54 Mistakes in Renovation to Avoid
One of Murphy's Laws states: 'Usually we only understand what we should have started with after the work is done.' Not long ago, we came across a fascinating collection: ordinary people who did renovation themselves, sharing their recommendations and various mistakes they made along the way. All observations are based solely on personal experience and reflect individual opinions of people who have been through renovation.
Plan everything carefully in advance. If possible, create a full design project including electrical plans, outlet locations, underfloor heating, and furniture layout. Don’t cut corners on quality materials and plumbing — the difference will be noticeable. The secret to a functional and comfortable interior: underfloor heating, plenty of outlets, and ample storage space.
We’re confident that after reviewing this guide, you’ll avoid many common renovation mistakes when renovating your apartment.
"Here’s what I would never repeat if I did renovation again:
1.
Linoleum is terrible, and painting ceilings white is doubly foolish.
2.
I wouldn’t trust my wife to do the renovation. Let her do it under a designer’s supervision. Most of my friends’ apartments look identical — they copy each other where it’s not needed.
3.
On the kitchen, plan a duct for the extractor fan.
4.
Never separate the kitchen work zone from the stove!
5.
Never use carpet again!
6.
Never hang upper kitchen cabinets above eye level!
7.
Never install laminate or parquet flooring in the kitchen. The first leak will cause warping...
8.
Wrong to place kitchen furniture along the entire wall in a rectangular kitchen — it’s much more convenient to place it in a corner.
9.
Never save on plumbing or tiles: it will look shabby for years, and you’ll never want to redo it.
10.
Wrong to make the wardrobe too small to save space. Those half-meters won’t help, and when it’s full, you can’t build another.
11.
Based on painful experience, I’d never install electrical wiring without first planning furniture layout.
12.
Too many open shelves with lots of knickknacks — they’re dust magnets!
13.
Never install outlets in the floor. Very inconvenient, always exposed, collects dust, and hard to clean.
14.
Don’t forget to install outlets in the bathroom for hairdryer, electric manicure kit, and razor. One is enough, but choose a mirror with built-in outlets like an extension cord.
15.
Install dimmers (rheostats) in a child’s bedroom so lights turn on gradually, not abruptly.
16.
Install underfloor heating. You can skip using it at first, but it’s better to install it from the start.
17.
Choose halogen bulbs with adjustable angles, not fixed ones.
18.
If wiring is old, replace it completely. Also, record or photograph its layout with measurements — otherwise, you’ll never find it later.
19.
Plan for all possible cable entries into the apartment (wide cable channel).
20.
Install all switches at standard height (80–90 cm) so children can turn on the light without jumping.
21.
Install light and outlet on the balcony just in case.
22.
Install under-cabinet lighting above the kitchen work surface. Built-in lights in the kitchen hood look nice but aren’t practical.
23.
Use two switches — one by the door and one by the bed in the bedroom — so you don’t have to get up to turn off the light. The same applies to long hallways.
24.
Underfloor heating must have a timer — otherwise, it takes two hours to warm up in the morning.
25.
Choose the location for the meter in advance. Otherwise, you can’t install the entrance hall properly. The meter is poorly positioned, and drilling near it is risky due to wires.
26.
Doors with glass inserts annoyed me: when a child falls asleep in the room, light from the corridor glows through.
27.
Fire-resistant materials must be placed near hot surfaces. Our polypropylene wall cladding near the fireplace melted and ran down the wall.
28.
Don’t seal radiators too tightly — leave access for shutting them off.
29.
If you’re ordering built-in wardrobes or cabinets, make sure walls are perfectly straight!
30.
Plan small details in advance. After renovation, we bought an 80-liter water heater and planned to install it in the toilet — needed an outlet, so had to cut into new wallpaper.
31.
When installing the bathtub, we didn’t add edge tiles where it meets the wall — just used silicone sealant. Result: water always pools in the corners.
32.
Our kitchen has beautiful Spanish tiles, but one flaw: deep grooves collect dirt quickly and are hard to clean. Should’ve chosen perfectly flat, non-glossy tiles with minimal grooves.
33.
Outlets are a problem — you need far more than you think, especially in the kitchen. Double outlets are better than single ones — same price, but much more convenient later.
34.
When installing the bathtub, ensure it slopes toward the drain. Otherwise, water doesn’t drain properly when level.
35.
Don’t forget the towel warmer!
36.
The drainage pipe makes a lot of noise when neighbors use the toilet. Plastic pipes are great, but they’re very noisy — so add sound insulation by wrapping them.
37.
Stretch ceilings are amazing! Install them throughout the whole apartment and bargain with the company you order from.
38.
Never install a corner clothes dryer in the kitchen — it’s very inconvenient.
39.
Never use white grout on kitchen tiles — it looks dirty quickly.
40.
Underfloor heating is essential wherever there’s tile.
41.
When installing interior doors, we never thought the switch should be near the handle. We hung them so the switch was on the hinge side.
42.
If you have any space to sacrifice for a storage room, do it! Vacuum cleaners, rollers, sleds, skis, Christmas decorations, mops, buckets, infrequently used appliances — everything goes there.
43.
Our dark merbau parquet is very beautiful, but on such a dark floor, every dust particle is visible, especially on sunny days — so you have to clean every day.
44.
Stretch ceilings are essential in bathrooms and toilets (and everywhere with moisture). They look great, nothing swells or falls off. Most importantly, if neighbors flood you, water doesn’t spread widely — it collects in the ceiling. We’ve been saved twice already. Afterward, we called a technician who removed part of the ceiling, drained the water, and reinstalled it.
45.
Bathroom outlets must be waterproof (with covers). Washing machine, hairdryer, razor, and electric toothbrush are essential.
46.
Install a forced exhaust fan in the bathroom.
47.
Design hidden storage spaces (e.g., for mops, cloths, cleaning supplies).
48.
Would spend money on a designer to see the full picture from the start! Many things we dislike are due to poor planning.
49.
Doorknobs with sharp edges — someone always bumps into them with hands or other objects, it hurts and tears clothes.
50.
Never use fluffy wallpaper in a child’s room — it can be pulled off during sleep. Kids keep poking it with fingers — already worn off near the bed.
51.
Learn all furniture dimensions before renovation. Our kitchen sofa has a back height of 90 cm — the switch for the wall sconce starts at 86 cm. It hits the back.
53.
We survived a major renovation and learned one thing: never save on materials. Wallpaper, paint, glue — all must be high quality!
54.
My kitchen has many flaws. For example, a small ceramic granite sink — now dishes pile up next to it waiting for the dishwasher. I ordered too few drawer slides — thought it was expensive, but should’ve done it. I regret choosing semi-transparent glass cabinet doors — you can see everything inside.
