150 Shocking Home Photos You Have to See

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?

Not willing to be outwitted by a water heater, Jim decided that the TPR (temperature, pressure relief) valve should only drip when he wanted it to drip. A TPR valve is an important safety feature, and the photo shown above is NOT an appropriate solution!

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

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.

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.

Little Johnny got a magnifying glass for his birthday and set out to harness the power of the sun and melt the neighbor's house. Obviously, this house is in need of some siding replacement!

"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.

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.

Genius! With this setup, you can wash your hands and your feet at the same time! A small bathroom requires a certain amount of planning.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

That's the definition of "hard water." On the plus side, the water spraying out should soon melt the icicle. Might be time for a new faucet and maybe to install a freeze detector in the house.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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

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.

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!

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?

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

Marion loved the smell of her cooking so much, it seemed a waste to vent all of the wonderful aromas outside. Generally, most people would prefer kitchen venting to exhaust outside the house.

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.

Come on down to Bob's Really Good Surgery Shack! This week's special is brain transplants! Actually, this might provide pretty good shop lighting in the garage. 

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!

Determined to have Martha's mouse-pelt coat ready for Christmas, Karl set about the task with never-before-seen enthusiasm. There are many ways to get rid of mice in your home.

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.

Do NOT look this mess in the eye! You'll turn to stone! I think these supply lines could be a bit shorter. Plus the water pressure is bound to be affected.

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!

Photo: Courtesy of Structure Tech

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.

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

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.

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.

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

After mom and dad moved out, the toddlers decided to make the bathroom more user-friendly. But when they grow up they're gonna have to install a new shower.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!