This article was originally published on WallStoriez
Have you ever left the house, panicked halfway down the road after realizing that you left the stovetop on, and speedily returned to turn it off? In most cases, our homes are still standing by the time we make that quick U-turn, and no damage has been done. But these homeowners weren't so lucky with their misfortunes. From plumbing issues like we've never seen before to surprise roommates, we don't envy them one bit. So keep scrolling and take some solace in knowing you (hopefully) did not have to deal with any of the problems these people did.
Not Even the Plumber Can Handle This One
If you polled everybody on Earth and asked them what animal they were most afraid of, we would either put our money on spiders or snakes as the most popular response. So, to see the latter coming out of a toilet would probably be enough to send shivers down many people's spines. There are just so many questions about this photo: How did it get there? And is this a common occurrence?
We actually have an answer to that last question. While it is not a common occurrence, it does happen every so often. After one incident in 2016, the BBC spoke with a plumber who said he received around four to five calls involving snakes in toilets every year.
A Not-So-Good Boy
For dog-owners, it might be common to come home and find out that your furry best friend has gone to town, chewing up everything you own. But, if your dog locks you out of your house completely, then you definitely have bigger problems. That is what happened to this particular user on Reddit. To make matters worse, it was raining when their dog accidentally locked the door. However, with a face like that, how could anyone possibly stay mad.
After the image was posted, others quickly jumped in with their own stories of dogs inadvertently locking out their owners. And a surprising number of people recalled being locked out of their cars by man's best friend.
Finding Out You Have A New Roommate
In another instance involving a snake, this homeowner got more than he bargained for after going into his attic to look for a leak. While the snake did not actually make an appearance, this photo shows recently shed skin. Judging from this, it was a fairly large serpent as well. For many, a snake is probably the second worse thing lurking around in an attic, besides a ghost, of course.
The user also said that he found these scales during quarantine, meaning he was basically locked inside the home with the missing snake. However, as other users pointed out, at least he would not have to worry about a rodent problem.
Not Even the Toilet Can Escape Mother Nature
While some accidents we encounter in life are avoidable in hindsight, anything thrown at us by mother nature is harder to avoid. This frozen toilet is one such example. The water expanded as it froze and shattered the entire top half of the toilet. However, aside from emptying the toilet water before the freezing temperatures set in (which come with their own set of challenges), there was not much this homeowner could have done.
A photo like this does leave one wondering, though. Just how cold does it have to get to freeze and burst the top half of a toilet? The answer is actually not that cold (relatively speaking). A toilet could potentially freeze and explode at temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
When Your Squatter Locks You Out
We have already looked at a case where a dog stranded their owner outside their home. However, this one might be a bit more maniacal. This owner was stranded on their balcony after their cat closed the door and locked them outside. The owner then had to wait for someone with a key to their apartment to come and let them back in. The cat looks strangely unremorseful in the photo as well.
We're not sure how long it took for help to arrive, but let's hope for this cat owner's sake it was not cold or raining when their feline friend locked them out.
Feeding Time Came Early
These chickens were probably happier than their owners when the farm's automatic feeding system gave out. In the photo, it appears as though the pipe that drops the feed simply never cut off, resulting in a mountain of food. We are not farming experts, but it is probably a good chunk of money in chicken feed just lying there on the ground. But at least the chickens get to eat.
Then again, if you are a chicken, do you really want to fatten yourself up and reach a certain weight quicker? Yeah, on second thought, this might be a lose-lose situation.
We Blame the Cockroach
There might come a time in your life when you are simply walking around your house, minding your own business, and something so frightening, so terrifying lunges towards you that it causes you to completely shatter your stove. If this ever happens to you, then ten times out of 10, that terrifying thing will be a cockroach. And if that thing is a cockroach, then ten times out of 10, this photo will illustrate the appropriate response.
Seriously though, this leaves you wondering what exactly happened and led up to this carnage. Did someone throw a skillet or something directly at a roach crawling up the stove?
