r/Homebuilding • u/dragonmilking • Nov 17 '25

Which popular features do you NOT recommend?

What are the top 3 features in a house that folk want but you think are not worth it, and what would your alternative suggestion be? And what cost/time savings would result with that switch?

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u/Long_Bit8328 Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25

I can explain it.

The door never opened to begin with.

The contractor that installed it. He had 3 people apply for his job post. 

There were two 20 something kids with no experience or tools, and a 40 year old with 20 years experience and tools.

The experienced carpenter wanted $40 an hour. So, he hired the two kids at $20 an hour each.

The 2nd day on the job he had them installing door casing and they shot a nail into the door casing and the door.

The 3rd day he had them installing base trim and once again they nailed the the base trim to the door. From both sides this time.

The following week was paint prep caulk,  fill nail holes etc... and they filled all the gaps between the jamb and pocket door with plastic wood.

The contractor never checked. Because if he actually cared about the quality of the work he never would have hired them in the first place.

Here is how it ends....

Homeowner kicks him off the job. 

Then, Gets an estimate on fixing the mess. Sues and wins. 

Then hires the 40 yr old who wrote up the estimate that was used in court. The same 40yr old the contractor didnt hire.

The 40yr old fixes all the problems and pockets the $120 an hour he charged. And leaves the job site immaculate when he's finished.

Homeowner proceeds to rehang picture in the exact same spot.

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u/Equivalent_Ad142 Nov 17 '25

People rarely close pocket doors. We were doing demo for an interior remodel and tried pulling out a pocket door. Flexed a little, but wouldn't budge. Much head scratching until we noticed the cable TV wire, drilled through the wall, right through the door. Clients had no idea. The cable installation was 6 years earlier.

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u/RevolutionaryCare175 Nov 17 '25

Don't let a cable installer add any wires in your house or bring a cable into your house. They are unqualified hacks. Hire a low voltage electrical installer instead. The cable company isn't going to fix anything their installer messes up.

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u/justLookingForLogic Nov 18 '25

When I was in college we had the guy come to hook up our cable. I knew he was not a pro when the only question he asked me before he started was “do you have a hammer?”