What the ? – Page 37

Cubby House – Fail

What do you think of this Cubby House that someone built in their garden, soon after moving in?

Well it looks pretty good…………………………. Solidly constructed building, nice colourful paint job, and securely bolted down to a convenient concrete slab.

So why is it a Fail?

Well have a look at this close up of that convenient concrete slab.

That solid concrete slab is actually the top of a sewer manhole on the Easement.

This particular manhole has two covers (You can see the front one on the photo) which need to be accessed for cleaning about every 18 months!

How would you like to move this?

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

To find out what you shouldn’t build on your block see Restictions

Lap Dog Window – Fail

Three horizontal windows, a Builder’s design “Wow factor” that was quite common in show houses around 5 years ago.

What is the point of that bottom window?

About the only thing that could see out of it would be a small dog. A cat would just jump up to the higher window cill.

It must be a real pain to get down on your hands and knees to clean!

Do you need to get 3 separate blinds fitted?

The extra cost of 3 separate windows with the lintels between them must be fairly significant.

Walking round a new Display Village the other day I couldn’t see any examples of this detail so perhaps its gone out of Fashion.

Think I am being unkind……….tell me why I have got it wrong!

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

Brickwork Fail 2

This brick wall is on a house opposite my bedroom window.

To me its wrong on so many levels!

Bricks are meant to be laid with a bond rather than stacked like this as it makes a stronger job.
To be able to get away with this effect you need accurate, even brickwork as stacking really shows every mistake.
The actual bricklaying is poor with uneven joints and inaccurate bricklaying.
The pointing of the brickwork is poor.
There is excessive mortar staining of the brick.

Can you believe this is on the side of a new house, currently for sale, in this state!

Planning some building work in the garden? see Brick Fences

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

Tree Selection – Fail

The sight of this Norfolk pine towering over this single storey house caused me to stop the car!

And the tree is only half grown.

It breaks RULE 2 of suburban tree selection – “Don’t get a tree that grows to more than 50% taller than your house.”

(Rule 1 is “Read the label”)

Getting Rid of Unsuitable Trees

Removing dead and unsuitable trees and stumps safeguards your landscape so that you can replant and redesign the space as you please.

To ensure you are working with a healthy landscape, ensure you have inspected the area and identified all trees or stumps that may need to be removed.

Tree and Stump removal requires a high level of expertise and is not recommended as do it yourself.

Enlisting a professional removal service like Daryl’s Tree Care and Surgery is essential to identify potential hazards in your garden and to safely undertake the removal process without disturbing the rest of your landscape.”

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

Roller Shutters – Fail

Sorry if you like them……….. but I just don’t get roller shutters!

To me they just say someone has got it wrong.

You have a house built with nice big windows and then you install shutters.

Either the orientation is wrong,….or if its a security measure you bought in the wrong neighbourhood!

As far as security goes good Double Glazing can provide similar security, similar insulation, and lets the light in!

And as for houses like the one below which has shutters on upper floor, South facing, windows what are they worried about?

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

Parcel Furniture – Fail

Do you like getting parcels?…..then this furniture could be for you!

The photo is from the design site Dornob.com

To quote from their site “The ‘Soft Parcel’ furniture series by TAF Arkitekter is incredibly simple, covering blocks of foam with high-quality fabric in shades of white and kraft-paper-brown. The units can be stacked as desired to create benches, couches, ottomans and tables.”

As for me I don’t want to live in a room that looks like a warehouse!…….Do you?

For more strange and interesting house photos see What The ……?.

Water Saving – Fail

Obviously someone wasn’t happy with the flow from the water saving shower head.

I only hope they have quick showers!

This is from one of my favourite sites There I Fixed it – Red Neck Repairs at http://cheezburger.com

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

Fake Grass – Real Weeds – Fail

This is a reminder that artificial grass is a low maintenance surface Not A No Maintenance surface.

The trouble with weeds in artificial grass is that once the roots get into the backing fabric its a major issue to get rid of them!

Wondering about artificial grass ?……….. Why not have a look at this Grass Comparison.

For more Unusual Houses and Fails see What the………………….?

House Photo – Fail

Black sock on the railing—The universal symbol for a depressing one-night stand

Do you get fed up with all those pictures in the magazines about fancy houses that are unattainable to the rest of us?

Well this picture comes from the Unhappy Hipsters web site which posts pictures from posh houses together with funny captions?

So don’t get depressed at what you can’t afford…….have a laugh at the pretentious wackers!

For more Unusual Houses and Fails go to What the………………….?

Dream House

This is me sitting in an armchair in the ‘Dream House’.

It’s actually a sculpture by Frank Veldze.

A full size representation of a miners cottage, but built with the springs from 65 mattress.

Even the easy chair, which is surprisingly comfortable, is made from the bare springs.

This intriguing sculpture is currently being exhibited at the Incinerator Gallery in Moonee Ponds. (The Incinerator is an interesting building designed by Burleigh Griffin and is well worth a look.)