Nice View but It's a Little Too Close for Comfort
While the view is certainly idyllic, having water seeping into your home or apartment is not. Luckily, it looks like the floodwaters pictured here are relatively harmless for residents. Things can often get much worse when mother nature is involved, and this owner is lucky the water seems to have not risen any further. Also, at least the swans seem to be enjoying themselves with more space to swim in the background.
With all of that said, floods are very often one of the worst threats to property owners, especially if you happen to live on the coast or near a major river.
Always Double Check Before Going To Bed
There are few things worse than looking back and realizing that something extremely unfortunate could have been avoided fairly easily. This photo illustrates one such example. A user posted this after waking up and realizing that they had left the window open overnight. Hopefully, it was not too hard to clean up all the snow, and it did not melt away before they could scoop it up and throw it back out of the window.
Other users were quick to add that they have also done this a time or two. For everyone that has grown up in a place with mild temperatures, be thankful.
When Guests Come Over
No, this is not from a movie. This user posted a photo of their pest control guy dangling from the rafters of their ceiling. The guy was in the attic when he stepped on this part of the floor and fell through. We are not sure if the company covered the damage, but the post said they invited the guy to Thanksgiving, so there was a happy ending to this story.
The guy is just lucky he did not fall all the way through. From its looks, he might have had a little more than bruises if he had.
This Tree Is Not a Fan of Big Changes
Apart from flooding, having a tree fall on your house is probably one of the worst things that can happen to a home during a storm. This photo shows a neighbor's house after being decimated by a nearby tree. Luckily, it appears as though the house's roof managed to prevent the tree from falling all the way through the house. Unfortunately, this happened shortly after the homeowners renovated the whole house.
There is always a possibility a tree in your yard might fall. This is especially true in coastal areas that are prone to hurricane-force winds or in areas where tornadoes are common.
Someone Please Turn on the Air Conditioning
If you have ever been in a home with no air conditioning during the summer months, you probably know that it can get extremely hot and stuffy. However, it is hard to imagine it ever getting hot enough to literally melt candle wax, as shown in this photo. This brings up a couple of questions, including where was this photo taken, and why did the person taking it not turn on the air conditioning or use a fan?
Candle wax can actually have a wide range of melting points depending on what was actually used to make it. These temperatures can vary from 75 to 180 degrees Farenheight, according to different sources.
This Is Not the Inside of a Sinking Ship
For some reason, this photo of what appears to be a flooded hallway is strangely eerie. The Reddit user who posted it said it was taken in Texas, apparently during a deep freeze. The water on the floor and covering the walls is all frozen, but this is definitely one of the photos on this list that leave you asking more questions. If you look closely, you can even see where the water coming out of the sprinkler system froze to create an artificial icicle.
When the user posted the photo, they compared it to a scene from the Titanic. And it certainly shares a resemblance, with water appearing as if it is seeping from the walls and the harsh white lighting.
Conversation Piece
Accidental (and not-so-accidental) holes in walls can be common growing up with a lot of children in a house. Things can quickly get out of hand, and the next thing you know, someone or something goes flying into a wall. But that's not what happened in this photo. The Reddit user who posted it claimed to have tripped when walking down the stairs, leaving a massive crater-size indention in the wall.
Luckily, they came out of the situation okay. However, one has to wonder how they plan on going about fixing the hole. Some users suggested they simply hang a frame and incorporate it into the decor.
They Couldn't Make It to the Toilet
Here is another unfortunate example of what can happen when a window is accidentally left open. However, in this case, someone's bathroom was taken over by pigeons. The owner said that they had left for a couple of weeks and returned to find a nest conveniently located just atop their bathroom windowsill. However, some people noted that cleanup might be a little easier, considering this happened in the owner's shower.
Others told the owner to take solace in the fact that the birds chose to go to the bathroom in, well, the bathroom.
