Renovations can be a thrilling adventure, but they can also be a disaster waiting to happen. Here are 16 renovation fails that actually happened, and that will make you think twice before picking up that hammer.

When Sarah Smith decided to knock down a wall in her living room to create an open floor plan, she didn’t realize that it was a supporting wall. The result? A visibly slanted ceiling and floors that led to the creation of her very own ‘Leaning Tower of Living Room.’

John Johnson thought it would be a great idea to install a new kitchen island in his home. Little did he know, the floor beneath it was not sturdy enough to hold the weight. The island ended up creating a sinkhole in the middle of his kitchen floor, trapping him in a culinary disaster.

Emma Williams wanted to replace the windows in her home with energy-efficient ones. Unfortunately, the windows arrived in the wrong size, and the contractor decided to ‘make them fit’ by cutting into the walls. The result? Windows that were too small, and gaping holes in Emma’s walls.

Michael Brown had big dreams for his home, including a grand staircase. However, a miscommunication with the contractor led to a staircase being built that led straight into the ceiling. The end result? A staircase that led to nowhere, and a very confused homeowner.

When Olivia Roberts decided to retile her bathroom, she thought she had found the perfect pattern. Little did she know, the pattern was much more intricate than she anticipated, and she ended up with a dizzying array of mismatched tiles that looked more like a work of abstract art than a bathroom floor.

Jason Davis wanted to give his kitchen a facelift by installing new countertops. However, the DIY project took a turn for the worse when he realized the countertops were cut at uneven angles. The result? Crooked countertops that made meal prep feel like a game of Jenga.

Sophia Martinez thought it would be a good idea to install a new bathroom in her basement. However, a few DIY mishaps led to a burst pipe, and before she knew it, she had a flooded basement on her hands. The dream of a spa-like retreat quickly turned into a nightmare.

When Tyler Clark decided to tear down the walls in his home to create an open floor plan, he didn’t anticipate the challenge of relocating the plumbing and electrical work. The end result? A chaotic mess of exposed pipes and wires that turned his home into a safety hazard.

When Daniel White thought it would be fun to build a fire pit in his backyard, he didn’t consider the proximity to his home. One stray ember later, and he had a backyard inferno on his hands. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the fire did considerable damage to his home’s exterior.

Jessica Thompson decided to take on the task of painting her home’s exterior herself. However, she quickly realized that her color choice was a mistake when the once-beige home turned into a bright neon eyesore in the neighborhood. The only solution? A costly re-paint job to tone down the color.

When Adam Scott attempted to renovate his bathroom, he ran into a small issue – he accidentally knocked down a load-bearing wall. The result? A bathroom with a missing wall and a very awkward view into the next room.

When Megan Evans decided to replace her old windows with new, modern ones, a small mishap caused a domino effect, resulting in shattered glass all over her home. What was intended to be an upgrade quickly turned into a messy clean-up job.

When Ethan Lee attempted to install new cabinets in his kitchen, he quickly realized that he had measured incorrectly. The cabinets ended up being too large for the space, leaving him with a kitchen that felt more like a maze.

When Olivia White decided to take on the task of replacing the ceiling in her home, she wasn’t prepared for what she found above. Decades-old wiring and insulation that should have been updated years ago. The small project turned into a major overhaul of her home’s electrical system.

When James Robinson built a new deck off the back of his home, he didn’t realize that the supports were not sturdy enough to hold the weight. The end result? A wobbly deck that felt more like a ride at an amusement park than a place to relax.

When Lily Hall decided to tackle the task of wallpapering her home, she quickly realized that the pattern she had chosen was much more complicated than expected. The result was a patchwork of mismatched patterns that turned her walls into a dizzying optical illusion.