15 MORE Epic Construction and Home Improvement Fails!

As a homeowner, fixing up and remodeling your house is one of the best ways to personalize it and improve your value at the same time. But whether you hire a pricey contractor, the neighborhood handyman, or take on the DIY project, sometimes it doesn't turn out quite as well as you expected. In fact, home improvements can even turn into horror stories when the contractor doesn't know what he or she is doing, or just doesn't care.

In part one of this blog we covered 15 hilarious (and head-scratching) contractor and home improvement fails! The blog was so popular that we were urged to bring you part two right away! So here are 15 MORE epic home improvement fails for your amusement!

1. Note to self: measure the drawers WITH the pulls attached before you install them! 

2. I can't really blame this one on IKEA, can I?

3. I wonder what the contractor that installed our new porch lamp had for lunch?

4. So do we move the sink closer, or the faucet? 

5. Epic plumbing fail...or genius door installer?!

6. Whatever you do, DO NOT plug in the hairdryer!

7. Hopefully that plug isn't on this circuit! 

8. If you could ever get out onto that balcony, you could give an epic speech.

9. You might as well file a lawsuit right now! 

10. So...you're telling me street parking is a better option?

11. Are these light switches for the new twins' room?

12. Tiles on the roof? Sure, why not - as long as we have asphalt roofing shingles in the kitchen.

13.  This would have worked IF you used proper duct tape.

14. Do you think they used the same plumber for this...

...and this?

15. This is what happens when you use a home contractor to fix your broken car window! Epic fail! 

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Which one of these epic home improvement fails is your favorite? Do you have have any funny stories or photos of epic construction fails at your house? We'd love to hear from you and we promise to laugh with you, not at you! 

10 Industry secrets for hiring the best home improvement contractor at the best price.

Are you hiring a home improvement contractor to do remodel your kitchen, put on a new roof, or even install an addition to your home? Hiring the right contractor can be a risky, often scary proposition for a homeowners, especially since horror stories of shoddy work and frauds abound.  So we tok the time to poll several contractors themselves, to give you their insider information and tips how to hire the right person, get the best work done, and save a ton of money.  Here's what they said:

1. Schedule work in the off-season.
Too many homeowners wait until the busiest time to call a contractor, but then get frustrated that everyone is booked for months or charging top dollar.  Don’t wait until the hottest week of the summer to get your air conditioner serviced, or the nicest stretch of weather to get your house painted.  Plan ahead and try to book contractors in their slow season – usually winter, rainy times, or even holidays for a lot of businesses.  By being flexible with the timing and getting things done off season, you’ll be able to get the best price because they’ll just want to stay busy and make payroll for their crew.

2. Utilize preventive maintenance.
We see people wait and wait and wait until a small problem becomes a big problem and then becomes an emergency.  It’s almost like homeowners are afraid of bad news (or the cost) if they find something wrong, so they ignore the problem.  I assure you that will cost way more in the long run.  Neglecting common maintenance, like loose gutters, missing roof shingles, dirty filters, uncaulked windows, etc. can lead to bigger problems and even major water damage, so don’t be afraid to get a handyman to give your house a “check up” or look over every spring or fall, so you can find problems when they are still small and easily addressed. 

Also remember that when it comes to house painting, caulking, etc. 2 sides of your house – the south and west in sunny areas, or wettest and least sunny in cold weather climates, usually weather the fastest.  Too many people wait until the whole house needs painting, leaving those 2 sides way too neglected.  Instead, don’t be afraid to get half the house painted, or even the single most weathered side, as needed, without having to paint the whole thing.

3. Know when to use a general handyman and when to use a specialized pro.
A handyman is someone who handles a lot of small jobs, but probably doesn’t specialize in just one thing.  They’re great for every day tasks, like installing a ceiling fan, painting a room, installing tile on a kitchen floor, or changing a toilet, but bigger, technical jobs may be out of their realm.  Always use licensed contractor who specializes in their one vocation when it comes to significant electrical, major plumbing issues, roofing, or foundation or structural issues.  However, calling these big-job pros for very small jobs on your honey-do list might cost too much, and be suitable for a handyman.

