How to fix previous owner DIY nightmares
Previous homeowners often disguise shoddy work with surface-level cosmetic updates that hide hazardous and poorly executed projects. Uncovering these hidden defects week after week leaves new buyers feeling like their house is held together entirely by caulk, making it impossible to trust the home's fundamental safety.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 19 people.
- This comes up 18.0× more often in r/homeowners than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Fixing things as you come across them or adding them to a master listDid this help you?
- 2Prioritizing critical safety issues like electrical and moisture/mold risks over cosmeticsDid this help you?
- 3Learning to do repairs yourself using YouTube to save money on contractorsDid this help you?
- 4Pacing yourself to avoid draining all savings at onceDid this help you?
- 5Doing home improvement projects DIY instead of hiring contractorsDid this help you?
- 6Researching building codes and industry standards independently to check contractor workDid this help you?
- 7Inspecting work closely during walkthroughs and demanding correctionsDid this help you?
- 8Setting up a dehumidifierDid this help you?
- 9Funneling water to the sump pumpDid this help you?
- 10Digging french drainsDid this help you?
- 11Adding extensions to all down spoutsDid this help you?
- 12Consulting with a foundation company or real estate lawyerDid this help you?
- 13testing the surface by jumping on itDid this help you?
- 14using caution while walking on roofsDid this help you?
- 15Ripping up the bad flooring and redoing itDid this help you?
- 16Ignoring the cosmetic flaw if the rest of the house location, layout, and square footage are desirableDid this help you?
- 17Turning off the circuit breakerDid this help you?
- 18Capping exposed wires manuallyDid this help you?
- 19Hiring a different professional to redo the installationDid this help you?
- 20firing the contractor and attempting to finish the remaining trim and soffits independentlyDid this help you?
- 21Living with the makeshift repair until a full remodel can be doneDid this help you?
- 22Planning to install proper fixes during future renovationsDid this help you?
- 23Fixing the shoddy work yourself using proper materialsDid this help you?
- 24Hiring professionals to undo and repair dangerous previous installationsDid this help you?
- 25spending days chipping away paint and scraping popcorn ceilingsDid this help you?
- 26living with the poor modifications and choosing not to fix themDid this help you?
- 27venting frustration through humor or imagining revengeDid this help you?
- 28Hiring a licensed contractor to help pull retroactive permitsDid this help you?
- 29Consulting a real estate attorney to pursue the previous owner or check title insuranceDid this help you?
- 30Negotiating with city building inspectors for variances or timeline extensionsDid this help you?
- 31Tearing down the unpermitted work and converting the space back to its original stateDid this help you?
- 32considering repainting the full house to improve curb appeal and mask the mismatchDid this help you?
- 33trying to determine if the patches are flush or if they need physical correction before paintingDid this help you?
- 34Using transition strips or specialized molding to cover the gapDid this help you?
- 35Walking away from purchasing the houseDid this help you?
- 36Fixing issues correctly the first time even if it is expensiveDid this help you?
- 37Prioritizing high-risk issues like water, electrical, and gas while leaving cosmetic problems aloneDid this help you?
- 38Learning to handle repairs through DIY methodsDid this help you?
- 39Gluing tiles back on with construction adhesive, epoxy, or JB WeldDid this help you?
- 40Hiring contractors or handymen to fix or replace damaged surfaces and plumbingDid this help you?
- 41Waiting until materials are available at a discount store to slowly pull up and redo installationsDid this help you?
- 42Covering mistakes with wood trim or caulkDid this help you?
- 43Remodeling the problematic areasDid this help you?
- 44Ignoring the defects or trying not to look at themDid this help you?
- 45Checking existing slabs and footings for code complianceDid this help you?
- 46Using modular sunroom systems that come with engineered drawings for permitsDid this help you?
- 47Restoring the space back to its original approved configurationDid this help you?
- 48Leave the unpermitted work alone and hope no one noticesDid this help you?
- 49Hire a plumber or contractor to inspect the work independentlyDid this help you?
