What's the worst "repair" you've seen?

Unless your old house was in pristine condition when you bought it (in which case you probably wouldn't be seeking advice on this site!), you've probably had to deal with your fair share of well-intentioned but poorly executed "repairs" inflicted on the building by previous owners. What's the worst mistake you encountered once you started working on your old house? Share all the gory details here! (And to sidestep errors in the future, be sure to check out our story on the top 10 restoration mistakes and how to avoid them.)

Tags: from the editors, restoration mistakes

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Permalink Reply by Phil on July 6, 2011 at 6:58am

I have never met anyone who was happy with their home inspection report after the fact. Our home inspector mentioned on the side that I might have to "do some brick repointing on the weekends here and there" in his $300, 1 hour report. I had no idea that it was a skilled task that a DIY guy cannot do in an acceptable way to match in with existing mortar work. Thousands of dollars later I now know that lesson well. He also did not notice or report improperly flashed chimneys.

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Permalink Reply by Charles J on July 6, 2011 at 8:57am

1. The worst: In renovating a second-story bathroom to a style more suitable to our 1880 Queen Anne, we discovered that previous owners had cut away almost all of each floor joist to run pipes through them. We were grateful that the tub filled with water (and a bather) had not fallen through the ceiling below but it was another major repair we were not expecting. At least it explained the multiple stress cracks in the walls and ceiling below the bathroom.

2. The most unexpected: Our inspection report specifically noted that all sill beams were in good condition, but we soon found out one was rotted, to put it mildly. (Fortumately we were able to recoup repair costs on that one through small claims court.)

3. The dumbest: When installing switchplate covers that were too wide for available space on walls next to door frames, instead of cutting the plate off on one side or using a smaller size, previous owners cut a rather large section off the door frame to accommodate the switchplate.

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Permalink Reply by Shelley on July 6, 2011 at 3:28pm

JERKS!!! I've been amazed that no previous owners ever thought to put AC in nor put heat in the kitchen! After all it's 2011!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jodi Click on July 8, 2011 at 7:34pm

The previous owners of my home did the same thing with the switchplates! They also cut the beautiful door frames and other woodwork/trim in a few rooms (particularly bathrooms & kitchens - anywhere that has been "remodeled" (a.k.a. unmodeled) to fit around goofy-looking shelves, cabinets, or whatever they had the urge to hang on the wall at any given time. There are so many random bits of trim added and stuck in the oddest places where they just randomly cut into woodwork. Who does that?!? (The same people who would install a built-in bookcase in front of a door in the library. And, no, they didn't remove the door or anything - they just glued it shut and hung a shower curtain on a shower rod over it on the other side of the door.)

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Permalink Reply by Jodi Click on July 8, 2011 at 7:25pm

Someone moved a door in my kitchen and decided to add an arch to the new doorway. No big deal, right? They used the original swinging door and door frame (not an arch) and converted it to a pocket door with the arch built around the regular-shaped door frame. It's hard to describe how awful it is... see attached picture (ignore the wall - I'm dealing with a plaster and calcimine paint fiasco at the moment).