Personal Experience: 10 Mistakes When Furnishing a Country House

Lena is a blogger and founder of the company Bo.ho.dom. She built this house with her husband three years ago. Although everything looks perfect on the surface, there are still some shortcomings. Read our post and learn from others' mistakes!

Measurement planBought an insufficiently powerful boiler

We installed a warm floor and placed an induction boiler with a power of 7 kW, but it cannot handle the volume of liquid. If we could turn back time, I would have chosen a 10 kW boiler.

Laid cheap laminate on the floor

Originally, we wanted to use ceramic granite, but due to lack of time and funds, we couldn't buy or lay it. In a hurry, we took the cheapest laminate and regretted it: the surface cracked and bulged, and now it needs to be replaced.

Now I would choose practical ceramic granite — especially in the kitchen area.

Didn't paint the doors right away

We selected and bought the doors gradually. We settled on pine wood and installed them unpainted. After a few years, the surface discolored, and to apply paint, we have to remove the doors from their hinges.

Chose plastic skirting boards

Since children live in the house, holes and cracks quickly appear on the skirting boards. It’s better to bet on more practical materials like MDF or duroplast for painting.

Didn’t make a septic tank well

Clear water from the septic tank flows into the rainwater drainage system, although it should go into a well. Once in winter, the hose froze and flooded the septic tank, which caused damage to the pump and aerator.

Didn’t calculate ceiling heights

The highest point in the house is 4.5 meters and is not used at all. Now I would lower the roof by 50–90 cm. This would help reduce construction and heating costs.

Installed a metal door

A metal door with thermal break was unnecessary — considering that there is a plastic door leading to the terrace and panoramic windows nearby.

Moreover, over time, the metal started rusting and lost its appearance. In the future, I plan to replace the door with a plastic one with glazing.

Painted walls black

The walls look like chalkboards — they retain fingerprints, scratches, and marks.

Made windows facing north

We underestimated solar energy, and we shouldn’t have. Making windows on the south side is far more cost-effective — it saves a lot of money on heating.

Chose impractical bathroom finish

We went for gypsum board to be painted and covered the lower part of the wall with wood. We should have chosen tiles instead, as they are more resistant to scratches and chips.

We could have tiled the bottom 1.5 meters high and then just painted the rest of the walls.