9 common home renovation mistakes to avoid

Whether you bought your home with the intention to renovate, want to refresh some spaces in a long-loved house or are finding that you need more square footage, renovations can be fraught with complications. So we asked the experts — pros in architecture, interior design and construction — to share the mistakes they see people make and what to do instead.

While YouTube can teach you how to repair a leaky faucet, you can’t learn the nuances of renovations in a 10-minute clip — and you probably shouldn’t try, anyway. “The most important thing to do is to not think that you can do everything yourself,” says architect Christy Blumenfeld, founder of Blume Architecture. She says she knows from experience that working with a team of experts is essential.

For one thing, professional contractors have established relationships with vendors and subcontractors that will establish your project as a priority. “I think that the value of using someone who has all of those relationships is really important,” Blumenfeld shares. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, I can be my own contractor,’ and then they realize they don’t have the attention that’s needed of all the individual subs, because [their project is] sort of a one-off thing.”

She adds that the effect of working with a professional is also better for the overall design. “When you try to do it yourself, you tend to [take a] piecemeal [approach],” she says. The project becomes more cohesive if you have a team to guide your vision, and experts (from architect and builder to interior designer and landscape architect) will know how to distribute your budget. “If you can build that team super early, it also prevents mistakes.”

Blake Byrd, president of Knox Built Construction, says one of the most common mistakes people make when planning a renovation is not beginning with a clear understanding of the specific home. For example, removing a wall to create an open-concept kitchen and living space isn’t a cut-and-dry process, especially in older homes. “The load-bearing walls are never easy to solve,” Byrd says, noting that you will likely encounter old plumbing, electrical, mechanical and HVAC systems in those walls.

Understanding which walls you can or cannot move is one of the bigger challenges and mistakes he sees in renovation planning, Byrd says. If you’re buying a house to renovate, use an inspector who has experience in this, and work with a skilled architect as you plan your renovation. “Everybody wants to spend money on the pretty things — the countertops and the tile and the hardware — but nobody wants to spend money on the things that you can’t see,” he says, even though a thorough inspection is critical and can help you set reasonable expectations for your project.

Renovations are notorious for unknowns, says Kendra Barnes, CEO and founding principal of the interior design, architecture and branding firm BRNS Design. Barnes recommends allocating at least 10% of your overall budget to address surprises.

Byrd agrees. There’s no way that a contractor can predict what’s behind the walls with absolute certainty, so a 10% to 15% buffer can help you out when something unexpected comes up. “Any good contractor is not going to try and spend that money,” he adds.

If you are renovating a single area in your home — like a kitchen or a bathroom — consider how it flows into other spaces. “If we’re going to come in and take out a wall and put in all new cabinetry, then you need to consider the house as a whole and not just one room,” Barnes says. Sight lines matter. If you are standing in a newly renovated kitchen and can see a nearby living room that hasn’t been updated for years, the overall design could look disjointed. At the very least, Barnes recommends updating paint in adjoining spaces to give the overall home a fresh look.

Launching a renovation project requires tons of decisions up front, which makes it tempting to put off smaller design decisions such as hardware finishes or paint colors. Hayden Dendy, a designer at BRNS Design, says saving these decisions for later can result in a jumbled look. Make choices about finishes, furniture and window treatments as part of your initial plan, so that you can work toward a cohesive design.

“It is important to plan ahead for all of your switches, thermostats, plugs and air vents, and minimize can lighting, so you don’t end up with wall and ceiling ‘acne’ that detracts from the overall aesthetic of your house,” Blumenfeld says.

Outlets can be positioned horizontally within the baseboard to keep the wall space clean. In the kitchen, you can mount outlets beneath cabinets, instead of on the wall, so they don’t disrupt the beautiful backsplash you selected.

Recessed can lighting will clutter up the look of the ceiling, especially if you’re decorating a bedroom where you may spend time staring up at the ceiling. “It’s a mistake to just put in four cans in every room,” Blumenfeld says. She prefers to use can lighting only to illuminate art or specific spots, such as above a sink in a bathroom, and recommends lamps or chandeliers for everything else.

Hard-surface elements such as countertops and tile can eat up a significant portion of your budget — and they’re difficult to replace. One mistake Dendy often sees is clients selecting trendy materials for surfaces that are difficult to redesign. “I like to encourage clients to go more trendy and fun in paint color, furniture or styling because those can be easily changed, whereas if you chose a chevron backsplash for your kitchen, that’s something that is going to go out of style really quickly and you’re going to have to pay more to replace it.”

Blumenfeld notes another facet of this design mistake: Many clients select engineered or man-made materials for durability in kitchens because they’re worried about stains or spills. “In the spaces that you use every day, go ahead and use a natural surface. Use the wood, use the marble, use the material that, when you touch it and you feel it, it makes you happy every day,” Blumenfeld says. “Don’t be afraid to use beautiful things in the spaces that you use the most.”

If updating your brick color is part of the renovation plan, make sure you use the right paint. “Brick is a permeable material, and it needs to breathe,” Byrd explains. Select paint that is designed for application over brick so that it doesn’t trap moisture and damage the exterior of your home.

Byrd notes that limewash is a great alternative to paint, if it’s in the budget, because it provides a similar look but is better for the overall longevity of the home.

Once you start work on your project, it may be tempting to hire vendors or tradespeople who say they can get the job done but don’t have formal licenses from the state. This is a mistake, warns Byrd. “You want to use licensed tradesmen, even if it’s something as small as swapping a kitchen faucet — just because there’s generally someone to call back if there’s an issue.”