Time for a Trip to the Mattress Store
This photo is truly terrifying and disgusting. It does not matter if you are someone who considers yourself to be okay with bugs; nobody wants a bed full of them. But that is exactly what this user posted a photo of. The mattress appears to be infested with bed bugs. And while they did not say if anyone was actually living here, it is worth asking the question of how this could have gone unnoticed.
After the photo was posted, many people replied that they would just torch the mattress at that point. Some went a step further and said that they would torch the entire home.
When The Upstairs Neighbors Have An Accident
We do not know if it is just the color grading from the photo, but this one looks like something out of a horror movie. The real reason the ceiling looks like it is caving in, however, is because the upstairs neighbor's apartment was flooded. We're not sure what is worse, though, to have a leak or to have your ceiling completely droop to the point of almost touching the floor.
Some users replied that this photo gave them the urge to pop the depression in the ceiling. But, we're just left wondering if it will return to its normal shape once the water is removed.
Expensive Accidents
This Reddit user posted a photo of a pretty pricey accident. They said that their kitchen cabinet came crashing down onto their glass-top stove. The worst part? The stove was completely brand new and had just been installed. That is some terrible timing. Some were left wondering if the owner had installed the cabinets themselves or if they had gotten a contractor to do the work. If not, they might have to pay for this one out of pocket.
Others who replied in the comments said that they had seen similar accidents in the past and took precautions when installing new appliances. However, we do not think cabinets just come falling off the walls unless there are serious structural issues.
Always Double Check The Doors, Too
Another case of accidentally leaving something open; this time, it happened to be the front door. This Reddit user accidentally left their door open during one of the worst times possible: a blizzard. Snow apparently came pouring in overnight and covered nearly everything by morning. It even appears as if maybe a piano was completely covered in snow. Let's just hope this homeowner was able to clean everything up before it melted and caused serious damage to the furniture.
Some users pointed out that it could have potentially been worse. There is nothing like accidentally leaving open your front door and having uninvited guests show up at your house in the middle of the night.
We Want to See This Home's Original Blueprints
This is kind of a weird one. Apparently, someone was walking through their home when they suddenly fell through their floor. However, instead of hitting the slab or even the ground, they fell 30 more feet into a previously unknown well. Besides this just being unlucky, it's also kind of creepy. Why would there be a well underneath a home? And why would nobody know about it being there?
Some users made references to a certain horror film, while others called out the insanity of the whole situation. A few also asked if the homeowner was okay after the incident.
A Winter Wonderland of Sorts
While the other snow-related incidents on this list were certainly bad in their own right, this is one is on a whole other level. This user posted from Norway, showing people what it is like when you casually forget to close the office window at night. The entire office is barely distinguishable from what it would look like outside. It is as if someone just took all of the furniture and left it outside overnight.
Apparently, this photo was taken on the island of Svalbard. The island sits halfway between Norway and the Northpole and is home to polar bears and reindeer, which makes perfect sense after seeing this particular photo.
When You Remove the Wrong Wall
Sometimes accidents just happen. Other times, they happen specifically because of someone else's actions. This is a case involving the latter. This homeowner was treated to a show after a load-bearing wall was removed inside their home. A load-bearing anything is basically exactly what it sounds like and is there to support the weight of something else. Unfortunately, it looks as though whoever was working on this renovation did not check to see if a wall was safe to remove before knocking it down.
Luckily, it did not appear as if anyone was seriously injured. But, it just goes to show why you should always have a professional at least take a look at something before having any work done.
The Cat Is Not Going To Like This
Unlike most of the other incidents on this list, this one is actually kind of harmless and funny at the same time. This person thought that they would make their cat a special cat door so that they would not have to go and open the door every time the cat wanted out of a room. However, they apparently forgot which way the door went when they were making their cut, and well, you see what happened.
Some users replied that the owner could just turn this into a door for birds. However, birds and cats are not usually the best of friends, and we are not sure how that one would turn out.
What Does One Do After This?
