We’re pretty sure about one thing—nobody was born an architect. It takes years of study and practice to become an expert in the art, history, and engineering of the built world. Yet, some think that designing a house from the ground up is a task they can do themselves.
Even if we agree that architecture is subjective, sometimes there’s no denying the flaws people make. In fact, some home designs turned out so wrong, they’ve made their way into the You Should Have Hired An Architect Facebook group, which is showing why not hiring a professional is a mistake.
From weirdly shaped roofs to open concept toilets, take a look at some of the pictures we have collected from the group and make sure to upvote the most bizarre ones!
Also, scroll down for our interview with Allison Beer McKenzie, the admin of this Facebook group, where we talk about the errors people make when designing a home themselves and the benefits of hiring an expert.
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Challenging Physics, Mathematics, Gravity, Engineering, Space, Time, Nasa, Einstein And The Holy Spirit!
Nope. I Am, However, Impressed That Someone Took This Photo Without Being In It
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.
Home Of Brave
It Looks Like Someone Couldn't Stop Adding Floors
“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.”
This Is So Atrocious That I Just Realized There Are Two Dogs In The Front Yard
Future Er Visit
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.”
What Should We Do With All This Space? More Toilets!
Isn't that nice. That way you can still spend precious time with your whole family while you're suffering from diarrhea. ❤️😂
Lack Of Alignment
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!”
Accident Waiting To Happen
Murder Vibes
Boob Lights
My Ocd Is Having A Breakdown
Trouble is, that first thought is immediately followed by a second thought, and a third, and a fourth ...
This has nothing to do with OCD, please stop using my mental illness as a punchline
Hi my name is giosail, and I would like you to f*****g stop using an illness the makes it hard to live my life, almost impossible sometimes, to describe your littlest dissatisfaction you carcass fit for hounds
It looks like I got drunk and high, became blind, died, then did that all over again two times
Had to show this to my husband. Who pointed out, the fireplace is electric. The cord is still out! 😄 It's not even a permanent structure. This was a choice. To be in that person's head must be interesting af. Its like an art piece. I feel things, Mostly confused with endless questions.
That roof means this is is a prefabricated (trailer) home. So all of that brick is just facade. Then they had to offset the fireplace insert to avoid cutting a structural beam. Either a custom order nightmare client or a DIY disaster
Ah, that explains the off center faux fire place. Thanks!
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I just feel sad when I look at this because theres no quick or easy fix. Theres nothing logical about anything here
How can you not like a handy magazine rack next to the fireplace?
NYSFKDJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!! there you have it folks, the best and only way to summarize this fecking monstrosity.
ocd has absolutely nothing to do with this but the alignment still bothers me
Well… lots of places for houseplants to live? That’s the only positive I can get out of this
many of these things is not like the other, many of these things don't belong...
Homeowner insists on built-in's ... oh! Electric fireplace? Sure, just plug it in anywhere!
To make it symmetrical would have involved a lot of engineering work to align the chimney breast with the rest of the decor, etc. The mantelpiece certainly doesn't help. Quite often, the installers expect you to accept their ideas of "symmetry" as opposed to what you as a customer want. This could have been avoided with a clear understanding between the customer and the installers.
Well. Move that and that and...... awww heck, just tear down the whole thing and start again
OMG, there is just SO much wrong with this room. I get panic attacks just looking at it. 🤯
This is just f****d in so many ways. WTH was the designer high? Lol
Mine wants me to hunt it down and burn it to the ground! It won't be satisfied with less!
This is just... i ...and what is even that slanted thing on the right supposed to be? and why is the alcove on the top left curved but not on the right? and the... I can't look at this anymore. Burn it with fire.
Perfect place for a big plant or vase on the left. Or fireplace utensils.
So the trouble here is the first place cannot move. It's probably the original fire place and everything else came after including the ceiling which looks younger than the fire place. Someone thought the brick in and build ins would make it look better. My guess? They're hiding a crack. Old fireplaces crack along the side and such cracks can spread all around. Old fireplaces are VERY heavy. So the brick here and build ins are new and hiding something.
