100 Home Disasters Waiting to Happen

This guy must have decided to put a ceiling-hung gas furnace in his garage. But he should have read the instruction manual on how to install the gas heater. Maybe the flue would have been facing the right direction.

This is another case of "PP" (pretty poor) planning. The garage furnace flue was cut in before figuring out clearance issues with the gutters. But aren't those downspouts perfect?

It’s a little known fact, but bolts have to go through the material they’re intended to hold in place. Deck joists need to be installed properly for maximum support.

Without thinking, tell me what you see. There are techniques involved with painting a door.

Some people should skip the hand-framing and stick with roof trusses. That way you don't need to be a skilled carpenter.

No WAY I’m paying for another two feet of ductwork! Guessing the real reason was that the furnace was shorter and this guy didn’t know how to extend the ductwork to accommodate a shorter furnace.

If so the shingles are upside down. Gutters and downspouts are generally at the bottom of eaves.

Painter’s tape doesn’t stand up to the elements like good old duct tape. Not to mention the fact that this is an antenna for indoor use only? Barney won’t be on for long. There are other ways to improve TV reception.

I don't know. Sometimes, just looking at a photo will tell you whether or not a guy is single. It's really not all that hard to replace window hardware. You'll want to know these cheap ways to burglar-proof your home instead of this attempt.

Ahhh...the glow of satisfaction from a job well done. Clearly, plumbing and drain installation isn't for everyone.

Which ones? That’s the game! Try your luck! First prize is one free shock-therapy treatment. One should ALWAYS use caution when working in a breaker box!

Must've been something really tasty plugging up that trap! Better get a new one put on before it starts leaking!

So the theory is, if you just hook up enough wires, something's gotta work. Installing a new outlet shouldn't be this difficult.

More likely this is to keep the roof from burning in a wildfire. Guess it would be better than nothing. This is one way to prevent house fires.

Hard to figure out what’s going on here. Sure you need a cold air return in the basement, but why not just put a vent in the cold air return? Maybe they’re planning ahead for a future wall?

Holy major electrical mistake Batman. This guy actually drew electricity from one of the main cables entering the house before the main panel and breakers. Wonder if he lived to call the electrical inspector for final inspection. These are the most common National Electric Code violations for DIYers.

So, I sit backwards, project my video game on the tank, and use the flusher as a joystick. Might be time to replace this old beauty.

I don’t know why freezers don’t have lights, so I just put one in myself. Maybe the lamp was just overheating?

Sale on extra long bolts on aisle 4. Guess there’s nothing wrong with that. But judging from the corrosion at the nuts, these fasteners aren’t rated for treated lumber or maybe not even galvanized.

Dad must’ve thought that the kids would need a stair rail that grew along with them, so they added one more railing for each growth spurt. Believe it or not this is almost legal. At least it passes the 4-in. ball test. The problem is that there’s no returns at the ends.

I’d love to see how they solve the issue of flashing this roof. Flashing against brick is possible but there’s no instruction manual for flashing through the middle of a window.

Know what’s going on here? Our best guess is that it’s in Jethro Tull’s basement. It might be an old fashioned well pressure tank. But then again maybe not.

I know every time I want to start a fire in the fireplace, I check the chimney cap to see if it's OK. Maybe the flue should get inspected.

If only there were a pool in the driveway, these would make great diving platforms as well. Through-the-wall AC units would have solved this problem and looked a little tidier.

I sure hope those coats are flame retardant. Last Supper indeed! The water heater flue should NOT be in contact with flammable items! A power vented water heater would solve this problem.

Want some decorative walls? Wallpapering is something anybody can do!

My first question is why did someone cover up this beautiful ceiling with a hideous drop ceiling?! More importantly, there are specific guidelines to follow when adding a receptacle SAFELY!

It’s nice to see that some folks really care about safety measures for their neighborhood peeping Toms. There’s got to be a better way to access that attic.

Nope. This DIYer was determined to fix that wobbly newel post once and for all. Seems like this could work on a deck post too, but there are easier ways.

Indoor plants are nice, but not when their roots are outside. Repairing the window so the plants can’t get in would be a good start to fixing this problem.

Hope the new home owner can speak Swahili or Russian-or something. Marking circuit breakers is a great idea as long as you can understand them.

This isn’t just a case of bad stucco. The homeowner is going to have to go all the way to replacing the footings.

So satisfying to see a well-planned job through to the end. Gotta check into a better way to support a shelf!