Taking care of one's lawn is extremely important to many. Some people spend hours gardening, mowing, and baling to ensure their yard is perfect by the time they finish with it. Then there are those that accidentally load their sprayer with a weed killer instead of a fertilizer. And if you have ever wondered, this is what you get when that happens. However, this accident might actually have an upside.
Some users said that they actually found the pattern to be kind of cool. Either way, it is not like the owner can do much in this particular situation, as weed killers tend to linger around for quite some time.
Surprise, It's an Indoor Pool!
This particular incident is bad, very bad. Not only was a water valve not shut off and a house allowed to completely flood, but the water then froze. This homeowner basically has a giant block of ice covering his entire floor. And the only thing that can seemingly be done is to wait until the ice melts away. However, then they are going to be left with water damage throughout the entire home.
Also, if this is how cold it gets in winter where they are at, then how long till it actually gets warm enough to melt all of this ice? Either way, this one is going to be a long repair process.
Measure Twice, Cut Once
After that last entry, here is a pretty harmless incident to put your mind at ease. A guy posted a photo of a door he bought. However, when asked by his wife if he wanted to take measurements of the door, he declined. He added that all doors are the same size. But, as we can see from the photo, this is not actually the case. Luckily, it still opens and shuts, though.
Users were quick to point out that this particular husband probably had a hard time living this mistake down. But, to be honest, it could have happened to anyone, right?
Be Careful Where You Step
This one might come as a surprise to many, but in the U.S. and some other places, the floors of attics are usually left pretty exposed to account for insulation. This means when you go into the attic, you must walk on the rafters or lay down some boards or plywood yourself to walk around. This user's wife learned this the hard way when venturing up to grab a Christmas tree.
Again, this is pretty common in the U.S., where ceilings are usually composed of drywall. Many Europeans were quick to point out that their ceilings are usually composed of boards.
Time To Shelter Inside
This post is kind of similar to what happened to the candles another user posted. However, these lights are made of plastic, which is definitely worse. Someone posted a photo showing people how hot it can get in Australia. Let's just hope these were made out of extremely cheap plastic; otherwise, we are all in for some shocks as the world gets hotter.
Some Reddit users began giving examples of how hot it can get where they live after seeing this photo. The best one was probably from the UAE, where the user said they have to watch their flip-flops when they leave them out or else they will melt.
Never Cheap Out
There are a few things in life one should not cheap out on when buying. And high up on that list are tools. They can make a job extraordinarily easier or much, much harder depending on if you have the right tool and if you have a good tool. In this case, it looks like the job was made much harder. Someone posted a photo of two broken hammers after trying and failing to beat in a nail.
Another possible answer is there is actually something metal underneath the nail in the photo. However, it still should not be breaking the hammers like that and should instead bend.
Not Alone?
This would certainly wake somebody up during the night. This Reddit user said that their door fell on them while they were sleeping. If this were to happen to be the first thing to cross our minds in the middle of the night might not be shoddy construction. Luckily, this looks like a rather small door, but it would still be sure to scare someone enough to get the adrenaline flowing.
Replies to this photo generally fell in one of two categories: those that said they would freeze and those that said they would come up rearing to have a fight.
We Really Hope They Have Home Insurance
Foundational issues in a home are never going to come cheap. This photo showing an entire wall collapse certainly fits into that category. The user said that they were on their way to do laundry when they walked in and could see daylight coming from the other side of the room. While that might be an exaggeration, the damage is shown in the photo certainly is not, and we can only hope they had insurance.
Users noted that the wall probably collapsed due to hydrostatic pressure. This can happen during heavy rains or runoff and cause collapses and even sinkholes, which appears to be the case outside the collapsed wall.
Be Careful Where You Hang Your Plants
It is always a good idea to double-check if a board or shelf can bear the weight of something before placing it there. This unfortunate homeowner had to replace their toilet after a plant that was hanging above it came crashing down. From the look of the debris in the sink, it was an especially heavy ceramic pot. However, they were lucky no one was sitting on the toilet at the time of the incident.