Whoever did this needs to be shoved into that tiny triangle shaped cubby hole
Offcenter? Upside down? Stupid? What is the cubby on the right for? To run and hide, suck your thumb and rock the vision of the nightmare you're in away? 🤪🤪🤪
it suffers on so many levels starting with the fireplace is off centre and from there it is just downhill....
was this designed by someone with one leg longer than the other?
When you have to split the house in the divorse and each person gets a side lol
Who watches that TV? And what do they keep in that upper space? They look like downscaled spacious balconies...
This fireplace is definitely angry for being placed that way
In Slovak language we call this asymmetrical, which translates into " maybe a meter". So it's asymmetric, but it's like up or down by a meter or so.
I f*****g hate this. Go ahead and censor me bp. I really don’t give a s**t
Just add a gallon of petrol, light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance. Show this picture to the fire dept., they'll just turn round and go back to base and let it burn. ;o)
The rest of the house could be amazing but that thing would make it an instant no.
Getting rid of that mantel would help so much. It would still bug me, but that mantel not only does not go stylistically, it needs symmetry. No mantel or a very straight, plain mantel that goes all the way across the brick would work so much better. Well, as much as anything could work in that space.
Let me see a large TV over a desk, upper storage you can't reach an off center fireplace with off center mantle brick of course more storage I guess to the right with a kneehole underneath nothing at all wrong nothing at all!
At first it just looked like bad photoshop patching to dream up a design. Now it's just a nightmare . . .
Please research OCD before using it as a cheap and lazy punchline.
Load More Replies... 1) Why is the tv there 2) It's not centered 3) What is with the bottom shelves on the right
According to architect Bill Whittaker, hiring a professional might seem like an unnecessary expense for your building project. Yet, an expert can bring quality, professional design, and project management to “help you complete a beautiful building on budget and schedule.”
He provides several reasons why you should hire an architect instead of tackling challenges all by yourself. First, when it comes to the design, they help your house to have a consistent flow and comfort.
Huh. Never Seen A Commercial Toilet Partition In A Single Family Home Before
Figured You Guys Would Get A Kick Out Of It
Such A Welcoming Front Door. This Gets Worse The Longer I Look At It
“An architect provides a professional design that takes the client’s preferences into account, along with building codes, and good design practices to create the best possible space for your project.”
Next, experts can efficiently manage a construction site and “ensure that everything is being completed according to the current codes and standards.” The same goes for the budget. It’s easy to get distracted and spend extra on things you don’t actually need or to cover up the mistakes you made.
Bathroom Carpet
That's not carpet. That's clearly moss growing on the natural water feature. ;-) /s
Eeeek! But Whyyyyy
There's something oddly touching about that new pack of screwdrivers, as though the owner wants to fix the problem but, by golly, they're going to do it themselves despite having no DIY skills
Hope Your Guests Are Observant
“Architects help keep communication clear and can steer the project in the right direction to keep costs where they are originally projected,” Whittaker explained.
Still, if you’re really determined to self-design your home, you should consider starting out small. Plan and build a treehouse or a shed, or maybe a dollhouse for the kids. And if you notice that there are some blunders you make along the way, you should probably reach out to an architect for your bigger future projects.
New Construction In Dallas. "Interesting" Roof
World's Smallest Island
Solitary Stove
Too Many Turrets
Multitasking Too Hard
Vault straight out of bed into the tub, then nurse your injuries in the comfy rocking chair
This....
Open Concept Toilet
Kitchen Tub
Wtf Is Up With That Railing?
Addition? What Addition?
