In the world of construction, things can be difficult at times, there can be a miscommunication between the working Joe's and the higher-ups. So it isn't always easy. If things always worked out perfectly we wouldn't have home improvement shows.
If you like home improvement shows for the architectural blunders then you'll absolutely love the images we've gathered for you. Here are some of the biggest oversights when it comes to building.
Cyclists Beware
More and more people are starting to cycle, they reduce emissions and even lighten traffic. Plus they'll always keep you in good shape. But without the necessary infrastructure, cycling can be a nightmare! Just like this image.
Maybe the city just really doesn't like cyclists? Either way, if a cyclist comes through this lane at full speed he'll definitely rethink the who "cycling" thing if he can even use his legs afterward. Let's hope he's wearing a helmet at least.
Really?
It may function but just see how awful it looks! It shows how lazy people can be, shoving another clock in front of the original clock face! This doesn't fix the problem, are they going to add a slightly smaller clock into the mix once this one breaks?
It's not just that it's impractical, it's also ludicrous and confusing. If they add any more clocks people won't know where to see and they'll be too small to see as well! We're begging whoever did this, please just get the original clock fixed and stop this madness!
How Does This Happen?
Imagine walking into this bathroom, you'd think that you're either dreaming or someone's pranking you. Who thought it was a good idea to put the only soap dispenser on a mirror? Do people washing their hands on the outer sink now have to ask the center sink occupant permission for soap? We don't need a bathroom hierarchy.
Maybe it's a subtle message to anyone trying to take bathroom selfies to rather practice better hygiene, or maybe they were tired of having to clean up the mess that the soap dispensers make on the tiled floor. But what we think is the most logical reason is that the people who installed it looked at the plans didn't get paid enough to ask questions.
I'm Not A Fan
Now here's a riddle for you, who muscled in on whose turf, the fan, or the pillar? You'd think that whoever ever installed what came second noticed the clear obstruction. Maybe it was another "above my paygrade" situation. Anyone above the age of 5 will understand that the two objects can't phase through each other.
Whoever's in charge should be informed of this and fix it or get fired. Maybe no one around here questions authority and just keeps their head down. But at the same time, they'll just have to suffer without any airflow in their building. We wonder how long it's been there since clearly it's been there long enough to have a photo taken.
Another Loss For Cyclists
Now we know that whoever made this sign is trying to help cyclists, emphasis on "trying". Motorists should always watch out for cyclists and give them the necessary space to avoid collisions. After all, a cyclist will always come off second best to a car. The sign is meant to remind the motorists of this, the irony is too good.
Even if the sign is trying its best, it's just an obstruction for any cyclists that do want some space. The cyclists will have no choice but to move up into the lane where cars drive because of this blasted sign. But at least everyone will remember the sign!
Have Fun Parkouring Out
At first, you might be scratching your head at what happened here, but if you stare at it long enough you'll understand the mistake. Obviously whoever is responsible didn't play with Lego when they were young. It's like the first thing you play with if you want to be a builder! But it seems like you can just readjust these giant blocks once they're cemented.
Maybe they'll still find a purpose for it, maybe American Ninja Warrior can use this as one of their new obstacles. Think about being done with a hard day's work of labor just to get to this obstacle. To be honest, we might just sit at the bottom and wait for someone to find us, it looks really physically intensive!
Let's Hope You Don't Have An Emergency....
You'd think that if one thing in a building has to be reliable that would be the emergency exit, right? Wrong apparently. If you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed an emergency exit you should just pray that it wouldn't be this one.
Imagine the anxiety that whoever works in this office has when they think about, "What if there's an emergency?" Well, we're glad we don't work there, wherever that is. I bet the employees were wondering why the company never has a fire drill.
...And Don't Have One Here
Even though this sign may be nice and informative, it still seems to have unrealistic expectations. Who can plan emergencies, after all? It seems rather inconsiderate to be honest. I'll just take my emergency elsewhere, good day... I said good day!
You can be the most careful person in the world but you know how these things work. The universe will find a way to make sure something happens right when really don't want it. Like the emergency phone working! At least they let us know so we can frantically run to the next closest emergency phone if there even is one!
"Secure"
We bet whoever designed this gate thought "Why can’t a security gate be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional?" Well, clearly this is why buddy. It certainly may look sleek, we'll give him that, we bet he thought he was onto something big. He was so excited that he didn't see the one glaring issue...
We just hope he answered his own question in the end. The aesthetics of the gate have one major drawback. IT'S NOW ONE HUGE LADDER! The burglar will now have to climb to get your valuables, oh no! Let's just hope the burglar is put off by too much exercise.
Looking Good
What is it about reflective surfaces that seem to give construction crews so many issues? This hotel bathroom technically comes complete with all the necessities: toilet, sink, shower, tiny bottles of soap, and this…questionable mirror.
