Your home remodeling experience should be exciting, not spooky. However, these four unfortunate tales did, in fact, have a spooky ending. Take a moment to read the horrors that Jack and Jill, Phil and Andrea, Brandon, and Marcus had experienced and hopefully you won’t make the same mistakes…

The Cat-Astrophy

An eccentric young couple named Jack and Jill decided they wanted to expand their living space to accommodate them and their 10 cats. However, what they didn’t expect was the biggest cat-astrophy in their entire lives. One rainy night, the couple began filling their cats’ food bowls for dinner–a scrumptious mix of chicken liver, salmon oil, and eggs–when they realized their cat, Casper, was nowhere to be found. They searched high and low for Casper, but assumed she may have been hiding because of the storm. In the middle of the night, Jill wakes up in a panic as she hears scratching coming from inside the walls. She jolts Jack awake to investigate the horrifying screeching that follows.

They found that the sound was coming from the newly renovated wall in their living room. Jack takes a hammer and starts making a whole in their brand new wall. With a hole just big enough to stick your hand through, he takes his flashlight and looks inside. What he saw in the cold darkness was two green, beady eyes that startled him so much that he dropped the flashlight inside the wall. However, to his surprise, a faint “meow” began coming from the hole. That is when he knew it was Casper, and relief sunk in as he began working on expanding the hole to free her. 

How can you avoid losing your furry friends inside your walls or floor boards during renovation? Ensure that the crew knows pets are onsite and how many there are. But, most importantly, for maximum safety, keep them separate from the area that is being renovated or see if they can stay at someone else’s home during that time. 

Color Chaos

Phil and Andrea were preparing for their first born child to arrive. They continuously struggled to create the nursery into the perfect room for their child. Andrea wanted to keep the gender of the baby a surprise until birth, so neutral colors were the goal. The couple spent weeks renovating and DIYing the nursery until one day, Phil, decided to surprise Andrea by completing the nursery while she was away. He searched high and low for all the right fixtures, decor, and furniture that they had discussed but had not had the time to purchase yet. He got paint mixed to the perfect neutral color and went to work. From sunup to sundown, he worked tirelessly to complete the project on time.

When everything was finally perfect, Andrea arrived back home and to say she was shocked was an understatement. The color on the walls was nothing close to what they had discussed in their vision for the nursery, which was a light, subtly yellow. The walls, instead, were bright neon green. The color wasn’t the only problem, none of the decor even matched the color orange either! In the most appreciative way, she had to break the news to Phil that the room looked absolutely horrendous. This is when they realized Phil was actually color blind! 

Now, we hope you would know you or your partner were color blind before this ever occurs, but it happens! Did you know that you can work with our design team and Macktown Construction Group and have assistance with your DIY projects in the Northern Illinois region? Our design team can help match and coordinate your DIY projects at our design center, and ensure that any surprises you plan for your partner will have the wow factor you intended it to have.

Spooky Surprise

Buying a home today is hard. Many people are having to buy homes that are fixer uppers due to costs. Brandon planned to do exactly that. He has been on the hunt for a new house for months and they are either so far out of his price range, or they are in horrifying shape. One day his realtor let him know that a home has just been put on the market that would be perfect for him. Not too old, light fixer upper, but appeared to have good bones. Brandon was all in and within a month was moving in.

After just a few weeks of staying in the home, he wasted no time on starting the DIY project he envisioned for the home. There were a few things Brandon decided to overlook, or cut corners with when getting this house because he was so eager to move in–one being the inspection. So as Brandon started the demolition process, he was met with a terrifying sight. He soon realized that under the carpet, the wood floors were all completely ruined, the home wasn’t fully insulated, wiring and electric were no longer up to code, the basement continuously leaked and had water damage, and so much more. These spooky surprises added thousands to his original budget for renovations, and he was now in over his head on how to fix this.

Macktown Construction Group will always advocate that it is worth the money to have the inspection and to purchase the home warranty. Some things you can do to not be like Brandon is call a contractor to prevent additional costs in the future. Some contractors will come out prior to purchasing to give ballpark range of upgrade/renovation costs. Keep in mind that some companies may charge a fee for this. Or, when your DIY begins to become more complicated and to ensure you are completing your project effectively, call a contractor to complete the job. Not only did you unveil a new horror in your home, you run the risk of completing the job wrong and having more issues in the future–this means spending more money!

The Terror of Trends

Marcus, a millennial, is looking to increase the value of his farmhouse style home. He is ready to move into the big city but is looking to get the most bang for his buck when selling his home. Marcus has been missing a larger kitchen and open concept for when he has his friends over to watch football games, parties, and poker night. Because he knows that his farmhouse style home does not always accommodate large groups of people to entertain, he wants to ensure the next homeowners have that luxury.

Marcus spends quite a bit of money renovating his home and purchasing all the new and trendy finishes, counter tops, cabinets, and decor, but he will soon realize the terror of trends. Marcus failed to take into consideration his type of home and who may be wanting to purchase this home. It most likely won’t be another 30 year old bachelor like himself, instead it may be an older couple looking for the simple things in life again who love the old farmhouse charm. Marcus’ home stayed on the market for much longer than he ever anticipated and he had to continuously reduce his price. When he finally sold the home, his return on investment was terrifyingly low.

Macktown Construction Group will always complete the job hired for no matter what might be trending, how bold the color choices and fixtures are, or how unique the renovation can be. But, we always suggest that if you plan on being in your home for 5 years or less, consider doing something that appeals to all homeowners. We provide this recommendation to avoid pricing yourself out of the neighborhood or updating your home in a way that you absolutely love but can deter future buyers. We are always available for phone consults to discuss ideas you may have about your home renovations!

What’s Next?

If you are ready to get to work on that next home renovation project, you can contact us at 779-423-0354 or send us an email at info@laneb10.sg-host.com and we would love to help bring your dream home to life!

Macktown Construction Group is currently serving the Northern Illinois and Stateline area for home remodels, home renovations, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, commercial renovations, outdoor living renovations, home additions, garage renovations, basement renovations, and more.

Beloit, WI | Belvidere, IL | Boone County, IL | Cherry Valley, IL | Clinton, WI | Darian, WI | Delavan, WI | Durand, IL | Lake Geneva, WI | Loves Park, IL | Machesney Park, IL | Pecatonica, IL | Popular Grove, IL | Rock County, WI | Rockford, IL | Rockton, IL | Roscoe, IL | South Beloit, IL | Walworth County, WI | Winnebago County, IL | Winnebago, IL