©Carolyn Dietrich/Olaf Speier/Levent Konuk/Shutterstock
2020 has been a strange year for everyone, with more and more people turning to DIY projects to keep themselves entertained. While making over a pair of shoes or installing your own unique car AC system might sound appealing, take a moment to ask yourself, “Is it really worth it?”
After all, DIY isn’t a new thing. Many have tried over the years to make something out of nothing, but for every success there are multiple failures that make their way onto the internet. Do you want to end up in the Hall of Shame like these makers, or would it be better to take a trip to Walmart and buy the real thing instead?
On the plus side, an epic fail makes for a very good story – even if you end up having to spend a small fortune trying to fix the mistake you made. However, while cutting corners might seem like a good idea, but these examples might make you think twice before reaching for the drill!

1. The “Fixed” Couch Seat

Est. Cost (New): $300*
Est. Cost (DIY): $30*
There are plenty of things that can go wrong at work, from a broken coffee machine to a manager on the warpath. While shop floors or office spaces are often kept pristine, the staff room is an entirely different story. Take for example this couch that has seen better days.

“Fixed” Couch Seat @DIYProjects / Twitter.com
Rather see the bottom line take a hit by investing in a new one from Bed, Bath and Beyond, one Employee of the Month decided to save the day by shoving a dining chair in the sofa to fix the broken seat. Minus the cost of the chair and that’s a saving of a few hundred bucks.
That’s not to say that this couch looks comfy or aesthetically pleasing, but let’s face it – employees aren’t in the break room for long these days. Better to say precious dollars and put it toward the next office night out then waste it on new seating, right?

2. Airbag Accessories

Est. Cost (New): N/A
Est. Cost (DIY): $20*
Have you ever hopped in your car only to think it looks dull as dishwater and in need of a little spruce up? Not everyone can afford a brand new vehicle with the latest specs…but if you’ve got dirt in your yard and a few spare succulents, you could be the envy of all your friends.

Airbag Accessories ©u/MannequinFactory / Reddit.com
It’s much cheaper than buying a new car from General Motors, and this airbag mini-garden looks like the bee’s knees. Just pray that you’re never involved in an actual crash or you may get a cactus lodged in your eye. It’s a small price to pay for portable happiness.
That being said, this level of genius isn’t for everyone. If you don’t have green fingers and don’t feel like getting dirt blown in your eye every time you hit the AC on, it might be worth considering another option. Perhaps a nodding dog, or some fluffy dice would do the trick.

3. Kitchen Counter Reno

Est. Cost (New): $390*
Est. Cost (DIY): $60*
There comes a time in every home when the kitchen starts to deteriorate. After all, with all the cooking and cleaning that goes on in there, it’s only natural that things start to look a little stale after a while. Sinks aren’t all that cheap to replace, coming in at around $390 once you’ve taken into account installment costs.

Kitchen Counter Reno ©imgur.com
So, why not do as this person did and buy some black tiles from somewhere like Amazon and go crazy with a glue gun? If the look you’re going for is “dive bar chic” then you’ll be over the moon with the result.
The only downside? The rest of the countertop now looks remarkably boring. Once you start, you may as well rip up all the normal, clean-looking surfaces and replace them with this tiled beauty. You’ll be the envy of all your friends in the trailer park.

4. Shoe Tires

Est. Cost (New): $150*
Est. Cost (DIY): $120*
There’s a lot to be said for biking to work and leaving the car at home. Saving the environment and tackling pollution has been a hot topic of conversation for quite some time now, but this person certainly isn’t reducing their footprint.

Shoe Tires ©imgur.com
Usually, bikes from stores like Walmart have wheels and not a sneaker on each spoke. The logic behind this invention is almost unfathomable, especially as six pairs of sneakers will probably cost almost as much as a new bike. As for actually riding this thing to work? We’ll have to pass on this one – it looks utterly sole destroying.
We have to hand it to the cyclist, though. They must have a next-level disdain for walking if this is what they’re willing to do to avoid it. Riding this contraption is one thing, but actually getting anywhere in one piece would be nothing short of a miracle.

5. Coke Tires

Est. Cost (New): $50-$150*
Est. Cost (DIY): $20*
We all know how painful it is to have a tire blowout when you’re trying to get on with your day. It’s irritating to say the least – especially when you ignored your dad’s advice and never got the spare he’s been talking about since 1989.