4. Research them online.
Do a little digging into the online reputation of the contractors you are hiring.  There are plenty of websites out there – Google, the Better Business Bureau, Department of Consumer Affairs, Angies List, Home Advisor, etc. who will alert you to any problems or complaints against home improvement firms.  Of course you don’t want one subjective review from one customer to make the decision for you, but if there are major violations on file, or consistent complaints by multiple consumers, it’s probably best to move on.

5. The art of asking for references.
This is a tip that will really help you out – and might put a few contractors on the defensive!  Of course homeowners always ask for references (usually 3 for some reason, but I recommend 5) but too often the contractor just gives them the names and numbers of 3 people who were very happy with their work.  Instead, for referrals from the last 5 jobs they did chronologically – not just 5 total.  That way they won’t be able to pick and choose only the positive ones, and if they give you a list of names and numbers and there’s a time gap, you know something was less-than favorable during that time.

6. Work begets work.
Understand that good contractors always want to stay busy, and getting new work is a big part of their focus.  So when negotiating a price (always negotiate) let them know you’ll give them good reviews online, testimonials for their websites and social media, act as a reference for future clients, you’re your neighbors and friends about them, and allow them to put signage up in your front yard while they work.  They’ll appreciate your efforts to help them market, and probably will offer a better price.

7. Hire the tired-looking family man.
Trust me on this, you want to hire the family man who’s been in business for a while who looks tired.  They’re the ones who really need to work to feed their families and their own mortgage.  Be wary of the young college kids with nice tans who come in under everyone else’s price – they probably won’t have the same experience, or motivation to work hard.  Definitely be careful of the slick-talking salesman who offers to give you some special deal that no one else will, promises the moon, and just happens to have a completely free schedule starting Monday.  If it’s too good to be true, it ALWAYS is when it comes to home improvements.  

Make sure to ask who will be doing the actual work - the contractor himself?  His crew?  Unlicensed subcontractors or cheap day laborers?  Ask if he'll be on site at all times.

8. Get it all in writing.
A written contract is your only legal protection if things go south and the work isn’t performed correctly. Therefore, take some time to make sure the contract for services looks good.  Ask questions and make sure all points are covered.  Make sure you have their home address, office address, all contact information, and a copy of their contractor’s license on file.  Clarify start time and when the work will be completed.  This is very important because too often contractors take on more work than they can chew, just to get the deposit or some up front money, and then they keep juggling between jobs.  Clarify if they will only be working on your job exclusively, and if the job runs behind schedule, build in a reasonable per-day discount fee for your inconvenience (and to motivate them.)  Make sure it’s clarified who will pay for and transport materials (and what quality they’ll use) and if they’ll clean up trash once the job is done.  

Very important – NEVER pay everything up front.  Once you hand over all (or most) or the money for the job, it’s amazing how quickly their motivation will wane.  Plus, it’s illegal, and most states have regulations on how much up front money then can charge.  I usually break the total cost into 3 payments – the day the work is started (or to pick up materials,) halfway through at some predetermined completion point (like when the house is prepped and primed, for house painting) and then upon completion when you are happy with the work.  Make SURE to have their money when you say you will to keep it fair.

9. Understand the three levels of estimates.
Get at least three estimates for the work you need done (but five is even better.)  Type out a “spec” sheet with the exact work you want done, specific materials, etc. so you can compare apples to apples once they submit bids.  Ask for references with their bids.

There are usually three levels of estimates – one contractor who will charge through the roof, basically trying to get as much as the customer will pay.  They lose a lot of jobs this way, but take advantage of uninformed homeowners or people with means.  Hey, God bless America, they can charge whatever they want!  The second estimate is middle-of-the-road, work that is priced moderately and consistently by several contractors.  The third is work that is drastically less than even the mid-range bids.  I highly recommend you throw out the highest bids and stay the heck away from the lowest bids – choose someone with a middle-of-the-road price that is fair for you and fair for them, but most importantly they will do the work correctly and finish the job to your satisfaction.

