Home Renovation Horror Stories
We all know that big home renovation projects can come with twists and turns, but it’s become downright scary for many in our area as labor shortages, supply shortages, and price increases have caused both major delays and cost hikes. Across the country, homeowners are facing all kinds of chilling challenges in their projects.
In the most extreme cases, contractors accept deposits of thousands of dollars, begin work, and then mysteriously disappear. Other times, a two week delivery window for materials or appliances suddenly becomes 10-12 weeks, leaving your home or backyard a construction zone for months.
With remodeling nightmares on the rise, we decided to dive into the real horror stories out there to put our collective supply delays in perspective and pass the time. Here are a few of the spookiest stories we found:
1. Take The Money and Run
“In 2015, we were in talks with a contractor about redoing part of our kitchen. Then our house burned down in a wildfire. A week after our loss we asked the kitchen contractor if he built homes, and he enthusiastically replied in the affirmative. That was not true, as it turned out. He was strictly a remodel guy. We loved him. We trusted him. Both HUGE mistakes. Bottom line was we gave him over $1 million and never saw an invoice. He abandoned our job to take another job in a different county. We were idiots.”
—Jennifer Montin, Swall Meadows, Calif.
2. Not So Sweet Tenants
“A homeowner purchased a new home, moved in, and got everything settled before realizing that brown goo was oozing out of the walls. The stuff was brown and sticky and looked like blood at first.
When she first noticed the sticky substance, she called a repairman who confirmed her fears: the walls were emitting some of the best honey Debbie had ever tasted. According to the repairman, there were around 50-60 thousand bees in the wall, and during the summer heat, the honey started to melt and pour out. This meant that cleaning the walls was going to take so much time and effort. In fact, it was next to impossible.
The discovery did not fully come as a surprise as Debbie had heard similar stories before purchasing the home. She had been informed about how the previous owners had to exterminate a beehive that had been hidden in the walls.The reasonable guess is that the homeowner would also have to deal with ants and mice.”
—Debbie Hill, Northglenn, Colorado
3. Enough to Drive You Batty
“A homeowner bought a house in Whitehorse and two months later discovered that the place was flocked with hundreds of bats. The bats were in large numbers in the attic, walls, and the ceiling. It was quite frustrating, and Oshowy was forced to perform extra work when the bats had migrated south for the winter. He worked tirelessly trying to seal all their entry points.
According to wildlife biologist Carrie McLelland, bats return to the same spot yearly, so Oshowy’s efforts were unlikely to produce the expected result. The biologist revealed that once bats get into the attic, it can be tough to get them out. Oshowy later disclosed that he was going to build a bat sanctuary outside the house since the bats were not welcomed inside his home.”
—Calvin Oshowy, Whitehorse
Bottom line: If you are thinking of remodeling or renovating your home right now, be prepared for a long wait. Don’t settle on the contractor who happens to be available unless you have vetted them carefully. Ask for numerous references and business license information, and try to work with personal recommendations when possible. And if that all sounds like a horror story, give me a call and we can start a targeted search for a home that already has the updates and space you are looking for!
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/home-renovation-horror-stories-11571929264
https://www.theclever.com/20-terrifying-things-found-by-new-home-owners/
https://www.thespruce.com/5-people-share-their-nightmare-home-renovation-stories-5089282
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