10 Mistakes in Renovation That Will Darken Your Future Life

As is known, it's better to learn from others' mistakes, and even better to follow the advice of professionals in areas where we are not so competent. That's why we turned to an expert.

Nikolay Kharitonov — Interior Designer, Artist. More than 10 years creating interiors for those who know what they want from life

Let's look at the most common and frustrating mistakes in renovation that forever distance the final and most pleasant part of it — enjoying life in a new home.

Mistake No. 1: Doing Renovation Without a Design Project

Some people don't understand why they should pay an extra designer fee when friends recommend very good contractors who will do everything quickly, beautifully, and cheaply. Maybe that's how it will be. But maybe not. Unfortunately, the second option is more often the case.

Firstly, your understanding of what is 'beautiful', 'cheap', and 'fast' might differ significantly from that of the contractor. Secondly, it's hard to control the process without a clear plan and a picture of the final result, especially when communication between the client and executor happens 'by fingers'.

Thirdly, it's impossible to control the consumption of building and finishing materials without prior calculation.

All this and much more is worked out in a design project, which later makes collaboration between all participants easier and helps the client reduce costs.

Design: Tatyana Maslenkova

Mistake No. 2: Redesigning Without Considering Requirements of MЖI

The strictest requirements are in high-rise buildings. But even in regular homes, the rules aren't less demanding.

For example, such tricks as combining a balcony and living room, which were once common, are now severely penalized. The same goes for 'wet zones'. If you don't know what can and cannot be done during a redesign, consult a professional.

Design: Line Design Studio

Mistake No. 3: Ignoring Sound Insulation

Usually, people think about this only when it's too late. However, you could have addressed this issue during the interior design planning stage.

Design: Anna Suvorova and Pavel Mikhin

Mistake No. 4: Saving on Windows

If in the previous point we talked about internal noise, here it's about external noise.

This problem usually concerns new developments: it’s better to change the windows provided by the developer if you want to live happily and long in your apartment. How to tell whether your windows are good or not, we'll discuss another time, but now let's move forward.

Design: Margarita Sivuhina

Mistake No. 5: Refusing to Install Balanced Ventilation and Air Conditioning

While you can think about air conditioning after the renovation is done, it's extremely problematic to install a proper system of balanced ventilation with air humidification.

If there are allergy sufferers in the family, such a system is essential! Therefore, it's better to consider it at the beginning of planning: the equipment is bulky and requires access for maintenance.

Design: Sergey Tregubov

Mistake No. 6: Not Conducting a Tender for Contractors

You can overpay significantly for renovation simply because you didn’t want to study and compare at least three offers for the same work.

If you don't have time or desire to do this yourself, delegate monitoring to a professional — a designer or your personal assistant, depending on how much you trust them.

Design: Margarita Sivuhina

Mistake No. 7: Not Planning Lighting Properly

Proper calculation of lighting in all rooms, as well as overall electrical layout, is a very responsible task. Mistakes made here will show themselves soon — dark corridors, dim light in the bathroom, or insufficient lighting on the kitchen work surface.

Design: Art Twins Design

Mistake No. 8: Underestimating the Role of Bathrooms

It's understandable that if the layout is unchanged, there's no choice. But if you have the opportunity to expand the bathroom or toilet by using a corridor, I strongly recommend doing so.

Remember how many times you visit this room each day, whether everything is convenient in your bathroom now, and what you would like to add or remove?

Design: BW Buro

Mistake No. 9: Not Allocating Space for Storage

Use every suitable opening, niche, or corner of your apartment for this purpose. At the beginning, it seems better to have fewer items: more light, air, and space.

Over time, household needs win out, and it turns out that the items simply don't fit in the spaces allocated for them.

Design: Marina Pahomova

Mistake No. 10: Not Considering the Presence of Pets

When choosing finishing materials and soft furnishings, it's better to consider this possibility. Otherwise, you risk doing the next renovation earlier than planned.

Design: Sergey Tregubov

On the cover: Design Project by Sergey Tregubov