This Is A Luxury Hotel In My City (São Paulo, Brazil)
When it was built, everybody was like “ooooh, what an AMAZING piece of architecture!!!!”. It’s supposed to look like a ship, but all I can see is a rotten slice of watermelon. A boyfriend at the time, who was an architect, called me crazy for saying it’s ugly. Am I? It’s called Hotel Unique in case anyone wants to look up and see how weird the rooms look. They have a window between the bed and the bathroom. As for me, I can only see pictures, because it’s insanely expensive to stay there
Universal Design At Its Finest
Silly Shutters
Glad This Is The Back
Driving Down The Street In The Very Fashionable And Pricy West Loop Of Chicago. I Literally Had To Stop Dead In My Tracks To Comprehend And Then Photograph This. So Very Much Wrong
"Available soon: unique apartments at GIRAFFE TOWERS! Book a viewing NOW as this opportunity CANNOT LAST!!"
I Have To Give Them Credit For Utilizing All Of Those Awkward Spaces
The Next Evolution Of Barn Doors Looks Captivating
It's a jail cell door. And looks big enough for kids and pets to get their heads stuck in
A Man's Boat Is His Castle!
This Isn't Ideal
The Only Way This Could Be Worse, I Think, Is If There Was A Sleeping Tawny-Colored Cat Right On The Middle Step
Cult Vibes
I Feel Like The Mason Had A Bad Day Near The Beginning
"Dave, we really shouldn't have let the apprentice work unsupervised. Just knock it down and start again." "Nah, they'll never notice"
If You’re Going To Insist On A Classical Column Wrap, At Least Align The Capital Correctly
Neck Pain And A Head Injury Anyone?
Summoning Infinity
Elevation Challenged
It Might Be A Cyclops
We have a front door, we just don't want anyone to visit us so we had the architect remove the walkway leading to it...
Listed For $1 Million In Austin, Texas (This Is The Front)
This Is A House In Tuscaloosa, Al. It's Near The Uofa Campus, I Assume They Had A Small Lot And Wanted Cram As Many College Kids On It As Possible
That kinda looks like the Amityville Horror House's little sister, who's just as psycho as her older brother. So is her chihuahua, who's right to her in this picture, btw...
Or At Least Someone Who Wasn't Drunk!
I don't mind the painted brick (it's very common in charming old houses in northern Germany - although they tend to be bright white, rather than purple) but the chimney isn't an eye pleaser. Maybe they wanted to draw the attention off it with the crooked porch? They definitely succeeded in that!
The entry's peaked roofed is indeed askew and awry. And easy to fix.
Tub On Wheels
Architects In Philly
Note: this post originally had 93 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Nearly half of these are really fine and a matter of tastes. There are some really impractical and some downright murderous ones though.
Most readers appear to be assuming that these less than ideal design features were designed by amateurs, but a number could have been professionally designed by qualified architects and interior designers. I've seen professionally designed buildings and interiors that are completely unaesthetic.
Many of these pictures have already been seen on this site a lot in the past, and many other are just not that bad.
All those big, wide, open rooms...they beg to be made into a jam room. They just really need a band and some folks to play for.
Why was I picturing people making jam in a dedicated room 🤭
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These all appear to be either the result of a greedy builder with no skill or a designer who has no talent and way too much cash. So sad when there are people actually going to bed hungry.
I love the really bizarre ones and would totally live in one of them as long as there wasn't a worry about building quality.
Nearly half of these are really fine and a matter of tastes. There are some really impractical and some downright murderous ones though.
Most readers appear to be assuming that these less than ideal design features were designed by amateurs, but a number could have been professionally designed by qualified architects and interior designers. I've seen professionally designed buildings and interiors that are completely unaesthetic.
Many of these pictures have already been seen on this site a lot in the past, and many other are just not that bad.
All those big, wide, open rooms...they beg to be made into a jam room. They just really need a band and some folks to play for.
Why was I picturing people making jam in a dedicated room 🤭
Load More Replies... These all appear to be either the result of a greedy builder with no skill or a designer who has no talent and way too much cash. So sad when there are people actually going to bed hungry.
I love the really bizarre ones and would totally live in one of them as long as there wasn't a worry about building quality.