Good luck trying to apply makeup or even figure out what your hair looks like in this thing. It looks like they tried to fix the old mirror by slapping a new one on top of it – a tried and true approach. It works great, as long as you don’t care about looking like a weirdo in your bathroom selfies.
Room With A View
One has to wonder what was going through the minds of the construction team that installed this “perfectly” placed HVAC duct. Was it really harder to move the whole thing a few feet to the right or left, rather than plowing right through the existing balcony?
Whether it was a case of tight deadlines or a depleted budget, or perhaps even a frustrated worker whose boss told him to “just get it done today,” this end result leaves a lot to be desired. Next time someone wants to look out the window, they’ll be greeted with quite possibly the most boring view of all time. But, hey, at least they’ll have air conditioning.
Which Way?
Road markings are designed to be direct, clear, and easy to see. That’s why stop signs are bright red, and why speed limit signs have a reflective coating. Drivers need to know at a moment’s notice what they are and aren’t able to do on the road.
Knowing that fact makes this botched paint job all the more confusing. Should they turn left or right onto the one way road? This seems like a car accident waiting to happen with this many mixed signals happening . Is turning left encouraged or prohibited? We may never know.
Darn It, Doug
Poor Doug seems like he’s having a rough time. He just can’t figure out which sign he’s supposed to change, and his boss has been on his case for weeks because of the last “incident.” Oh, Doug. You’re trying your best, but it’s just not cutting it.
Thankfully, there’s a quick and easy way to remind him of what needs to be done. It’s a genius solution and whoever came up with it should be commended for their ingenuity. Doug definitely won’t forget to change the sign again. On the other hand, something tells us Doug may be on the hunt for a new job soon.
That's A Public Restroom
Walking down a hallway and seeing this curious commode would be quite the surprise. You might then ask yourself who in their right mind would design a bathroom like this, with the toilet perfectly positioned in front of the door’s only window.
The answer is, this restroom caters to exhibitionist secretly lurking within us all. It invites us to explore a side of ourselves we never knew existed. If you’ve ever been curious what it feels like to do your private business while on full display to any random passerby, here’s your golden opportunity. Don’t be shy, just give it a go!
Get To Know Your Neighbor
Real human connection has become rarer and rarer in our advanced digital age. People prefer to chat online rather than face to face, and some say that our society has suffered due to a lack of real human experiences. How can we do better?
Here is one solution: take advantage of time that would otherwise be wasted in lonely silence with the group restroom seating! Get to know friends and coworkers in ways like never before. Plus, you’ll never again have that awkward moment of asking the person in the stall next to you for TP when you run out. Just ask them right to their face!
Slightly Off-Center
This is a case of having all the elements needed, just not in the right order. For example, you can have all the ingredients needed to make a cake, but unless you mix them all together before you try to bake it, you’re going to have a bad time.
Here we have a perfectly functional set of stairs positioned just to the left of where they would actually be useful. Unless you happen to be Spider-man, it’s virtually impossible to access the doors without rock climbing gear. Hopefully, no one needs to get outside in a hurry, especially those on the upper floors.
Safety First!
For every construction fail, there is always someone behind it who ultimately chose to make it happen. We may have just caught that guy in the act. Just look at him, probably hard at work making another baffling contraption.
Maybe he’s a genius and this is the way all tradespeople will do it in the future. There might be something we don’t know that actually makes this the best option for this job, and this man is just a genius trendsetter. Another option is that he’s never actually used a ladder before.
Fire 'Escape'
This building has a fire escape on its top floor, and it’s pretty much perfect. No, really! It’s solidly built, easily accessible, and leads right out of the building in case of a fire or other emergency. It’s made of strong metal to stand the test of time and can carry several people at once. There’s only one small problem…
It may or may not actually be connected to any other stairs. Sure, you might make it outside without an issue, but good luck getting down 10 stories without a reeeeally long ladder. The only way this escape would be functional is if this building happens to be a parachuting school (if that’s even a thing).
Best Seats In The House
We’ve all heard of saving money by buying “nosebleed seats” at sports games. You end up sitting way up high in the stands, so far away that you may not even be able to see the game without binoculars, but at least you can say you were there! Plus, there’s always the jumbotron.
Not everyone can spring for a private box, but we should all be careful when buying from discount websites or the sketchy scalpers out in front of the venue. Hopefully this poor guy got a really, really good deal on his ticket, because not even a high powered telescope will help him see the game through that pillar.
Watch Out For That...
City planners have a really tough occupation. Their work is the invisible glue that holds our society together on a daily basis. People go to school for years to learn the skills they need to know in order to ensure that public structures are safe, functional, and well designed.