10. Cash is king!
The last tip is one that is sure to save you money.  Honest contractors work extremely hard for their money, and love to keep ever cent in their pocket (by not giving it to the IRS) as possible.  Therefore, they LOVE customers who pay cash.  Whether they declare the income on their taxes or not is none of your concern, but at the very least it gives them a lot more flexibility.  So AFTER you get a written bid from them, ask what they would knock off if you agreed to pay cash.  Most contractors will entertain a cash discount, and may even knock off 5-10% off the price. 

25 Interesting facts about Home Depot, the world's biggest home repair store.

If you own a home, chances are you are a frequent visitor to a local Home Depot store. Some of us even remember fixing up our first little home, when we practically lived in the Paint and Hardware aisles of the home improvement mega store. But no matter whether you're a weekend DIY warrior or a professional contractor, here are some interesting facts about the world's biggest hardware store:

1. Home Depot is by far the largest home improvement retailer in the United States as well as the world. It now operates in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Canada, and Mexico, as well as other ventures overseas.

2. It’s also been our fastest growing retailer, surpassing the expansion of Target, Best Buy, and even Wal-Mart.

3. Home Depots operate out of huge warehouse-style buildings, with floor plans averaging 105,000 square feet and offering just about everything a construction project needs, from the biggest builder to the DIY weekend warrior.

4. The largest stores are in Union, New Jersey (225,000 square feet!) and Anaheim Hills, California (204,000 square feet).

5. The company was founded in 1978 by Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, Pat Farrah, and Bernard Marcus. Their original goal was to build superstores far bigger than any of their competition, which provided good prices based on volume purchasing and offered excellent customer service. Some would argue the latter!

6. The first two stores took over buildings leased by J.C. Penny in metro Atlanta in 1979. Home Depot still maintains its corporate headquarters in nearby Cobb County, Georgia.

7. Every year, Home Depot totals about $90 billion in sales on average, with ¾ of that coming from retail sales. It’s a permanent fixture on the Fortune 500 list of biggest companies in America.

8. Throughout the 1990s and 2000’s, Home Depot has frequently amended its company slogan. Since 2009 it’s been “More saving. More doing” which replaced "You can do it. We can help,” the slogan since 2003. Other past slogans include "The Home Depot, Low prices are just the beginning", "When you're at the Home Depot, You'll feel right at home", and "The Home Depot: First In Home Improvement!"

9. Home Depot now dominates the online construction and home improvement market as well, with at least 120 million visitors to their site every year.

10. Home Depot has the most employees who are Olympians and Olympic medal winners of any company in the world.

11. The company is active in politics, with 72% of their campaign contributions going to Republican candidates in past elections. Former Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli was a personal friend of U.S. President George W. Bush and made the maximum allowable contribution to his campaign.

12. The Home Depot is a huge advocate of athletics on every level. NASCAR driver Tony Stewart pilots the Home Depot car and they support Joe Gibbs Racing. The Home Depot also have supported the U.S. and Canadian Olympic teams and co-founder Arthur Blank owns the Atlanta Falcons 

13. You can buy some strange things in Home Depot, including a Remington heat clip set for hair extensions, a brownie making machine, a children’s’ potty training kit, pink Flamingo statues, a $600 Viking corded phone, and a jerky gun to turn your dried meats into jerky sticks.

14. The Home Depot has long flirted with an international presence. It has 180 stores in Canada in every territory and employs 35,000 people there. It also has 11,000 employees in 106 stores in Mexico with an annual 10% growth rate. At one time they also expanded to Chile and Argentina, though those experiments soon were pulled back.

15. Looking to cash in on the prosperity and real estate boom in China, they opened 7 stores, but closed those in 2012 because of fledging sales. Apparently it was a cultural difference that precipitated the failure, as Chinese shunned Home Depot’s “Do-It-Yourself” philosophy. In China, manual labor is considered for commoners or lower class, and the Chinese who could afford Home Depot wanted completed design and remodel projects, not step-by-step help and tools. A representative of Home Depot said it best in an interview with the Wall Street Journal: "The market trend says this is more of a do-it-for-me culture.”

