There are particular professions for which we tend to put a lot of faith into the people that work within them. For example, we generally feel confident that the pilot is going to safely land our airplane on the runway. We are typically assured that the chef is keeping a clean kitchen and knows how to correctly refrigerate and prepare foods. We are usually certain that our surgeon is going to operate on the body part he or she is supposed to operate on.

All of these examples come to mind, but we are possibly never more sure about assuming someone’s abilities than when we go home every night. Let that settle in. You have trusted another person (a human as equally capable of making mistakes as you are) to keep a roof over your head, a floor underneath you, and walls on all sides of you. It may seem like a given that builders, architects, and others in the profession would have to know what they are doing because they need to maintain certifications and things of the like, but wait until you read through this post.

From misplaced doors, obstructed walkways and views, steep ramps, and designs that just didn’t make any sense, we’ve managed to find examples of builders that got it so wrong it was probably (hopefully?) the last time they were hired for a project. Don’t worry, nobody was harmed in the making of these mess-ups (we don’t think), so we can have a good laugh.

20 A Not-So-Accessible Accessibility Ramp

via: Bored Panda

Wheelchair accessible ramps are crucial for those using a mobility assisted device. However, the person that built this has clearly never needed to use one (and might not understand physics).

Instead of spending time, effort, and money on a ramp that extends from a side entrance (or, better yet, an elevator), this builder put down a long strip of wood right over the top of the stairs. Points earned for painting the wood blue so it would be more visible, but major points lost over the very drastic end result of someone actually using that ramp to get to the ground floor.

19 A Slightly Obstructed Walkway

via: Bored Panda

While the idea scored at least an A, the implementation earns nothing higher than a D.

This is a classic case of the designer and builder not coming to an understanding (or just a very poorly laid out plan). The intention clearly was for the slanted columns to add a touch of character to the building. Instead, anybody that wants to walk through has to squeeze between it and the railing or climb over the break in the middle.

It might have been more useful to either widen the walkway or decrease the width of the columns. Just thoughts for next time.

18 A Staircase That Looks Exactly Like Its Blueprint

via:Travelask

You can say a lot about the builder in this example (possibly lacks critical thinking skills or common sense, might have missed an important day of class in architecture school, etc) but you can’t say he or she doesn’t follow directions (in their most literal form).

According to the blueprints (below) for the project, this staircase was to descend, take a right angle onto a flat landing, and descend further. Unfortunately, the one dimensional drawing really threw this individual for a loop and a completely unusable staircase was constructed. Though, the finished product does look exactly like the picture, so there’s that.

via:Webfail

17 A Balcony With A Major Hazard

via: Bored Panda

Imagine moving into a brand new apartment and being promised that you can take in the early morning city sights with a cup of coffee from your very own private balcony. The only problem is that the builder forgot to finish the job.

The good news is that the balcony has sides to keep you from falling. The bad news is that the balcony does not have a bottom to keep you from falling. We’re guessing the building management company had to drop the prices of these apartments since renters or owners couldn’t actually go out onto the nice balcony.

16 A Door That Wasn't Quite On Target

via: Bored Panda

In a post shared on Bored Panda, a young man was visiting the family home of another friend. While they were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, he ventured on a little tour of the house. Peeking over the staircase railing, he saw a basement and headed down.

In a strange turn of events, he came in contact with a wall. He backtracked and did it again, only to find that he still couldn’t reach the door. He wasn’t going crazy, there’s just not a way to go anywhere from those stairs. Nobody is ever going to know what is behind that door.

15 A Crosswalk With A Scenic Route

via: Simply Business

While we applaud this city’s attempts to liven up the median, we might suggest they bring joy to the people in other ways. Also, what government official signed off on this project plan?

According to Simply Business, builder mistakes cost the United Kingdom millions of dollars each year. While overgrown bushes in general are not the end of the world, overgrown bushes in the middle of the crosswalk certainly make getting from one side of the street to the other tricky. It probably won’t cost a fortune to fix, but somebody is going to need to do something. In the meantime, wear your hiking shoes if you visit!

14 A Bicyclist Must Be Careful

via: Awesome Inventions

In addition to carefully navigating around other cyclists on this shared riverside path, cyclists have to watch for other obstacles like strolling pedestrians (most likely looking down at their phones), darting wildlife, and fallen sticks or rocks.

Unfortunately at this juncture, cyclists also have to be on the lookout for a large pole that they are guided to run into by a poorly placed directional arrow. At the very least, if this pole absolutely has to be there and the signage cannot be changed or added to, one would think the pole could be painted a bright yellow.

13 An Opening In A Fence Nobody Wants To Use

via: Awesome Inventions

There’s a wonderful, grassy park on the other side of the fence where people like to lay out blankets for a picnic, play with their dogs, and throw frisbees and footballs. It’s a perfect little spot that is great for people that already live on that side of town, but for everyone else that needs to access the park via the gated entry, it is less than ideal.

Thanks to an error in placement, the fence squarely aligned over the sidewalk but the gate is set off to the side. Individuals walking through will need to traipse through the mud. Yuck.

12 A Very, Very Steep Driveway

via:Reddit

If you’ve always dreamed of having a little house up on top of a hill, you might want to think again. Or, at least think about hiring someone that understands gradient to do the construction.

This very nice house is basically inaccessible as it currently sits. Not only is there no winding entryway to the front door that would take into account the hillside, but no car is also going to be able to access the entry through the garage. The driveway is simply too short and too steep.

Let’s hope if someone does try to use this it is not during the icy winter...and they pull the emergency brake on the car.

