30+ Construction Fails That’ll Leave You Scratching Your Head

The Paralympics

Image Source/ Reddit Just_some_n00bWelcome to Cabo San Lucas where, if you're disabled, darting around town is actually an extreme sport! This woman clearly looks bamboozled at the engineer's fail. Aside from the engineers, what decorator decided it'd be a good idea to put a plant THERE?

At Design School

Image Source/ Reddit raynehk14What are they actually teaching in design school these days? Which is actually exactly where this construction fail occurred. However, take a few steps back, and this fail could easily be perceived as an interesting, though-provoking piece of modern art.

Fire Hydrant Hazard

Image Source/ Reddit igotnothingtohideIn case of fire, please become The Incredible Hulk and rip out these handle rails in order to use fire hydrant. Come on now, who actually thought this was a good idea? It must've been an unlucky first day for the poor person that designed this staircase.

Impossible Cash Withdrawals

Image Source/ Reddit gigazine.netThis one was definitely not a construction fail and was done tactically to stray everyone away from withdrawing their money and going on a spending spree. I can think of a few times where this precaution would've saved me hundreds in clothes and food!

The Drain That Won't Drain

Image Source/ Reddit ChocolateCurryAs you can see, this drain would've come in great use considering the flood going on in this field. However, some clever engineer clearly knew that this was the entrance to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles home so has kindly decided to keep them nice and dry.

A Quiet Place

Image Source/ Reddit HotelIndiaFoxtrotNow I know we've all been desperate for a bit of alone time after spending all holiday with the nagging kids, but this is taking it too far. They say that to reach peace and serenity you must swing from the hanging light in order to land there. Good luck!

Back to Architect School

Image Source/ Reddit Imgur.comHow much are we betting that some guy with hundreds of thousands of dollars thought he had the intelligence and mental capacity to design and build his own home, only to realise that he completely failed! Take this gorgeous staircase for example that leads you... nowhere.

The Road to Nowhere

Image Source/ Reddit nodnodwinkwinkIf you've got some time to kill on your commute to work and can't bear the idea of logging in early, then make use of the architect's brilliant slope/stairs invention. The actual use of it is beyond me and probably, well, everyone else too. Seems a bit of a waste of materials!

Front Row Seats

Image Source/ BoredPandaThese first-row seats would only be great if you were watching the baseball game against the Wisconsin Walls. Imagine paying for tickets for this stadium and being allocated these... you'd be furious! I expect these seats cost them a lot of money in refunds.

Balcony of Death

Image Source/ Reddit LynnCSchreiberAlthough a massive danger hazard, these interesting balconies would prove very useful for any unwanted guests. While giving them a tour of your brand new apartment, leave the balcony till last and tell them "after you" as they step out for the views.

The Longest Escalator Ride of Your Life

Image Source/ BoredPandaHave you ever seen an escalator frozen in time? Well, now you have. Seems like they must've started constructing the escalator before realising they ran out of escalator steps so just had to opt in for the usual boring concrete ones. Massive fail!

University of Toiletsville

Image Source/ Reddit news.cnIn my opinion, the architect of this building knew exactly what they were doing when they designed this building. Given it was a university, the architect was probably not very impressed with his grades when he attended and decided to offer a little payback.

Another Disability Challenge

Image Source/ Reddit SacredOrangeAnother disastrous decision made for disabled access on this one. Fantastic that a disabled toilet has been introduced at this restaurant, just a shame that you have to get up the stairs to use it! Maybe it was all intentional and is just part of a challenge.

Boys Will Be Boys

Image Source/ Reddit 2na2unatunaThe designer of this building was given one task and he did it spectacularly. Knowing boyish humour to a tee, this engineer went out of his way to slip in some naughty signs. Firstly, the giant phallus and two balls as windows. Secondly, the very naughty 69 below it!

Around Time

Image Source/ Reddit KamokazeWarDogThis one is kind of impressive but also very stupid. This pipe fitter clearly doesn't know how clocks work and decided to mould this pipe so it fit exactly around the clock. Little did he know that clocks can actually be removed and put up somewhere else.

Kissing Balconies

Image Source/ BoredPandaWell, this would be fab if you had a cheeky crush on your neighbour across. The engineers of these two buildings clearly loved each other and thought that the residents should love each other too, so built balconies that you could easily lean over and kiss on.

