Every repair is an adventure. We asked our technicians and market managers (many of whom started out as real estate agents) for their wildest repair stories. We expected a few close calls. What we got were tales of bees and bats, cats and crawlspaces, and the kind of surprises you hope you never find over your head or under your feet.
In the spirit of the season, we’re wrapping them up for you as the 12 Days of Repairs. Pour something warm, settle in, and enjoy some of the strangest jobs Bluetape has ever taken on.
Day 1: The One With The Cat
When Brad arrived at the house, the client introduced him to Sam. "This is my cat." And Sam, enjoying the spotlight, ran up and dragged itself against Brad's leg then resumed the standard feline aloofness by walking off into another room.
The goal this day was to complete a few cosmetic upgrades then remove an old tub to install a new one tomorrow. Before leaving, Brad found the homeowner and said, "There's a hole in the bathroom floor. We put a cover over it, but keep the door closed so Sam doesn't get curious." The client assured him the door would stay closed..
The next day, Brad and the team brought up the new tub, installed it, sealed it, completed all the cosmetic work, thanked the owner, and left. Later the night, his phone rang. It was the homeowner. "I can't find my cat." She was near tears. "I swear I hear faint meowing but he's nowhere. It's like I'm going crazy." Brad had a feeling, so he asked, "Did you keep the bathroom door closed last night, like I said?" And the owner paused. A long pause. "No..."
So Brad got back in his truck and returned to the site. As he pulled into the driveway, he saw movement. The dryer vent on the home's second story. And flicking in and out from beneath the vent flap? An orange paw.
He grabbed his ladder, went up the side of the house, and, sure enough, there was Sam. Once the vent cover was removed, Sam put his head through and clambered out into Brad's arms. Sam was safe and healthy. The homeowner was happy. Brad replaced the cover, collapsed the ladder like a knight sheathing his sword after an act of valor, gave Sam a scratch, and went home.
(Yes, that's the real Sam in the photo).
Have you ever had a pet “help” with a repair? Share your story in the comments.
Day 2: The One With The Bees
“We thought we were just painting the interior of the house. Easy. Standard operating procedure before listing, right? I’ve done a hundred of these. But this one woke up the bees. There were so many we had to call a local beekeeper to come out. We cut the exterior siding open at two different spots so the keeper could remove the large beehives built between the home’s walls.”
-Susie Goad, Bluetape DFW Market Manager
Day 3: The One About The Windows
“We usually order the materials,” we told the client.
The homeowner shook their head. “We’ve already picked them out. We'll order. We just want you to install.”
We agreed to let them order, but only if they let us take measurements and leave instructions for them. They agreed. After several minutes of tape measuring and writing, we left them with a nice sizing guide. Then we stepped back and let them chase the dream window of their Pinterest board.
Weeks went by. Then months. Finally, the text came in:
“The windows are here! Ready for install!”
We showed up on site, pulled the first unit out of the packaging, and everyone went quiet at the same time. Our tech held the tape measure to the rough opening, then to the brand-new window.
Three. Full. Inches. Too small.
We could have said “We told you so” but that wouldn’t have solved anything. Instead, we got right to it. “Okay, here’s the plan.”
The crew reframed every opening, built out new trim, fixed the siding, patched the drywall inside, blended the texture, and repainted until everything looked like it had always been that way. By the time we were done, the house looked amazing and the windows finally matched the vision in the homeowner’s head.
This is why we order all the materials.
Day 4: The One With the Snake
I slid into the crawlspace on my stomach, halfway under the house, sweeping the flashlight around. I saw one snakeskin. No big deal. Then another. Then a third. Fourth, fifth, sixth. I counted ten total.
I didn’t see a single snake. Just those empty skins and way too many places for something to hide. So I did the only thing that felt sane: made as much noise as possible on my way out and hoped anything still living under there took the hint.
Inside, I told the homeowner what I’d found and asked, “Ever seen any snakes inside?”
She thought for a second and said, “Well… I did see something under my oven the other day, but I didn’t look too closely.”
Have you ever had a serpent intruder in your home?
Day 5: The One About the Dog
"I was working on this house and the owner's golden retriever followed me room to room. I love dogs, so that was fine by me. Every time I looked up, it was always near my tool bag. Never had that happen before. Maybe it was the color? Or the smells? Went home that night and checked the bag. What did I find? Dog treats. That's what the dog had been doing, hiding some treasure for later. Good thing it was a two-day job. The next day, I went back over there and the owner and I shared a laugh while the dog snacked away."
-Brad Hawkins, Bluetape Co-Founder
We're halfway through the 12 Days of Repairs! What's been your favorite so far?
Day 6: The One with Horror and Wonder
The home had termites. We just didn't know how bad.
The second the drywall came down, the whole cavity started moving. A mass of writhing termites, that pulsed like a beating heart and swarmed over studs so soft you could poke a finger through the wood. We followed the damage and found a big dark hole where water had been coming in for who knows how long. Rot, moisture, insects… the full horror show.
We began the process of demoing the bad studs and clearing things out between the walls. Then we noticed something in the back corner, something didn’t look like rot.