11 A Garage That Can't Be Used For Cars

via: Architectural Digest

Next on the list of homeowners that didn’t exactly get what they bargained for when they put in an offer...

This owner is going to be forced to purchase a compact (very compact) car or learn to ride a motorcycle if he or she wants to make use of this driveway. There is no way even the best driver could navigate backwards around that pole. Aside from that issue, the house looks very nice and was probably worth every penny.

Let’s hope there is some leftover money from the purchase of the home to pour more cement to widen that driveway.

10 A Corner Drawer With A Corner Problem

via: Architectural Digest

Storage space is a highly sought-after commodity in any home or office. Watch any home improvement show and the hosts will be giving tons of examples to maximize an area by adding things like under-bed storage and over-the-door storage (not to mention all the collapsible furniture nowadays.

In this home, any attempt at storage under the kitchen counter has been ruined by a pesky handle. It looks like one (or both) of those drawers is just going to have to be for decoration because anything placed in there might not be retrievable again if it rolls to the back.

9 An Addition That Doesn't Quite Match

via: Architectural Digest

We’ve shared a lot of really epic blunders thus far, but this one might take the cake.

When this family started to grow, they wanted to stay where they had grown roots but needed more space. They opted for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom addition to their current home with enough space that they could also have a small office.

While they likely understood that living in a construction zone would be noisy and the project might take longer than anticipated, it probably did not occur to them that they might end up living in a home that is one part suburban modern and one part country farmhouse.

8 A Wrong-Way Tile

via: Pinterest

You know how if you stare at a computer screen for too long you start to see things incorrectly or things that aren’t there at all? Apparently a similar phenomenon can happen when installing flooring that features a geometric pattern.

What seemed like a job well done from up close turned into a contractor’s worst nightmare very quickly. 99.9% of the tiles face one direction but somehow one got turned around and sticks out very predominantly.

We’re pretty sure the people that paid for this renovation to be done are going to notice and probably ask for a refund.

7 A Door That Can't Be Locked

via: Pinterest

Safety first is a very important concept, which is why proper locking mechanisms come on all standard doors. However, locks work best when you can actually get to them.

A picture of this door, captured and uploaded to Pinterest, shows what happens when you rush through your work. We just hope this door doesn’t belong to a bank or any other type of building that requires tight security. Any burglar will realize quickly that there is no way someone locked the door on their way out because the keys would not fit underneath the handle and still be able to be hand-turned. They wouldn’t even have to break in!

6 A Staircase That Requires You To Watch Your Head

via: Architectural Digest

The old saying goes, “measure twice, cut once”. Unfortunately for this builder, he only heard the words “measure” and “once” and figured he would be okay.

As actively demonstrated, this new staircase looks great but comes with its challenges. The gentleman in the picture was minding his own business walking up when suddenly he felt his hair scraping the ceiling. By the next step he was fully bent over and by the next one he was crawling on his hands and knees. It seems like that gaping hole in the ceiling isn’t doing much good where it is currently placed.

5 A Leaky Faucet Is The Least Of The Worries

via: Pinterest

The new owners of this restaurant were worried that the older pipes in the building would be an issue in their kitchen and restrooms. They especially didn’t want to deal with a leaky faucet that would constantly drip and waste water. However, they had bigger problems than the plumbing.

The previous owners had apparently never used this sink or they installed this faucet as a joke. Either way, the faucet was at least an inch too long for the basin and none of the water was actually going into the sink. It’s time for some new fixtures or a very absorbent mop.

4 An Elevated Drain Doesn't Do A Good Job

via: Bored Panda

What goes up must come down. We’ve all heard that before and know it to be true. Unless, of course, the thing that is going up is elevation and the thing that you wanted to go down was water.

This local park just outside the city center did not fare well after a summer rainstorm. What should be slightly damp grass is an entire field and walking path completely submerged underwater because someone did not think to install the drain at the ground’s lowest point.

In other news, the park is now offering swim lessons as an activity rather than dodgeball.

3 A Row Of Seats Without A View

via: Bored Panda

We definitely hope that whoever purchased these seats for the big game didn’t actually want to watch any of it and instead was planning on staring at a brick wall.

In our first (and only) stadium post, we can see what happens when teams demand more seats to make room for their adoring fans. Or when a league owner decides to take matters into his or her own hands. Maybe the ticket salesperson is getting away with selling these seats with the disclaimer “view slightly obstructed”.

Did you see that?! That play was amazing! Nope, didn’t catch it. Darn.

2 A Grab Bar That Makes So Little Sense

via: Pinterest

Not only are the stairs confusing, what with its two steps that seemingly could be a ramp instead, but also the world’s smallest handrail is making us scratch our heads in awe.

It seems like an awful lot of work for such a small reward (though we are still rather unclear of its value in terms of functionality). Plus, where did they even find a handrail that short?

At least the rail is there should someone become very unsteady on that second step and need to grab on before making it to flat ground. Maybe we should be grateful, after all.

1 An Electrical Outlet Next To A Water Source

via: Pinterest

It is almost impossible to get any further than the first grade without learning that water and electricity do not mix (you knew that, right?). It is for this reason that we cannot figure out why a faucet was installed almost directly on top of an outlet. This one has us really wondering what they were thinking and we’re “shocked” (see what we did there?) that this builder messed up so badly.

Let’s hope that whoever built that outdoor deck seen through the window wasn’t the same person or else there might be more dangerous surprises in store.

References: Bored Panda, Simply Business, Awesome Inventions, Architectural Digest