16. Despite their international setbacks, Home Depot is still considering expansion to the UK, Ireland, and Poland.

17.Despite the success of their super stores, Home Depot has had plenty of failed business experiments, too. They opened several convenience stores and fueling stations aimed to attract contractors, builder based HD Supply, and a line of home furnishings, landscaping suppliers, and an EXPO appliance design center

18. In a gruesome scene that played like something out of a zombie movie, a man once walked into a Home Depot in California, grabbed a sheet rock saw, and started sawing his own arm off. A police officer in the store immediately applied first aid, saving his life. No one knew why he did it though it was thought he was in some sort of drug-crazed episode.

19. The real estate market crash of 2008 hit Home Depot particularly hard, as they had to close 54 stores nationwide and lay off thousands of employees. In 2008 and 2009, their sales were down approximately $20 billion from their peak.

20. The company is deeply invested in philanthropic causes. The Home Depot Foundation, the charity wing of the corporation, has donated over $200 million in contributions, materials, and time to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, California-based City of Hope National Medical Center, and KaBOOM!, who builds playgrounds in inner cities.

21. Home Depot has a good track record of supporting U.S. military veterans, and offers an ongoing 10% discount to our military community.

22. Inexplicably, Home Depot employees are still not unionized. In 2004, workers at a Detroit store voted down a proposal to garner union representation, which would have made them the first store to do so.

23. In 2014, Home Depot suffered a massive security breach of its customers’ financial data and other records. The damage was discovered to include about 56 million credit card numbers of its customers. To make amends, Home Depot offered a free year of credit monitoring to those affected and revamped their electronic payment systems.

24. Home Depot funds an interesting project at Duke University – the “Home Depot Smart Home”. On campus, ten upper class engineering students live in a special home designed like a research laboratory, collecting their feedback and innovations on security and home monitoring, home technology, communications, energy efficiency, entertainment, and the environment.

25. Home Depot reports that they are environmental conscious, committed "to the environment and pledge to continue to be an industry leader in looking for products and services that are respectful of our world”. While it’s been criticized for not doing nearly enough to promote responsible building, lumber, and chemical waste initiatives, Home Depot has introduced a environmentally-safe label for 3,000 of its products and pushes for recycling and cleaner-energy lighting. The Home Depot Foundation pledged $100 million over the next decade to build 10,000 green affordable home units and plant at least 3,000,000 trees.

35 Creative ways to improve your home's curb appeal.

1.         Hide your garden hose in a nice pot.

Unsightly garden hoses and spray nozzles can easily be coiled and stored inside of a big ceramic pot or planter. 

2.         Reface your foundation.

If you have a plain and boring concrete or stucco foundation, add faux or half bricks, tiles, or faux stone to turn a negative into one of its nicest features.

3.         Highlight your address numbers.

Instead of small black letters near your front door, why not get creative with larger letters built into in a false rock, concrete column or stone feature with built-in lighting.

4.         Add a pathway.

Build a pathway to your side yard or driveway with mulch, stone, great plantings, and stepping-stones.

5.         Install shutters.

Nothing makes the face of your home look better than nice shutters outside each window.  Look at plenty of color patterns but try a glossy paint with deep, dark colors like black, crimson, or hunter green. 

6.         Get a new front door.

Replace your humdrum front door with a classic stained wood or modern full window door. 

7.         Add window boxes.

Remember those shutters we put up?  Follow that up with box planters outside each window (or just the second floor) with colorful flowers.  Stained wood or bright paint looks great on these.

8.         Plant vines over unsightly areas.

If there’s an area of the house that isn’t particularly nice to look at – like if it has utility poles, boxes, or lines – you can simply put up a vertical trellis in front of it and plant some vines. 

