10 Home Design Fails That Made Us Fall Out of Our Chairs

By Lisa Johnson Mandell
May 19, 2016

Everyone makes a mistake now and then, but when that error’s on the outside of your home, the whole world can witness your shame. One little Instagram post, and your epic design fail could go viral.

We rounded up the most egregious architectural goofs we were able to find, and try as we might, we just can’t come up with any good justifications for them. As we gaze and giggle, we keep coming back to, “What were these people thinking?!”

We found it nearly impossible to track down the authors of these faux pas—perhaps they’re lying low while they try to live down their infamy.

Consider this a list of things not to do when designing your home.

A step up in garages…

Epic Design Fails
Garage designed specifically for four-wheel drives?

(Max Curtis of MaxInspect in Livermore, CA )

This photo, from Max Curtis of Max Home Inspections in Livermore, CA, leads us to believe that the homeowners have at least one four-wheel-drive SUV, and are perhaps worried about their garage flooding. Regardless, it will probably work just fine if you’re going fast enough.

… or a step way up in garages

Epic design fails
The garage is waiting for the flying car to be invented.

(LIfebuzz.com)

It would take some serious levitation skills to get a car into this second-story garage. Or is it meant to house a helicopter? It’s hard to say. But hey, we guess the upside is, there’s always parking on Level 2.

So much for a barbecue on the balcony

design fails
Balcony disconnect

(Via Imgur)

We’re hoping they’re not hyping the balconies as luxury features on these apartments, since there are no doors leading to them. They are kind of accessible via the windows, but you’d need to be skinny.

A balcony for the birds

epic design fails
A lot of trouble could have been avoided if Juliet had a balcony like this one.

(Via AwesomeInventions.com)

This is what happens when the balcony designers don’t cooperate with the people building the doors. Or the windows, for that matter.

A tree grows in the driveway

Tree huggers rejoice!
Tree huggers, rejoice!

(Via Jalopnik.com)

Of course this eco-conscious homeowner wanted to save this tree, so we’re thinking this garage in Sarnia, Canada, is used mostly for storage of bicycles, motorcycles, and any other random stuff that isn’t a car.

Watch your step

epic design failures
The first step may be the last.

(Via Instagram)

Believe it or not, this photo is from a listing for a property in Detroit. We’re guessing that BYOL (bring your own ladder) was probably mentioned in the listing somewhere.

Doorway to nowhere

Epic Design Fails
You’d better watch where you walk on the third floor.

(Via Pinterest)

Another door in the sky! It looks like someone reached into the wrong box when installing the windows. Either that, or there’s a really bad tenant on the third floor that the owners would like to get rid of.

On the wrong track

You can't help but hear that train a'comin' if you live here
You can’t help but hear that train a-comin’ if you live here.

(Via Lifebuzz.com)

Let’s just hope that this train track is no longer in use, or that the train conductor doesn’t text and drive, overlooking the fact that someone built a balcony in his way.

Off the beaten path

Epic design fails
The road not taken lies here.

(Via AwesomeInventions.com)

This is what happens when the fence builders don’t coordinate with the concrete pourers. We’re hoping bikers stay alert when taking this path to the home behind it.

Crooked architect?

What a droopy view
What a droopy view

(Via imgur.com)

We have to surmise that this off-kilter window on this Best Western Hotel was an intentional design choice. But why? We just hope whoever stays in the room stays away from the minibar.

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