Wonky Clock

Image Source/ Reddit CyanoalphaUp next on extremely annoying construction fails: this clock tower. Clearly the architect just wanted to ruin absolutely everyone's day when they looked up at this clock to tell the time. Would it really have been that hard to centre the clockface properly!

Garage Stunt Jump

Image Source/ Reddit imgur.comThis looks like some sort of stunt taken straight from Grand Theft Auto gameplay. If you want to get your car in this garage just reverse down the road, speed up, drive through the barrier and close your eyes! I wonder what the garage is actually used for.

Expert Cycle Route

Image Source/ RedditI think this should be renamed the expert cycle lane. Whoever was designing the cycle route along this road definitely thought that cyclists had more of a skillset than they do. How many cyclists reckon they could bunny hop the railing successfully?

The Antisocial Balcony

Image Source/ BoredPandaClearly some anti-social tenant wanted to be completely shielded from the world and decided to cement up their door, therefore rendering the gorgeous balcony absolutely pointless. Jokes aside, clearly someone wasn't thinking about what they were doing.

The Lone Window

Image Source/ Reddit Meatball722There was clearly some demanding and agitated tenant when they were building this complex. Whoever demanded for the window must've paid a lot of money for the builders to throw in this little pane like that. Also, it's so unsatisfying to look at!

The Stair Trap

Image Source/ BoredPandaI think it's fair to say that these stairs were more of a design choice than to be used. Either that or the engineers installed the railings in the wrong place. Also... why on Earth even bother shovelling these steps? Who's going to be using them?

Splitting the Car

Image Source/ Imgur.comThe question is, what came first, the house or the lamppost? I can imagine a very angry letter was written by the homeowner when this bright beam was installed. However, it's probably perfect if you own a couple of motorbikes that can slip by the post.

Doors for Windows

Image Source/ MrEaseI think it's fair to say that this has got to be one of the worst (and best) construction fails on this list. The poor apprentice that fitted these doors/windows. However, surely there was a moment during this process that you'd question how wrong it looked.

The Unreachable Garage

Image Source/ Reddit NomoneystillproblemsTo match the GTA stunt jump garage from before, now we have the even more unreachable garage on this apartment block. It's impressive that they managed to pick up a building and plop it on top like this. It's even more impressive that it's been hit by a car.

Halving Screen Time

Image Source/ Reddit Amir786maviaI think that the contractors who built this wall were being severely underpaid so did exactly as they were instructed without questions asked. Or, they just don't have any common sense and thought that both rooms would want to watch a bit (literally) of TV.

The Up and Down Stairs

Image Source/ BoredPandaIt really took me a while to understand what was wrong with these stairs, but once you see it you question the integrity of whoever built them. Quite possibly it was a huge fan of M. C. Escher's relativity stairs. Or, they just had no clue what they were doing.

The Pillar Gap

Image Source/ Reddit DuffyprojectAt what point did this column no longer support the building but added to the aesthetic of the restaurant? Clearly nobody was thinking this through when they built the McDonald's, and it was created by someone who has no idea about structural design.

Employees Only?

Image Source/ Reddit Skatermario3Well, everyone must be an employee for this car firm, right? Clearly this woman is loving the absolute design fail they have going on, considering if you take two steps to the left you can walk straight through with no need for the door at all. Who okayed this?

The Forbidden Drawers

Image Source/ BoredPandaGood luck if you left anything important, like your passport or birth certificate, in this draw, because you'll need to be Captain America to have access to it again. What would be even worse is if someone left their banana in here! Just imagine the smells.

I Mean, They're Not Wrong...

Image Source / Bored PandaSide by side, they technically did do exactly what the plan illustrated they should do. With just one, very big, very obvious problem. I think M.C. Escher in particular would be very proud of this one, though...

An ATM Spider-Man Would Be Proud Of

Image Source / Bored PandaTo be fair, it's very good of them to at least put in the steps so you don't have to do the biggest leap in the world and try and scramble up. But then it just gets worse when you have to squat down to actually use the machine. Maybe one gym lovers will enjoy more?

What To Do When A Window's In The Way?

Image Source / Bored PandaWe all know how annoying it is when you're trying to rearrange a room and there's a window right where you don't want it or a radiator on the wall right where you wanna put a piece of furniture. So why not just impale everything that's in the way?