9.         Build a trellis above the garage door.

Let’s face it – garage doors are ugly.  But an easy weekend project of building a nice trellis over it, complete with interwoven vines and some accent lighting, and your garage will be the envy of the neighborhood. 

10.       Paint your front door.

Don’t worry if your budget doesn’t allow for a brand new front door – you can repaint your existing one!  To make sure the new layers of paint don’t keep it from closing properly, you might want to sand it down some before applying primer and paint.  Match this too your shutters with glossy paint.

11.       Create a container garden.

Our first instinct is to plant everything in the front yard, but it’s way easier (and looks really cool!) to mix and match fun, funky, and colorful containers to hold flowers and plants.

12.       Update your mailbox.

Just like your address numbers got a makeover, spruce up your mailbox.  Instead of having it hang by your front door, build a classic wooden pillar and have it sit out on the street, or wrap the base in brick or stone.  Build in a sturdy mailbox but make sure it locks.

13.       Set up a sitting area.

It’s amazing how inviting a front porch or front yard looks with some simple outdoor furniture so you can sit outside and enjoy it.

14.       Update your front porch light.

Replacing outdated lighting with new, modern lighting is a great way to improve curb appeal without breaking the bank.

15.       Replace your garage door.

Trade in your dented and dated garage door with a gorgeous wooden carriage door or faux wood door.  You can even get these to open horizontally to complete the look of a million dollar mansion!

16.       Fix up your garage door .

If you don’t have money to replace it, you can have a row of horizontal windows cut into your existing door and add screw-on hardware that makes it look like a classy carriage door.

17.       Add new hardware to your front door.

Add a new knob, big brass knocker, and brass kick plate to any front door to make it look brand new. 

18.       Add an archway.

Build an archway on the way to the front door and cover it with vines, colorful flowers, and cool lighting.

19.       Paint the exterior.

You may not want to paint the whole house, but there’s nothing wrong with painting only the front, including a three-color pattern with the trim and the front door and shutters different colors.

20.      Paint over concrete steps or porch floor.

Paint old and weathered concrete steps or a porch with dark and glossy paint.  Black looks great, but remember to prepare the concrete well first and use specialty mason/floor paint because of the high foot traffic. 

21.       Power wash.

Rent a power washer for the day and spray clean your house, your roof, inside gutters, stucco, walkways, and your driveway.  Just remember to wash from the top down so you don’t create a bigger mess.

22.       Replace your welcome matt.

Don’t forget that something as simple as a new, colorful, and personalized welcome matt can make a great first impression.  You can even build your own out of painted wooden slats!

23.       Wash windows.

Take out the Windex and the old newspapers (better and less expensive than paper towels) and give your windows a good washing – they’ll really sparkle!

24.       Plant a tree.

To break up a monotonous lawn, plant a tree and surround it with a mulch bed and other lower plants or flowers.

25.       Upgrade your porch railing.

If you don’t have money for a brand new porch, you can replace the posts and spindles and repaint to make it look new.

26.       Add edging stones to your driveway.

I love this look – instead of a boring asphalt driveway butting right up against the lawn, set in edging stones, pavers, or bricks along the way.

27.       Hang outdoor curtains.

Outdoor fabrics are weather resistant and sheer enough to let light in, so use them as outdoor drapes hanging from your overhang or porch ceiling with tiebacks.  The neighbors will rave about it!

28.       Outdoor chandelier.

While you’re at it, replace your boring overhead light fixture with an outdoor chandelier to make your front porch look like the foyer of a million dollar mansion!

29.       Add lights to walkway.

New landscaping lighting along pathways gives your home that welcoming glow at night.

30.       Hang string lights.

Wrap trees, posts, and front porches with strands of white outdoor lights.  The key is being subtle so it doesn’t look like Christmas!

31.       Put up hanging plants.

You can make any porch pop by hanging pretty flowers or lush ferns from pots suspended from the ceiling, complete with their own mister watering system.

32.       Rip out the lawn.

Replace the front lawn with natural landscaping and symmetrical flower gardens to give it an organic, modern look.  You can even have fun and recreate the beach with small crushed gravel that looks like sand, “beachy” grasses, and seas shells and starfish scattered around!  

