Ugly House Photos

We love the website There I Fixed It where they celebrate cheap fix its (also known as kludges).  Here are some recent gems that are related to homes.

The two toilet bathroom.  For when you have a large family or houseguests.  “Are you done with the sports section, Joe?”

Kitchen cabinets are overrated anyway.

Did you think those little chains were gonna hold up that evaporative cooler by themselves?

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Our readers enjoy Before & After house photos.  Usually the After photos look better than the Before photos.  Maybe not so much in this example.

Here we see the After shower of a remodeled Phoenix home.  A modern design was used to create this curvy Flintstone shower.  Let’s look at the practicality of it.  First, the shower seat will receive 40% of the water and looks like it will hold soapy water without draining.  Phoenix water is loaded with minerals and will leave hard watermarks when it evaporates.  Second, where do you put your shampoo, soap, and loofah sponge?  Third, there’s no light inside.  You’d have to face outward to see things at night (we’ll get to that at the end of this post).  Fourth, will the water splash out into the bathroom?  There’s no lip.  If you’re then forced to add a shower curtain, it will further reduce visibility.  Fifth, thanks to one of our readers for pointing it out, you’ll likely get wet when pre-heating the water due to the control handle’s location.

Let’s check out the front of the house now.  This is the Before in 2004 when it sold for $127,000.

It was listed for sale in 2007 for $349,000 (didn’t sell) and here it is again in 2008 (didn’t sell) with lattice and a gravel yard.

The view behind the lattice.  Worth $222,000 more?

How it looked in January 2010 as a foreclosure home (no surprise); it sold for $56,000.  They removed $293,000 worth of lattice?

And then the new owner remodeled the home and listed it this summer at $195,000.  What do you think of the new modern design?

Here’s another angle so you can appreciate the cut metal facade.

Here’s how the house looked inside in 2008.  Note the beautiful wood floor.  And use the middle wall with the mirror as a reference point.

By January 2010, the wood floors were ruined.  How did that happen in 2 years?

And here’s the After photo from summer 2010.  They removed the wood floors and the archway.  If that’s their idea of modern lighting…

This was the kitchen in 2008.  Hardly worth $349,000 but better than summer 2010?

The kitchen in summer 2010.  When you cook, you get to look at a blank wall.

No other storage space seen.  No cabinets over the sink.

The hall bathroom from January 2010.

The bathroom from summer 2010.  Attention deficit disorder tile pattern?  Check out the showerhead!!!  Why is it so far over from the right?  Shouldn’t it line up with the tub?

The previous owners added on the house.

This is the master suite in summer 2010.  They polished the concrete floor.  Please note how you can see the shower from the bedroom.  Remember, with no lighting in the shower, the person will have to face out to see.  Be sure to wave to everyone.

Here’s that modern shower again.  There is a drain.  But does splashed water spill out into the bedroom?

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This home went up for sale on November 17, 2009.  So that means the white Christmas tree was up at least five weeks before Christmas.  The house finally sold eight months later in July 2010.

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Stackable washer & dryer included if you purchase this home in The Netherlands.  Ladder not included.  You could put up the ironing board and stand on it?

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This game room is the seller’s way to reinventing the song “99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall.”  Here we have 99 ball caps on the ceiling.  Over 250 hats?

The seller offered to sell all of the hats and fixtures to the buyer for $1,800.  How about the buyer paying the seller $20 to remove it all?

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We are excited to share this amazing Before & After transformation with you today.
We posted this stone-faced home on September 30, 2009 because we couldn’t believe it.  Here it is again.  Completely covered in flagstone.

It finally sold to an investor on January 25, 2010 for $20,000.  Yes, $20,000.

Here’s the opposite view.

Pay attention to this photo.  This is the Before photo.

Here’s the After photo four months later.  Compare the front step, the window, the door, and the right side extended room.  They are the same.  But without the flagstone.

They got rid of that ridiculous front porch cover and arched walls.

They consulted with the city’s historic preservation department and obtained proper permits for the remodeling/renovation.  You might as well do it right and for that we thank them.

The home received a total renovation, including complete re-wiring and re-plumbing.  And a new roof, new windows, flooring, exterior walls, etc.

The new kitchen.

Another view of the kitchen.  Kudos to the investor for seeing this historic home’s inner beauty and uncovering it.  From an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan.

Some lucky buyer bought this charming home on June 15, 2010 for $140,000.  Worth every penny.  And the neighbors get to enjoy looking at it every day.

Update:  One of our readers asked for a curb view, so here they are.  Before at the curb.

And from the curb after.  Houses in this area were frequently built back in the lot, others up front; it varies throughout the neighborhood.

Editor’s note:  three more photos added 8-10-10.  There has been some criticism by viewers about the new minimalistic architecture and what seems to be a lack of shade or character.  A few comments in defense of the renovation:
1) The new version is more energy efficient than the old one (dual-pane windows, new roof, updated cooling and leakless ductwork, and new appliances).  The promotion for this home states, “Weatherization/insulation package makes [this] house 253% more efficient than when found, as well [as] estimated to save homeowner $485/year on utilities.”  I would assume they consulted with the utility companies too (electric and gas).

2) The house was built in 1936.  The City worked with the remodeler to preserve the original architecture of the home.  Homes of this style (flat roof adobe home in a box shape) are seen throughout this neighborhood so this isn’t an aberration.

3) No interior photos were available from when it sold in 2009.  Remember, it sold for $20,000.  It couldn’t have been that nice or worth saving inside.  It is unlikely anything inside was historical before and the stonework was certainly not historical.  But its age prevented it from being bulldozed.  Be grateful the investor didn’t just slap paint on it and call it remodeled.

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Really?  A mural of a parking lot?  The kid can’t even play with it.

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It’s not for sale, but we thought you’d get a kick out of this.  Talk about brightening up the neighborhood.  At least it looks very clean.  The windmill’s a cute touch.

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Sellers want buyers to say “oh wow” when they enter a room, not “oh my.”  This is an “oh my” kitchen.  Green & white cabinets with painted on curtains under the sink.  Clashing paint colors.  Odd choice in backsplash.  Interesting concept for the tile mosaic?

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Using corrugated metal as wainscoting is very trendy, er, unique.

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