kitchen Is Edgy, I Suppose”
“My Contractor Was Re-Sheathing The Roof When His Labourer Accidentally Installed A Skylight In My Son’s Room With His Foot”
“Has The Tiler Done A Reasonable Job Here?”
“I’ve Always Religiously Worn Gloves When Using Expanding Foam. From Today Onwards, I’ll Also Wear A Hat”
“How My Friend, Who Has A Mechanical Engineering Degree, Installed His Mailbox”
“Hired A Guy For A Shower Renovation. Here Is His Tile Work. He Came Highly Recommended”
“My Dad Painted The Light Yellow”
“Was Told By My Builder That This Was The Correct Paint Color For The Walls”
“Mom And Dad Are Getting The Bathroom Renovated And The Tiler Did This”
“Just A PSA To Not Use Handymen To Do Any Plastering. This Was Also “Sanded”
“Fell While Painting My Bathroom”
“Contractors Have Tile Spacers But Don’t Know How To Use Them”
“Put A Little Too Much Pressure While Drilling A Hole Through My Wall”
“My Partner Spent The Last 3 Weeks Sanding And Painting Our New Kitchen Drawers. We Go To Screw Them Back On And”
“Measure Twice Cut (Or Drill) Once” And Make Sure The Cabinet Pulls Go On The Correct Side Of The Door”
“An Unholy Mess Of Ceiling Drywall Repair”
“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”
“Installed The Stove, Boss”
“How The Worker Installed My Baseboards After Getting New Flooring”
“Mom Spray Painted A Perfectly Good Microwave And Fridge To Match”
“New Shower Started Leaking”
“My Grandparents Recently Remodeled Their Bathroom”
Although home repair attempts can be a fun and rewarding adventure, they also often lead to hilarious blunders. Or rather, the art is in making mistakes, sharing a laugh over them, and remembering that not everything needs to be perfect.
As it is said, however, some of the best stories come from things that did not go exactly to plan. So, when your next project doesn’t go your way, exhale and enjoy the experience—you may end up with a great tale to tell!
