‘Home Alone’: This Is How Much It Would Cost to Repair the McCallister House from Kevin’s Booby Traps
An eight-year-old left home alone can get into a lot of trouble, especially when he’s defending his house from two bumbling thieves.
In Home Alone, Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his large family jets off the spend Christmas in Paris. He’s having the time of his life living on his own, but things get sticky when Harry and Marv (aka the Wet Bandits) set their sights on the McCallister house, intending to rob it. At first, Kevin tricks them by making them believe his family is still at home. But when the robbers return, he has to come up with a new plan. He booby traps the entire house, tormenting Harry and Marv in a variety of ways before finally calling the police and having them arrested.
‘This is my house. I have to defend it.’
Despite only being in second grade, Kevin sets up an impressive series of booby traps to thwart Harry and Marv. Some are fairly basic, like the icy front stairs and tiny toy cars on the floor that cause the burglars to wipe out in hilarious fashion. But many are more elaborate, like the treehouse zipline that Kevin rigs up (and then cuts when Harry and Marv are halfway across), the red-hot front doorknob that burns the hand of anyone who touches it, or the blowtorch that scorches a burglar’s head.
Kevin caused $11,460 worth of damage to his parents’ house
Kevin’s booby traps get the job done, but at what cost? In the movie, his family returns the next day to a pristine home. Somehow, Kevin has managed to clean up the entire house, leaving no trace of his misadventures with the burglars.
In real life, repairing the damage caused by Kevin and burglars wouldn’t be an overnight job. And it wouldn’t be cheap. Swift Direct Blinds and Carl Goulding from MyBuilder.com priced out the actual cost of fixing up the McCallister home. The total bill comes to a whopping $11,460, according to their estimates.
Replacing the hot doorknob would cost $130, while the tar-covered basement staircase would be a $900 fix. The wall-mounted bookshelves in Buzz’s bedroom, which Kevin destroys by climbing on them, would cost $645 to replace.
The most expensive repairs
The swinging paint cans and blow torch are among the costliest booby traps, with each causing $2,310 in damage from dented and scorched walls. Surprisingly, the glue and feathers is the most expensive prank due to the damage it does to the home’s decor, leading to a $3,860 bill. Deep cleaning the entire place would cost $770. The good news is that the McCallisters can probably afford all those repairs. Their posh suburban manse clearly didn’t come cheap. (The real-life Home Alone house sold for $1.585 million in 2012.)
Early on the film, the Wet Bandits also rob Kevin’s neighbors the Murphys. After looting the place, they flood the house, which causes an estimated $2,845 worth of damage.
Read more: Fans React to Disney’s ‘Home Alone’ Reboot Announcement with Snarky Comments
Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