A Symbolic Staircase?

Image Source / Bored PandaThis looks almost like an art installation - I mean, it must be a sculpture, right? Because it's sure going nowhere and is entirely pointless if needing to be used. Imagine if you weren't even paying attention and got to the top only to realise you've wasted your time.

Look At That View, Honey!

Image Source / Bored PandaThat's gotta be a secret wall or something, right? Something either exciting family treasure movies are made out of, or - worse - horror movies. Least they tried to put some nice curtains up to go along with the illusion.

Hobbit Hole

Image Source / Bored PandaOr more like... door? Hobbit door? Half a hobbit door? It's not really clear what this is, or why anyone thought this was a good idea. It's the fact if even has a doorknob, as though there's any way it could possibly be used!

This Fence Catastrophe

Image Source / Bored Panda"There's no way you could mess that driveway fence up!" "Hold my beer." Apparently this was the work of someone employed to install a fence after a driveway extension.. and they genuinely thought this was a good idea.

Symmetry Who? Never Heard Of Her

Image Source / Bored PandaThis is going to seriously upset some people with OCD. This is actually in someone's home, so imagine living there and having the sofa facing this each and every day just knowing you can do nothing about it.

Handrails Are Handy... Sometimes...

Image Source / Bored PandaWalk on the left side, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Oh, but you do have to do an assault course at the top when you can't get through and either have to climb over, climb under or go all the way back down the stairs and come up a different way...

This Interesting Roof Window Design

Image Source / Bored PandaI mean, it would let in a huge amount of natural light, it's a shape that manages to extend the whole of the room below... it's a win win so far, obviously. There's just something about that particular shape I can't put my finger on.

Luring You Into A False Sense Of Security

Image Source / Bored PandaOh good there's a ramp! Always helpful. Okay this ramp is going right up the steps, yep, that's great... no... no wait, why does it just stop? Do they think we can jump those last three steps in a wheelchair? Turn around, we'll have to go back... Image Source / Bored PandaImagine taking a wrong turn and stepping out of that door only to land on the poor guy that's just trying to eat his breakfast on the table below. You could probably still use it as a window, of sorts, for a little fresh air - or shouting at someone down below.

A Helpful Obstruction

Image Source / Bored PandaNot one massive metal box in the way, but two! Just what you need when you're trying to get into your garage positioned conveniently behind these two objects that can most definitely not be moved out of the way.

Would You Like To Pay Extra For A Balcony Room?

Image Source / Bored PandaYou know that feeling when you decide to treat yourself with your next vacation, like a sea view room or a balcony suite? Well we bet this is exactly what you were hoping for when you booked that balcony... nothing like not actually being able to get onto it.

What Were They Thinking When This Building Was Erected?

Image Source / Bored PandaThis is probably the most realistic - er - building I've ever seen. It's actually quite impressive. A weird shape, of course, but impressive. But I guess there's nothing wrong with tilting a little bit to the left - it can't be helped.

This Idea Should Have Been Kicked To The Curb

Image Source / Bored PandaYou get brownie points for actually putting a disabled space, but these points are immediately taken away when you look at the thing. Is it supposed to be a challenge? A joke? What actually was the thought process behind this?

Fail Or Success?

Image Source / Bored PandaThis is actually quite mesmerising when you look at it. So much so that you could actually debate whether this even counts as a fail. Sure, it's pointless, but look at it! To make the brickwork curve that way... pure art.

You Want The Door Where?

Image Source / Bored PandaThere's a 50/50 chance you won't fall stepping out of this door. Okay, maybe more like a... 30% chance? And then the odds of you exiting the door very much to the side rather than dead centre... There's just so much wrong with this door.

So Many Questions

Image Source / Bored PandaWhere to start? It's too small. It's raised. It has a curb around the side. It also looks like its been left unkempt like some old, forgotten patch of land that later might grow some weeds. Then putting a disabled badge on this really is an insult.

Put The Gate On The Path? Too Easy

Image Source / Bored PandaWhy bother doing anything logical when you can just go crazy. But sometimes it's good to wander off the beaten track, after all... Maybe? Be prepared to get your shoes muddy on a rainy day if you want to use this particular gate.