- 50Pull permits retroactively and address inspector-mandated fixesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“water is leaking through the foundation in the basement, I just went and bought/set up a dehumidifier. I've been trying to funnel the water to the sump pump but I'm at a loss of what to do.”source ↗
“We bought our first house last fall and I am slowly realizing the previous owner was that DIY guy from YouTube who thinks he is a master contractor. At first it looked cute and "updated". Now every week I find one more cursed project.”source ↗
“I feel like I need to call an electrician and just say "assume everything is wrong". Has anyone else bought a house that was basically held together by vibes and caulk.”source ↗
“So they went to put in this fixture and realized they couldn’t fit the wiring in the pancake fan box, so just remove the box and wire it up all rawdog style in the ceiling”source ↗
“two tiles just fell off as I was stirring my crock pot dinner! I’m definitely not an expert at all when it comes to construction or tiling but aren’t you supposed to use mortar? What they used look like wood glue!!!”source ↗
“It feels like everything little fix we try to make turns into a huge ordeal because we inevitably uncover some crazy DIY that the previous owners did that inspections missed.”source ↗
“It’s just getting overwhelming realizing that so many things that were “updated” or “fixed” recently are likely unreliable and now I don’t know where to start with addressing them.”source ↗
“Had the same bullshit with our first home.”source ↗
“The home I live in today was mismanaged and neglected by both the original occupants and the 2nd owner.”source ↗
“The owner did not know these items were code violations, and the work was done five months before she bought the house, but they charged her anyway... then suddenly dropped the case.”source ↗
“when inspections happened the seller was instructed to remove a pony wall and this is how they “patched it” 💀 In hindsight we’re floored that our realtor allowed us to accept this and we wish we could go back in time to have them do it correctly.”source ↗
“It’s been an eye sore for years but now that we’re finally settled in and been able to address some other things we’re trying to brainstorm how to improve this.”source ↗
“We are not experienced with stucco and this is our first house so any advice is appreciated!”source ↗
“While pulling my fridge out to clean up behind it one of the bull-nose (faces) fell off and shattered into a billion pieces. I went 2 years with it looking stupid.”source ↗
“The house was built in the 80s and had a lot of cut corners so I'm suspicious that whoever did the stairs just messed up.”source ↗
“They cut so many corners building the place, my favorite is the downstairs porch that slopes towards the house and let's water in”source ↗
“My issue is less with the things I expect from the house being old and much more with the renovations that we know are recent because they were advertised as being so.”source ↗
“I just bought my first house and am having to fix so much in the basement”source ↗
“Ah yay I can add these to the list of corners cut when this house was built.”source ↗
“Pointed it out to the realtor. She legit said she didn't even notice. bruh. Tell me I'm not insane. This is so obviously bad???? How would you not notice this???”source ↗
“I would look at another house if this is the level of work they were ok with in their home.”source ↗
“After spending two days removing the popcorn ceiling, chipping away the painted popcorn, and sanding the walls so primer can adhere to it, I’ve decided it’s time to fight.”source ↗
“Well I had convince my roofer to create opening at the soffits which were totally closed,and he questioned it but ultimately did it.”source ↗
“We just bought a 5 year old house that had poorly designed hvac and to remediate a lot of pest insect problems we needed to install a whole house dehumidifier in the upstairs HVAC.”source ↗
“Now the city is giving us 90 days to either bring it up to code or return it to a functioning garage. Which feels insane because we didn't do the work—we just bought the house.”source ↗
“I have spent every weekend for the last month crawling through the tiny attic of my bedroom fixing the terrible DIY insulation and HVAC job the previous owner did with some very similar thoughts!”source ↗
“I hired a contractor to do my siding and probably picked the wrong guy. he completed most of the work, although poorly.”source ↗
“i couldn’t take anyone of the bad work so I let him go.”source ↗
“at this point I think I should just finish it myself.”source ↗
“my issue is with the top row of the flat wall. this is the only section I’m unsure how to complete.”source ↗
“Southern California. Exact same issue about a year ago. We tried fighting it with a lawyer but it was a waste of money. The city will force the permit.”source ↗
“I’ve dealt with something similar. The city would not budge. They wanted to see everything down to the studs and plumbing underground. It was impossible to permit the existing structure. I just demoed it.”source ↗
“I had a similar nightmare but on a smaller scale, the city made me pull a permit retroactively and the inspector sent me a list of 14 things to fix before he’d sign off, it sucked but I didn’t have to gut the room”source ↗
“the previous owners before the owner I bought it from turned it into a fully enclosed air conditioned room (WITHOUT A PERMIT). To make a long story short it was never approved by the HOA, does not have permits and it is now leaking terribly.”source ↗
“Now I'm stuck. I've got a finished basement that's probably not up to code, and I have no idea what the city will do if I try to legalize it.”source ↗
“Having gone through one roof and walked on 100s each year, you know when you're in danger.”source ↗
“Please be careful. I have a buddy who lost his ability to be a roofer last year due to almost exactly this. Rotten roof gave out, he fell 15 ft onto a desk and completely shattered his ankle.”source ↗
“i had an electrician install a mini split for me. and this is how he left it. said he was going to come back. but never did. how bad is it?”source ↗
“This is under my kitchen sink. When the kitchen gets remodeled we’re gonna have all of this tore out but in the mean time, this is what we’ve got.”source ↗
“Every house that I’ve seen a boomer work on ALWAYS has that shit.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6Landlords using cheap handymen and accordion drains
- 6Why do older houses have no outlets?
- 4Are drywall cracks in an older house normal settling or structural damage?
- 3How to repair accidental damage in my apartment before landlord inspection
- 4Inherited a house with sudden damage and no idea what to do
- 10How to stop renovating and just enjoy a new house