Is this a game of whole-house Jenga? These load-bearing posts are supposed to support the whole house, the little blocks don’t have the compression strength to do the job.

Well, if the saddle valve doesn't fail, at least the C-clamp on the hose will. My guess is that the saddle valve already failed, so someone found a clever way to turn it off!

Well? I suppose we could roast the turkey on the drying cycle? A little bit of kitchen planning goes a long way.

Keeping rodents out of your chimney is important. But there are actually store-bought solutions for adding chimney caps that work better.

Well, at least we've solved the problem of where those lost socks go. Duct tape alone just wasn't stopping the leaks.

Looks like they got the gist of installing step flashing. Just forgot the most important part-tucking it behind the counter flashing to make a skylight leakproof.

Um, I think joists need to be one piece. Framing your deck is NOT the place to use up scraps!

Now all I have to do is put in a flex pipe at the wall. To make the drain work, you just lift the sink out and tilt it every which way. There are better ways to connect a sink drain.

So much for the one place a guy can be left alone! Delores wanted to make sure that she could give Ron additions to his to-do list at all times. Time to plan out some bathroom walls!

"See, this way the city can't monitor the water going down my drain and I don't get charged for it. And if I'm not feeling like using the toilet, I can just let loose anywhere in the basement!" Yes, it’s true. In order to work properly, a drain actually has to be connected to something.

Yup. Looks like there’s a stud wall resting on this mess. I don’t think that a 2x6 qualifies as a load-bearing post!

Uncle Cooter never minded living in the attic. Nope. Not one bit. Not sure what the R-value of cardboard boxes is, but I am sure that using actual insulation in the attic would be better.

Cutting in paint around trim isn’t all that hard to do. And it’s even easier around furniture-or you could just move it.

After training rats, B.F. Skinner decided to test his training on the kids. Or maybe it’s connected to a switched outlet where the pizza oven is plugged in.

Trimming this tree would be a very delicate operation. And you might want to call up the power company for this job.

Apparently, there was one shingle from the old roof that just had some sentimental value. But eventually, he'll have to give up on sentiments and replace the shingle.

After earning a structural engineering degree from a box of Cracker Jacks, Raymond decided to put his newfound skills to use installing a new garage door opener.

I know it says self-cleaning, but how long are you willing to wait? At least you probably don’t need to buy spices for a while. You can just smear off some grime and throw it in the pot.

This is a perfect install, if the only use is for flooding your basement. This utdoor sillcock could've been thought through a little better.

So close! Almost got that new kitchen paid for! Under cabinet lighting is a nice upgrade, but not at the expense of burning down your house!

This looks like a laundry tub faucet. But why was the spout cut off? Didn’t clear the divider maybe? It’s time for this cowboy to invest in a new laundry tub.

Something caused this device to melt. Probably overloading the outlet. But why in the world didn't the breaker trip? Plus: Check out these other cringe-worthy home improvement fails.

Maybe it's silly putty, maybe plumbers putty, maybe epoxy putty, maybe they should have just fixed the leaks to avoid scary stuff like this.

Every night, Bubba added more corn to the hopper and waited by the water heater with a shot glass. I don’t think this is standard piping for a TPR valve.

Now that’s a close call! Flammable materials close to electric baseboard heaters is a good recipe for a fire!

Just maybe this piano/shelf is still playable. Look closely and you'll see the pedals. Our theory is that the pegboard above the keyboard is actually a way for the sound to travel from the utility room to the ballroom. (See next slide to see the rest)

...and the back side doubles as a coat rack! The piano is much quieter in the winter!

Now I'll just prop up the bottom of the cabinet, then the bathroom floor, and then a jack post in the basement and we're all set. What on earth is the countertop made of? Cardboard? Or maybe the kitchen counter sink cut out is too big.

Here's proof. The cool thing about installing shingles is that any dummy can do it! But, there is a right way to do it!

Don't cry honey, I have no idea what happened to your pet iguana. But rest assured, he'll always be with us. Or is it a wayward squirrel that couldn't find his way out?

Maybe one last piece of ductwork wasn’t all this installer was short on. The draft hood above the water heater allows a draft so the warm air can go up and out. The ad hoc draft hood at the top not only doesn’t do anything, it can allow carbon monoxide back into the house.

There. That’ll keep the inspector off my back. I hope he doesn’t bring a tape so he can check the distance between the balusters on my new stair rail.

Yup. The whirlpool tub fills from the upstairs toilet! Genius!

