Renovation Nightmares

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We moved into our current home in the summer of 1994. Before our move in date we did extensive renovations, as the home we'd purchased was a 'power of sale,' and required lots of work. After a number of years, things started to suffer from the inevitable wear and tear, and last summer things 'almost literally' came crashing down around us. A good friend of ours was checking out our upstairs toilet, which had a problem that involved it running continually. It got to the point that we'd turn the valve off underneath, and only turn it back on to flush. There was also always dampness on the bathroom floor, as well as black mould that had gotten onto the walls and ceiling. Sometimes when the shower was used, bits of plaster would drop down onto our living room carpet. My friend asked a friend of his (an acquaintance of ours), to come over and take a look at the situation. This man is a professional contractor, and what he found wasn't good. We ended up going on vacation for a week, and in that time our whole bathroom had to be ripped out, and redone completely, including new fixtures, tile etc. He found that the floor was completely rotten under the vanity, toilet etc., and we were in danger of the entire thing caving in, and ending up in our living room. Our living room ceiling had dropped 8 inches or so, from water damage, and had to be replaced. They took a look at our wiring too, and found that our dishwasher was installed incorrectly, and we were in danger of an electrical fire, as well as the possibility of getting a serious electric shock, when turning the dishwasher on. We now have a beautiful new bathroom, which I'm very thankful for, as well as the living room ceiling, and a 'new used' dishwasher, among other things, that is safe. The reason all of this happened was that I had no idea about the urgency of the situation, and being a single parent, didn't have the means for all of this. A wonderful group of our dear friends got together and did the whole thing for us, as inexpensively as possible, so that we'd be safe. They remain to this day 'our angels,' in a time of need. Do you have a similar story, or a renovation nightmare, or a disaster waiting to happen? I invite you to share your experiences with everyone here. Who knows, some of the other myLot users may have some good suggestions for you.