Tucked into a little pocket in the wall were two baby possums, fast asleep, curled up like the coziest spot in the world was the middle of a termite nest.
One minute we’re dealing with a mass of insects. The next, everyone’s taking photos of the tiny trespassers and trying not to wake them up.
The wall got rebuilt, the moisture issue got fixed, the termites got treated, and a wildlife expert found the possums a new home. Just another day in repairs: terror and the wonder hiding behind the same piece of drywall.
We're halfway through the 12 Days of Repairs! What's been your favorite so far?
Day 7: The One about the Door Handle
Text from the agent: "Fixture got delivered today. Open house is in two hours. Key is in the lockbox. Thanks for handling this on short notice! Be there soon!" The agent wanted a last-minute light fixture upgrade in the dining room and hoped we could come through for them when others hadn't wanted a same-day job.
Our technician arrived at the home, thumbed the dials on the lock to the correct combination, and the box opened. No problem. There was the key. Key goes into the door. Door opens. Right?
Wrong. The entire door handle popped right off! The technician had it in his hand, in front of his face, jaw dropped. That was a first.
Thankfully, repairs are what we do. By the time the agent got there, our tech had fixed the door handle and was almost done with the fixture. The work finished in time. We cleaned up and made our exit from the scene. Not without giving the door handle one last check.
Day 8: The One about the Crawlspace
Most crawlspace vents are 8x16. You slide in, do the little shoulder wiggle, and there’s at least enough room to pretend you’re still a three-dimensional person.
Not this one. Here's what Brad experienced.
I got my shoulders through the 8x16 opening, pushed the flashlight ahead, and realized the actual crawlspace wasn’t even eleven inches tall. A sheet of paper wouldn’t have stood up on its edge. My chest was on the dirt. My back was on the joists. There was nowhere for the rest of me to go.
So I did the only thing you can do in a space like that: I put my chin on the ground and started inching forward.
It’s funny what your brain does when you’re basically a human worm. You stop thinking about the task and start thinking about everything else: how long your neck suddenly feels, how loud your own breathing sounds, how much you love any room where you can stand all the way up. Every time my flashlight beam hit a spiderweb, I had a brief, private conversation with the universe.
I kept going: elbows, chin, elbows, chin. No turning around, no sitting up, just committing to the bit until I reached the spot I needed to see.
People always ask, “What did you find under there?”
Honestly? Mostly a new appreciation for high ceilings.
Day 9: The One with Running Back and Forth
"We had a job where the client wanted...a lot of progress updates. And it was an important client and an important job. I pride myself not only on great work but great service. So if they wanted updates, they'd get updates.
The problem was location. The home was in a reception dead zone and the wifi was down. I'd look at my phone and it would say no service. I had to not only go outside but across the street.
I'd complete a task, take a photo, walk across the street, send the photo with context, get back inside, work for 15 minutes, head outside, across the street, and see if the client had replied. They always replied. I'd sometimes have to take another photo then re-cross the street to send the photo.
The neighbors definitely thought I was crazy! And it was kind of crazy. But the client was happy, and that's why I did it."
-Ray, Bluetape Technician
Day 10: The One where the Light Fell
The buying agent sent us the inspection report, and tucked between the usual notes was one simple line: “Dining room light loose at ceiling.” We added it to the estimate with the other repairs. The buyers wanted the work done but were closing and moving right before Thanksgiving and decided to “deal with it after the holiday.”
The day of Thanksgiving, we received an email from the new homeowners. It was a photo of their dining room table all laid out for the big meal. But when you looked closer you noticed the knocked over chairs, the splatter on the walls, the fractured wine glasses, upended plates, and the fallen light fixture in the middle of the table. We let them know we'd have someone out the next day.
Day 11: The One with a Million Wings
We got called out to a beautiful 1910 home in downtown Charleston for some pre-listing repairs and cosmetic updates. One of the items? Renovate a closet.
We'd done this a thousand times. But this time was unforgettable.
When we opened up the ceiling, something fell through the hole. Then another. And another. "It's dumb," our tech said, "but at first I thought it must be old clothes." Then the wings started beating. These weren't misplaced shirts. They were bats. Live bats. Scared bats. Not just a few, dozens, hundreds. The spill wouldn't stop.
We shut the job down immediately, got everyone out, and called in the right people to handle it safely. When they actually looked into the attic, the total number of bats was in the thousands.
The house needed severe remediation.
We eventually finished the closet.
Day 12: The One that Brings A Smile
This story is different from the others. No cats, no dogs, no twists, no turns.
An agent reached out to us about her buyer. He was a counselor and former Senior Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He worked with many veterans. With the new home, the buyer wanted to live upstairs and have his practice on the ground floor. Except the home wasn't ADA-compliant. Someone in a wheelchair couldn't get up the steps and through the front door. The place needed ramps, wider doorways, and a larger bathroom. All things we could handle, and did. We're a veteran-owned company, so jobs like this are extra special for us.
That wraps up our 12 Days of Christmas! Thank you for reading. Which story was your favorite?