Coke Tires ©imgur.com
Most of us might call for a tow and take the shame, but others? Well. They just won’t be beaten. Why call for help when you can just pop to the nearest store and buy 16 bottles of Coke? Stick them on with tape and what do you have? A $20-dollar accident waiting to happen, but that’s not the point.
Considering the sheer amount of pressure these bottles must be under, it’s a wonder the lids don’t pop off and a geyser of liquid doesn’t shoot out. Perhaps that’s the idea, because surely this can’t be deemed an acceptable form of transportation.

6. Homemade Heels

Est. Cost (New): $30*
Est. Cost (DIY): $40*
Fashion is a lot like art. To one person, a pair of shoes might look like the worst thing to happen to clothing since the 1980s, but to another they could be a priceless stroke of genius. Occasionally there are pieces that are universally classed as awful, like these dinosaur pumps.

Homemade Heels ©imgur.com
Let’s say a decent pair of heels from somewhere like Target costs $30, while the two dinosaur figurines cost $10. This DIY fanatic presumably had to break the heels off so they could glue the figures to them, resulting in an overall loss of cash – and dignity.
That’s not to say it isn’t a worthy endeavor, of course. There are critics out there that say fashion trends all look the same, so perhaps this person just wanted to switch things up. Originality never goes out of style, so it’s a totally roarsome feat.

7. Giant Floor to Ceiling Candle

Est. Cost (New): $30*
Est. Cost (DIY): $40*
Fashion is a lot like art. To one person, a pair of shoes might look like the worst thing to happen to clothing since the 1980s, but to another they could be a priceless stroke of genius. Occasionally there are pieces that are universally classed as awful, like these dinosaur pumps.

Giant Floor to Ceiling Candle ©u/FarmerMayhem / Reddit.com
Let’s say a decent pair of heels from somewhere like Target costs $30, while the two dinosaur figurines cost $10. This DIY fanatic presumably had to break the heels off so they could glue the figures to them, resulting in an overall loss of cash – and dignity.
The general purpose of this giant eyesore is unknown. Is it meant to be a beautiful statue that lingers in the room next to your favorite potted plant? A candle big enough to see you through a lifetime’s worth of power cuts? Or (most likely) just the result of someone with far too much time on their hands?

8. Penny Covered Car

Est. Cost (New): $500-$1,000*
Est. Cost (DIY): $100*
A new paint job can have your car looking slick regardless of how old it is – but it isn’t always cheap. The average person spends about $556 on getting their car repainted, but that’s at the lower end of the spectrum. What if you don’t have the spare funds to do that, but you do have a jar of old pennies that need using up?

Penny Covered Car © u/thpineapples / Reddit.com
One person answered that question so the rest of us don’t have to, by gluing pennies all over their vehicle. The reasoning is unclear. Maybe they didn’t want to haul their cookies down to Bank of America? Maybe they just wanted a little extra luck? We’ll never know.
What we do know, however, is that there’s no missing this car in the parking lot. The owner of this copper car won’t have any trouble trying to pick their vehicle out in a crowded place. Of course, you can get special devices to remedy that problem these days that don’t involve this amount of crazy glue and change.

9. In-Car Entertainment System

Est. Cost (New): $120-$550*
Est. Cost (DIY): $75*
Anyone with kids will tell you that long car journeys are tantamount to Dante’s 5th circle of hell. Parents provide all the wrath when they finally get sick of the endless squabbling in the back, while kids will either moan or sulk for the next 50 miles. In-car entertainment systems are invaluable inventions.

In-Car Entertainment System ©thebestsquishy / imgur.com
But, a decent set up will likely cost you a few hundred bucks. Don’t have that leftover in the bank due to said kids draining your finances? Strap a Sony portable DVD player to the car ceiling using bungee straps and hope that you make it out alive without encountering some kind of Final Destination scenario.
We don’t recommend this option for the faint of heart, or for safety conscious families, but there’s always someone out there willing to do something bizarre to save a few dollars. Is it worth it for the sake of peace? We’ll leave that up to you.

10. Scooter Bike

Est. Cost (New): $200*
Est. Cost (DIY): $250*
Some things in life just aren’t meant to exist. Scooters and bikes work perfectly well as separate inventions, but that just wasn’t enough for this inventive mastermind. One saw-happy cyclist decided to merge the two, creating a strange frankenbike that should never have seen the light of day.

Scooter Bike ©imgur.com
You can purchase a scooter for around $50 at Walmart and a decent enough bike for around $150. Not only would the maker have had to butcher the two, but add on the cost of creating it and you’ve got one huge, impractical waste of time.
Watching the test run of this strange three-wheeler would have been amusing, considering there’s ample opportunity for jack-knifing. We have a feeling plenty of helmets were tried and tested during this whole process.