Home Improvement Disasters

Sometimes doing it yourself is risky business. Check out these anecdotes from homeowners who learned the hard way.

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Car Trouble

I had just pulled into a parking spot at the huge home improvement store when smoke and flames began pouring from under my hood. Frantic,

I bolted into the store and ran up to the first clerk I saw. As luck would have it, he was standing behind the courtesy counter.

"Please help," I gasped. "My car’s on fire! I need a fire extinguisher."

Without even looking up, he replied, "Aisle 12."

-- Nicholas Bancalari, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Tool Mix-Up

Our old house needed constant TLC. Fortunately my dad is handy and can do most of the work himself. One day he crawled under the foundation to prop up some sagging floorboards. Suddenly we heard a muffled yell, and Dad crawled out on his hands and knees at a speed I hadn’t thought possible.

"What’s wrong?" my mother asked.

"I reached to pick up the crowbar," Dad gasped, "and it slithered out of my hand."

-- Robert Shelley, Weatherford, Texas

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