What twisted freak designed this? It’s like a funhouse bathroom! Might want to take a look at some good ways to remodel a bathroom.

But where will he live if the water heater gets fixed? Looks like it's about time to replace the old water heater.

If you close off the register, this cabinet doubles as a convection oven. Would’ve been a better idea to reroute that ductwork.

Not everyone has the luxury of a copy editor. Maybe it’s “unoppertable” because the installer never finished skool. It’s not that hard to install a light fixture that works.

Until that junction box completely disintegrates, this is up to code, right? Judging from the rust, I’m thinking there might be a water problem here as well, and that crowded box should probably be replaced.

So he was smart enough to make a scarf joint, cool. Problem is scarf joints need some kind of load bearing post below them.

A leaky roof can be a cause for drastic measures. In this case, I think it might have been less expensive and less work to actually fix the roof!

Expecting the toilet to grow sideways, Tom planned ahead. Installing a new toilet was far too much work.

See, the problem is, electricity can spark and wood can burn! This would probably be fine if they put a legitimate electrical box inside the wooden box.

After careful years of planning and tending the weed bed, Myrtle thought balusters would just destroy the view. That looks like quite a tumble if you took a bad step on those stairs!

We’ve done a slideshow on mind blowing uses for expanding foam. Although this is a bit mind blowing, it didn’t make the list. I’m not even sure what the intended fix was here.

Perhaps this was supposed to be for plugging leaks around the flue. Recapping the chimney the proper way might be a better strategy.

If your shorts fit over ductwork, then yes. Yes it does. They do sell duct hangers that are better suited to this purpose.

After bouncing the basketball off the roof for five years, I guess mom and dad finally agreed to get junior a backboard. Time to re-shingle this roof!

Jeff decided to make it his goal to use every single 2-in. PVC fitting offered at Lowes. Can you imagine how many trips to the home center this took?

Between the Jetsons and Santa Claus, I don’t know who’s worse. Suffice to say they’ll be ticketed or towed from now on! But seriously, you can buy all the parts you need to install gutters at home centers.

It’s a secret hiding place for something, but who knows what? Learn more here about clever places to hide things.

Can't even come up with a theory on what's going on here. Perhaps some instructions on how to connect a sink drain would be helpful.

Why would you bury your dry goods out in the yard when there's a cozy warm attic you can use for the winter stash? Dealing with pests like squirrels in the attic can be a challenge.

Frank got this brilliant idea while drinking beer at the local watering hole. The rest is history. Of course, he had to add a new circuit to pull it off. His wife loves it.

Oh, how you laughed as I collected all those free tile samples. Well who’s laughing now?! Another three months and we’ll have new carpet in the living room.

Once I get a little wood filler in the cracks, this is going to look amazing! Installing wood flooring does take just a little bit of skill.

Bill and Susan decided they'd let family of moles do the fertilizing this fall. And I guess they should've set him up with a little more fertilizer.

Cooling fins-or radiator fins-you be the judge. Or maybe it's an attempt to stop the mice from using the ductwork as an elevated expressway?

Electricity and water don’t get along. At least they installed a GFCI outlet.

If you gotta have power on the other side of the wall, this isn’t the way to go about it. And not only is it ugly, it would have been easier to add an outlet the right way.

After learning quickly that a cigar wouldn’t plug this hole, Leonard tried a wooden plug...Looks like the cap was rusted in place so they just drilled through it to access the cleanout. Learn how a pro removes a stuck plug here.

Exhaust gases from a water heater flue are hot and go up, (think hot air balloon). This is a great way to get carbon monoxide backdrafting into the house. This is the kind of thing that really gets C/O detectors super duper excited.

Maybe the shingles spell out a cry for help to passing airplanes? I think this fella is just collecting all the leftover shingles from his roofing contractor buddies. Perhaps it's time for a roof tearoff.

If only the squirrels living in the soffits would quit using this vent to drain their bath water ... I guess they just don’t understand ice dams.

Judging from the shape of this boiler system, the radiators likely need bleeding. But at least they have a place to drain the supper dishes.

Hmmm... Stephen King's attic? Other storage solutions might be less nightmare-inducing, but I'm not sure I'd go up there anymore. Never know what else you might find!

Hard to tell, but I think the cord goes into the pot. Maybe trying to boost the growth of the plants through shock therapy when the rainwater comes out of the downspout?

Wow! This is a huge improvement over the coat hangers in the other hinges! Brilliant! A lesson in garage door repair might be in order.