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When a home changes hands, it often needs a little work. And if the new owners are already spending the money on repairs, it might be the perfect time to update the exterior as well. Unfortunately, you can't buy good taste.
The TikTok account 'Crime Designs' is dedicated to calling out questionable renovations. By sharing before-and-after photos—many of which are pulled from Google Street View—it shows how quickly character can disappear in the name of modernization.
Are gray paint, sleek lines, and minimalist facades always an improvement? We'll let you decide.
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It might be tempting to exchange the old for the new, but if it is not something people actually need, they might be better off resisting the urge.
Holly Bowden, a real estate agent with Ray White Wilston in Brisbane, Australia, says the first thing homeowners should remember when renovating is to avoid adding anything that won't bring value to the property.
"Recently, a client asked me if they should change their windows to aluminum; there was nothing wrong with the windows — they were beautiful — so that's not going to add value," she explains.
According to Bowden, home remodeling should strike a careful balance between broad appeal and individual character, even if you aren't planning an immediate sale. While risk-averse designers might push for complete depersonalization to make a house marketable, she believes keeping a touch of personality is actually a benefit.
Bowden warns against the hyper-neutral, all-white-and-cream aesthetic, noting that it strips away color and leaves a property looking identical to every other house on the block.
To avoid creating a cold, overly stark environment, she recommends infusing some color and personal style, or working with a skilled designer who knows how to make a space feel distinct without overdoing it.
#6
Stina Lamar 2 days ago
The pic makes it look like turned it into just a wall. …Wait. Is it just a wall? Lol
#9
Upstaged75 2 days ago
Now you have a big white box that doesn't match anything else in the neighborhood.
Another big no-no is DIY renovations. Bowden encourages owners to use professionals when seriously upgrading a home.
“I've seen it where people say 'I've done it myself' rather than getting a professional, then it looks botched and doesn't look great," the real estate agent adds.
If the owners ever want to sell their house, buyers will definitely notice the poor workmanship and start to doubt the quality of the entire property.
Some of the transformations you see on this list might very well be the work of house flippers. Every residential area has a price ceiling, and if you want to profit when reselling a house, you need to cater to that upper limit before remodeling.
High-end additions that might make sense for a family who plans to stay long-term—like triple-glazed windows, commercial-grade kitchens, or professional-grade appliances—rarely yield a positive return on investment in purely monetary terms.
That's because average buyers usually do not recognize the premium cost or appreciate the added value, meaning resellers rarely recoup their expenses when they build past local market expectations.
When we look at who is the most active in the home remodeling market, the 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study shows that Baby Boomers accounted for the largest share of homeowners undertaking renovation projects in 2025 (54%), though this is down five percentage points from the previous year.
Gen Xers followed at 34%, up five points year over year, while Millennials edged up from 8% to 10%.
Gen Z homeowners represent only 0.5% of renovators, up from 0.2% in 2024. But they are significantly more likely to renovate following a recent home purchase (63%) compared with Millennials (31%), Gen Xers (19%), and Baby Boomers (18%).
Among Gen Z renovators, 33% cite lifestyle changes as a trigger for renovation, while 22% point to home damage.
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Ryan-James O'Driscoll 1 day ago
My only issue with the new one is the grey wall and the odd window size and placement
#22
ChickyChicky 2 days ago
Would you like your home to look more like a dentist's office? Have we got the architect for you!
#23
Eileen Ryan 2 days ago
Why are so many of these homes getting rid of their green spaces? Not only does it look bad, it's terrible for the environment
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wiseass20 wiseass20 1 day ago
This is the best upgrade, more light, basically the same, more parking but some nature left... Could have been different paint scheme though
#46
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What do you think ?
Janelle Collard 2 days ago
That's nice -strip out all of the soul. smh Obviously, some of these remodels aren't bad. But like one of the commenters said: the building got turned into something that housed dentists' offices.
Whiskers 2 days ago
Did you notice: in 9 of the old photos there are people (+ 1 with only a dog) in the garden, but only 1 of the new ones shows any sign of life (not counting cars as life). Well, I wouldn’t like to spend time on stony yard either… As a whole: awful shame that almost every pic showed how lawn, flowers, bushes, and trees have disappeared.😢
C M 1 day ago
A few of these are in the area I live. Every time an original house comes up for sale we wait to see how it will be developed. The worst are the ones in my immediate roads because we have gardens just under an acre. The developers always put multiple properties on the site of each house with tiny garden & never a front garden, just driveway & parking.
Did I say that out loud? 1 day ago
Off street parking is a requirement for any new development. For that you need to blame whoever made the rules.
Load More Replies... Janelle Collard 2 days ago
That's nice -strip out all of the soul. smh Obviously, some of these remodels aren't bad. But like one of the commenters said: the building got turned into something that housed dentists' offices.
Whiskers 2 days ago
Did you notice: in 9 of the old photos there are people (+ 1 with only a dog) in the garden, but only 1 of the new ones shows any sign of life (not counting cars as life). Well, I wouldn’t like to spend time on stony yard either… As a whole: awful shame that almost every pic showed how lawn, flowers, bushes, and trees have disappeared.😢
C M 1 day ago
A few of these are in the area I live. Every time an original house comes up for sale we wait to see how it will be developed. The worst are the ones in my immediate roads because we have gardens just under an acre. The developers always put multiple properties on the site of each house with tiny garden & never a front garden, just driveway & parking.
Did I say that out loud? 1 day ago
Off street parking is a requirement for any new development. For that you need to blame whoever made the rules.
Load More Replies...
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