33.       Put a bench in the garden area. 

Simply adding a sitting area can add curb appeal.  Don’t be afraid to go with something bright and fun.

34.       Add elements of water.

A fountain, water feature, or koi pond makes a great signature piece in the front of your home.

35.       Hang a porch swing.

There is no better way to add curb appeal – and even add value to your home – with a hanging swing on your front porch.  A nice one isn’t too expensive and you can easily attach it to a strong beam with chains or thick ropes.  It will add instant charm to the front of your house!

25 House hacks that will make you say, "Cool!"

Have you ever heard of "life hacks?"  They're short cuts that creatively solve problems in your everyday life.  Well now we have house hacks, ways to alter your home or creatively use every day items to uniquely enhance your living spaces.  Some are simple and will only take you a few minutes to set up, others would require a million dollar budget, but all of them are...how else can we describe these house hacks?  For lack of a better word, they are just COOL!  

Check them out and don't be afraid to try some of them around your house!  

1. Attach a wooden CD rack horizontally above your bathroom sink for a great organizer.

 2. If your closet doesn't have enough light, add a string of Christmas lights to the door frame.

3. String a bunch of aloe branches and leaves to your shower head - the steam will release the fragrance for your own aloe spa treatment.

4. Antique door knobs make fun, funky towel pegs in the bathroom.

5. Growing a vertical herb garden in your kitchen is easy, looks great, and smells wonderful! 

6. Ok, so this one may take a bigger budget, but install a glass bathroom floor with a stone shaft underneath.  Ok, it's nearly impossible to do - but it sure looks cool! 

7. Instead of an ugly white board, use a dry erase marker to write your grocery list on a nice picture frame with only glass.

8. Women always want more closet space and places to put their shoe collection so this will be appreciated - install painted crown moulding against the wall and use it to hang all of your high heeled shoes!  

9.  Put together a false front of book spines to hide your router or other unsightly electronics. 

10. You can hide your thermostat, alarm, or any other wall gadget with a painting affixed to hinges.

11. Attach bolts to the studs in your ceiling and use chains to hang a hammock bed.  You can also set up a cool indoor swing or bench like this with old rope.

12. Glue a magnetic strip under your kitchen cabinet and you'll be able to hang your spice jars by their metal lids.

13.  Get locked out of the house a lot?  (I do that all the time!)  Put your spare key in a pill container and then superglue the top of a pine cone to the top.  You can then bury the pill box and only the pine cone will show.

14. Painting in bathrooms and other small spaces is never fun because you have to tape off everything.  A faster, easier way to do that is to use plastic wrap to cover surfaces, and then take it off and throw it out in a jiff when you're done.

15. This one may take a lot more construction, but it's COOL!!!!  An indoor/outdoor pool that flows right into your house!  

16. If you can't easily bolt into the rafters in your ceiling you can build a frame to hang a table and chairs for your own personal swinging dining space!

17. City dwellers and those who work at home will LOVE this: put your work desk in a big box with soft beach sand so you can get the feel of a tropical beach while you're working! 

18. Do you call the kids for dinner over and over but they don't want to come downstairs? That won't be an issue when you have a slide attached to your spiral staircase!

19. Speaking of stairs, you can set up a system of drawers and storage closets in the empty, unused space under your staircase.

20. Or, make a staircase lined by book cases instead of walls.  Look closely - this one even has books in the hollowed-out steps!

21. What child wouldn't want a tree house right in their room?  

22.  Replacing a boring door in a dark space with a glass door covered by color swatches or glass tiles.

23. There's always so much blank space above stairwells, so bolt in to the studs and hang a strong gymnastics net - it will make the perfect hammock lounging area.

24. Coming back to earth, how about plastic shoe holders hung on the back of a pantry or kitchen closet door for better organization?

 25. Wine racks hung on the bathroom wall make great decorative towel holders.  

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Do you have any cool home hacks that you use or know of?  Let us know and we'll post them next time!