This telephone pole is none of the above. We’re not sure who approved this project, but we are pretty confident that a solid concrete pole shouldn’t be erected in the middle of a road. In fact, literally anywhere else would be a better location. At least they painted it yellow, so you can see it more easily before crashing. Thanks, guys!
Stairway To...?
Either there’s something magical going on here, or this is the world’s most unnecessary staircase. It looks just like any other staircase you might see in a public place, except for the fact that it leads directly into what appears to be a ceiling rather than a second floor.
As far as we know, purely decorative staircases aren’t a standard architectural feature. One has to wonder if there was ever an upper floor here, or if they plan for a possible expansion down the road and are now stuck with this useless eyesore. One way or another, unless this staircase happens to lead to Platform 9 ¾, there’s just no point to it.
Patching Things Up
Concrete is an incredibly versatile material that can be used in all sorts of applications. It can be made into super strong walls, poured into molds to make customized shapes, and its cool, industrial look makes it perfect for a modern interior. There’s almost no wrong way to use it!
Except this. This is the wrong way to use concrete. We’ll admit the hole has been filled in, but whoever was behind this epic fail seems to have missed a crucial step in the preparation process. You know the “mix it with water” part? Maybe they’re just waiting for a rainy day and hoping Mother Nature finishes the job for them.
Fixed It!
They say you can fix anything in this world with either WD-40 or duct tape. If it doesn’t move and should, use the spray; if it moves and shouldn’t, use the tape. Whoever “fixed” this telephone pole clearly subscribes to that belief and has a lot of faith in the power of the magical adhesive.
With that said, it looks like they may have found the limits of what duct tape can actually do. It’s holding, but just barely. If an extra windy day comes along, that pole is going down and the tiny rope tethered the other pole isn’t going to help. You know what might work, though? Juuuust a little more duct tape.
Stair-Why
For once on this list, we have nothing negative to say about the quality of this stairway. It’s well constructed, the railings are supportive and straight, and the steps are normally sized and easily walkable. Yes, this is a fine staircase; an excellent example of craftsmanship and engineering in action.
What’s that, you say? There’s literally no reason at all for it to exist? It’s a totally random staircase right in the middle of an open field that leads to nowhere? All right, that may be a valid point – but it’s still a pretty great staircase.
Looks Good To Me Boss!
Whoever painted these road lines needs a field sobriety test, stat. They somehow managed to complete the job without lining up a single mark correctly. It looks more like an EKG readout than a lane divider, and somebody, at some point, looked at it and said, “Good enough.”
We get it. It’s a difficult job and someone has to do it, but this paint job is going to create some major confusion for future motorists. It’s going to look like Mr. Toad’s wild ride as soon as cars start driving down that road, and whiplash cases are going to go through the roof. This is why the robots are eventually going to take all our jobs, people.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Going green is a big deal these days. We, as a society, are coming to terms with the fact that Earth has limited resources, and that in order to protect our collective home ,we must act quickly and decisively to change the trajectory of our planet’s future.
Some brave soul is truly going the extra mile to protect our environment by implementing “zero waste” policies and conserving our limited resources. This imaginative person is doing their part and has come up with a simply genius application for used aluminum cans that’s both sustainable and practical. No need to thank him, just call him Captain Planet.
Caution, This Column Is Fixed
If you ever see something like this while walking down the street, make sure to keep far away. That entire column, and maybe even the building, is being held up with hopes, dreams, caution tape, and not much else. This sloppy assemblage of plastic and planks is a construction worker’s worst nightmare.
It definitely looks like the whole thing could come tumbling down if somebody breathes on it too hard. On a positive note, caution tape is probably the best kind of tape to use in this scenario, because it serves a dual purpose: Barely holding this column together, as well as warning passersby to avoid this death trap waiting to happen. Two birds, meet one stone.
Top-Notch Security
Well, we can’t say that door isn’t locked. Whoever rigged up this contraption is clearly concerned with security over appearances. Rather than go for the boring approach by actually using a lock that’s intended to go on a door, they got “creative” and used a big beefy chain.
That’s gotta be pretty secure, right? No one’s getting through there – unless they manage to somehow break through the already weakened outer wall. Whatever happens, let’s just hope they don’t lose their key, because they’d need some serious bolt cutters (or sledgehammer) to get back inside.
That First Step Is A Doozy
Anyone trying to step outside for a breath of fresh air is going to get even more air than they expected. This balcony, while still technically functional, is regrettably placed so far down below the landing that you could end up taking a nasty tumble if you weren’t paying attention.
Moreover, how are you supposed to get back up after you go down there? Assuming you haven’t broken both your legs from falling out the door, are you supposed to climb back up and flop through the door like a seal? Shouldn’t there at least be some steps, maybe a handrail? We have so many questions.