50 Hilarious DIY Fails That Prove Home Remodeling Isn’t Always As Easy As It Seems

DIY dreams or disasters? Check out these hilarious home improvement fails!

Damjan

• Published in Weird
• November 25, 2024

Home remodeling can be a fun way to freshen up your space. Many homeowners enjoy tackling projects independently, and around 75% of people dive into DIY home improvements.

But no matter how careful you are, things sometimes go differently than planned, and some slip-ups can be entertaining. Take measuring, for example. It’s easy to think you’ve nailed it—until the door you bought doesn’t fit the frame.

Or you try your hand at painting an ombré wall, but it turns into more of a tie-dye disaster. Then there’s lighting. You might imagine a beautiful chandelier above your dining table, but instead, you end up with one swinging awkwardly in a narrow hallway.

It's different from the grand statement you had in mind. Sometimes, DIY projects go a little too far. For example, when someone tried installing a new sink, the kitchen flooded—water everywhere.

A lesson learned the hard way: Even simple tasks like hanging shelves can go wrong. What seemed like a good idea ended up with your shelves leaning at a Picasso-worthy angle instead of offering the neat storage you had in mind.

These funny mishaps tell us that things might not always go perfectly, but they make great stories; check out some of them.

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"

"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"

"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"

While DIY home repair efforts can be thrilling and satisfying, they frequently result in amusing mistakes. But the trick is to learn from them, laugh about it, and remember that not everything needs to be flawless.

After all, the best stories often emerge from efforts that did not go strictly as intended. So, if your next home project doesn't go as planned, just take a deep breath and enjoy the experience—you might end up with a terrific story to share!

Damjan