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ean Patrick Gallagher, 36, and his husband Alp Cilingir, 41, bought an abandoned house from the 1900s in Germantown, New York, for $150,000. They planned to renovate it themselves and budgeted another $250,000, expecting a chic upstate retreat for cheap. However, they soon found themselves in over their heads with rats, toxic mold, burst pipes, no electricity, and a crumbling foundation.

    The couple paid $22,500 for professional mold remediation and had to hire someone to refinish the original doors, which proved more difficult than expected. They also underestimated the cost of repainting the walls, which ended up costing $20,000 instead of $3,000.

    Gallagher quipped that the paint job looked like it was done by Helen Keller, highlighting the challenges they faced in DIY renovations. The couple eventually had to hire a contractor to redo the plumbing and electric, but he made some mistakes that couldn't be fixed.

    Influencer couple Drew and Becky Bidlen also struggled with their 3,000-square-foot hoarder home in Indiana, which they bought for $150,000. They spent thousands on renovations, including hiring a mold remediation expert to safely remove black mold and animal feces from the walls.

    The Bidlens wore hazmat suits and goggles to clean out the house themselves, but it took several months to complete. They also found treasure buried under the garbage, including a gold coin from the 1800s and a stamp collection.

    Canadian couple Jenna Phipps and Nick Volkov bought a mid-century modern home in Vancouver for $1.5 million, despite its need for extensive work. They faced similar challenges with mold and rodents, and their renovation is still ongoing.

    Gallagher is now skeptical of social media posts showcasing easy DIY renovations, believing that most homeowners have an army of helpers behind them. He estimates that his kitchen renovation took 22 people working on it over six months, highlighting the complexity of old home renovations.