Trust me I'm a handyman: Czech Instagram account exposes botched works around the house

Spring is a good time to start some much-needed home repairs, which should be a breeze given the plethora of DIY tutorials on social media…Or shouldn't it? The Czech Instagram account Delniq set out to debunk the myth that home improvements, ranging from turning the balcony of your apartment into a pergola to installing bathroom fixtures to more elaborate apartment designs should be left to untrained builders.

Architect Lukáš Janout told iDnes he created the Delniq Instagram account to highlight the problem of "unskilled craftsmen outside the field who think it's a simple job." The name of the account contains the "IQ" to better drive the point home. Janout added that the problem is Europe-wide, given "people who understood their field, were experienced, learned from older craftsmen who are leaving (the profession)."

A case in point is this tiny bathroom that inexplicably has two toilets next to each other.

Janout said he initially received photos from clients who booked him for architecture jobs, then started driving around Prague on the hunt for strange-looking buildings. As his account grew (it currently has more than 130,000 followers), he started receiving submissions from strangers on the internet.

Among them is this striking, turquoise-and-husky façade on an otherwise normal-looking house, which instead of being otherworldly is just downright bad.

According to Janout, the worst offenders include wooden buildings with plastic windows, an "absolute hell for an architect and anyone with minimal aesthetic sense," plus using mounting foam instead of mortar, or using it excessively in places where it should be less conspicuous.

The captions of the Instagram post are written in a humorous tone and borrow the speaking style of builders. For instance, they usually start with "paninko," which is a condescending way builders address women, which implies that the latter have a limited understanding of building works, Janout says.

His Instagram bio reads "Paninko, kafíčko by nebylo?" that translates as "Missy, how about a coffee?" a shorthand for saying that women belong in the kitchen.

Is that a microphone, or is the shower hose just happy to see me?

She said yes (the ring won her over).

M. C. Escher would be jealous.

You’ll never run out of places to charge your phone ever again.

Adding colorful, Mediterranean-style tiles to your kitchen has never been easier.