On the bright side, at least the plant can probably be replanted. They could also probably just go ahead and turn the entire toilet into a pot if they really wanted to.
They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
Cabinets used to be an integral and well-made part of kitchens the world over, so to see photos like this is kind of demoralizing for anybody who values quality. This user said that their cabinets simply decided to give up and collapse out of nowhere at 4 a.m. in the morning. It is kind of like the story of the three little pigs, except the house just starts collapsing on its own.
This is also kind of like the closet door photo, but sure to be much more alarming at four in the morning. We would guess earthquakes if we heard this kind of commotion.
There's Only One Person to Blame Here
Like the load-bearing wall photo, there are just some accidents that make you lean back and wonder how something like this could happen. Then you quickly reach a conclusion. This user said that they decided to paint their closet doors during a lockdown. However, they forgot to take the doors out or at least tape up behind them. This left their clothes on the receiving end of a can of spray paint.
The post referenced Instagram DIY posts, so hopefully, this user was just poking fun. If not, though, this is probably the last time they try some DIY at home by themselves.
A Parent's Worst Nightmare
While this photo is not quite as bad as the bed bug post from earlier, glitter is one of the hardest things to clean up once it is spilled. This user just jokingly (we hope) said that they were going to move after this incident. However, a vacuum should make quick work of this mess, provided that the slightest breeze does not cause this home to be forever covered in glitter.
Most of the comments on Reddit were along this same vain as well. Many users advised that the person just give up now and sell the house to the lowest bidder.
Science Is Weird
This is probably one of the weirdest photos on this list. A user posted this after a storm caused his grill to go lunging into the backyard pool. However, the lighter plastic chairs look as though they have barely even moved. While this certainly looks strange, Reddit users were quick to point out how this probably happened. But, we are still not sure if we are buying into their theory.
The users noted that the grill was on wheels, which probably caused it to go rolling into the pool. Its cover also probably acted as a sail. However, we will let you decide on this one as it is honestly kind of confusing.
Get A Quality Plumber
This photo wins the award for funniest on this list. Whoever installed the plumbing elevated the drain instead of setting it into the flooring. This is pretty much what you would do if you wanted the opposite of a drain. But, to be fair, the blueprint is not exactly comprehensive. We guess if you are the homeowner, though, common sense might be a bit further up on your list of culprits.
On the bright side, some users replied and discovered a silver lining to this whole drain conundrum. When built like this, a drain is much less likely to get clogged.
When The Freezer Is Too Good At Its Job
This is probably a fairly common occurrence among most people. A user posted this photo of his freezer after leaving a can of soda in there to cool off. The result was a carbonated explosion that covered the entire freezer and everything in it. Luckily, this is not as bad as some of the other accidents on this list. However, it still was probably not very much fun to ultimately clean up.
This could have been much worse, though. If the person had put an entire six-pack or larger in the fridge, then they would be looking at a much bigger mess.
You Had One Job
This photo is a bit concerning. Someone's smoke alarm apparently caught fire and fizzled out. The person who posted the image did not give many details, but one has to wonder what exactly caused this. Also, did the alarm beep when the fire was actually going? What caused the fire in the first place? Was it faulty wiring or the smoke detector itself? There is also the problem of some of the components used in smoke detectors.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S., some smoke detectors use a small number of radioactive materials. This means the fumes from some could potentially be very harmful.
How to Make Your Kitchen Feel More Spacious
If someone who had never built anything in their life were looking at this list, they might assume doors were one of the hardest things in the world to make. This Reddit user apparently got up in the middle of the night to get a snack and accidentally pulled his refrigerator door off its hinges. This is either a really cheap fridge, or the person holding the door is insanely strong.
Others in the comments arrived at the same assessment. Unfortunately for the owner, the answer is probably the first explanation. But, who knows, we could be looking at Superman and not even know it.