Facebook Group Gives 50 Perfect Examples On How To Ruin A Home

In just a few months, the group has attracted more than 31.2K members who share some of the weirdest design fails every single day. According to the group’s description, much of the built environment in the United States is not designed by architects. 

“This group is dedicated to examples of why that is a bad idea with occasional examples of why buildings designed by architects may be superior for variety.”

Bored Panda reached out to the admin, Allison Beer McKenzie, who is an architect and the director of sustainability at SHP Leading Design in Cincinnati, Ohio. She explained that there are mainly two reasons why many people choose to forgo hiring an architect. 

“One is definitely that they are cost-conscious or think they can’t afford an architect. The other, I believe, is they don’t know about or appreciate the value that an architect can bring to their house design,” she explained. 

McKenzie continued: “This value can certainly include beautiful design but can also include things like a house that fits seamlessly onto the site it is on and is ideally designed for the climate it’s being built on.”

Whether it’s creating a poor design, going way over the budget, or not meeting the current codes and standards, there are plenty of ways people can make errors without expert guidance. 

The architect thinks that many of the mistakes people make when designing homes themselves “stem from the fact that most people have trouble thinking in three dimensions without training in how to do so. This often leads to houses with weird proportions or awkward connections between materials and elements.”

McKenzie admits that some houses that are designed without the help of architects turn out fine. “However, building a house is probably the biggest investment you ever make and is going to require you to make hundreds of decisions in a condensed amount of time,” she said. 

“Having an architect at your side to guide you through decisions ranging from where the house sits on the lot, to room size and location, to what color grout you want for your bathroom floor can help ensure that you end up with a result you love and maintain your sanity!”