Hi Everyone,
It’s funny, but there is a post from late September 2024 where the title was the same.
There are some house tours, so maybe they’re mentioned in the videos, but I couldn’t find much in the text. Furthermore, my renovation mistakes list has expanded tremendously in the last 18 months.
Before we get started, some of these mistakes I already knew about, some I learned in the middle of the renovation. However, there are a number that I discovered weeks or months after the workers left for good.
Of course, there are more than 22 mistakes one can make. It’s probably more like 22,000!
22 Residential Renovation Mistakes No One Bothered to Tell You About. (Until now)
These renovation mistakes and best practices aren’t in any particular order.
Failing to seal up holes, especially hidden holes!
I mean, under baseboard heaters, behind cabinetry, behind the range. Renovations disrupt the natural habitat of rodents and insects. They will seek new points of entry, and mice only need about 3/8″ to squeeze through.
1. Make sure floors are reasonably level.
Ideally, if it’s a full kitchen reno, make sure that the walls and ceiling are as straightened out as possible.
2. Ensure that kitchen storage and interior sizes will accommodate appliances, etc.


Finally, the Complete Renovation Shopping List – EVERYTHING I used!
3. Please map out every appliance you need to have housed.
For example, the microwave I wanted doesn’t fit inside the cabinet.
It could have. However, I most likely did not stress that I needed a clearance of 21″ wide inside. I foolishly assumed that because the cabinet was 26″ wide, there would be. There could have been some tweaks made to get the extra two inches required.
4. Ensure there is sufficient heating and cooling, but there’s no need to get more than you need.
Upstairs, for me, all is good. Downstairs, the heat is insufficient. I think it might be a matter of replacing the baseboard heater behind my bed. That was here before, but it does almost nothing, and my new runtal isn’t enough when the temps drop below about 50 degrees.
In addition, I recommend that you not let your contractor pick out what he thinks you need.
5. Be at least 90% ready to go on demo day.
Some would say 100%. However, I was probably only 50% ready. My contractor was 3% ready after the demo. The real work didn’t begin for four months.
6. Kitchen cabinets should be on order before the renovation begins.
That one, we got right. However, they arrived too early. They sat in the living room for seven weeks before they were installed. Ugh.
7. A huge renovation mistake can occur if one doesn’t hire an architect and an interior designer. (Do not rely on your builder.
Now, some builders are so talented that just show them a photo, and they’ll copy it. However, I would always run the plans by an architect and an interior designer. Many contractors these days are known as Design-Built.
In other words, they do everything. It’s more expensive, but you might have an easier go of it. This is helpful if you have zero time or nowhere to design.
8. Don’t cheap out to save money and having to live with something you don’t really like.


Or, like me, you’ll have to replace two major appliances days to months after receiving them. I got most of my money back with the refrigerator. I got all of it back with the dishwasher.
If money is tight, I recommend finding other ways to economize – such as hardware, window treatments, stock mouldings instead of custom. Replacing mouldings instead of fixing years of gloppy paint

 is sometimes more cost-effective.
9. Quadruple check every measurement!
If there’s ever a time to be OCD, this is the time. It’s not measure twice, cut once. It’s measure at least four times. Drawings are easy to change.
10. Never trust an architect’s measurements!


Oh, I learned this decades ago. For that matter, don’t assume that they’re good designers. Many architects are also fantastic designers, but at least half of them are not. My architect had measuring issues and gave me a design that had issues.
11. Never assume anything is straight, the same size, the same distance, or centered.
12. Lighting!!!

 – Well, this mention serves only as a reminder.
The topic is vast. However, it is ideal if you can sort out any recessed lighting, sconces, and chandeliers you’ll be using before any construction commences. The reason is that once the walls and ceiling go in, your choices will be limited. For more on the topic, there are hundreds of posts that discuss lighting on this website. This links to all of them.
Below are a few of my favorite lighting posts.
My Upstairs Residential Lighting – Everything I Used (Parts 1 & 2)
13. Do not let your electrician bully you!
I’ve worked with some fantastic electricians, but the one on this job was often lacking in the helpful department. Plus, he put the cheapest recessed crap in for the six recessed downlights that were installed.
Painters. Insist that they caulk every crack, unless you don’t mind looking at cracks. Also, insects crawl through them.
14. Never use oil-based polyurethane, or at least NOT Bona.
Their water-based poly also sucks.

 

If you want a certain finish for floors, for example, a hardwax oil finish, and there’s a wait of four months, please wait for it.
15. Do not use Scuffex, carried by Benjamin Moore, as it stinks and the satin finishes are chalky.
That is, unless you want chalky and don’t mind the smell. I recommend Aura or Regal Select. I also recommend the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection.
The Laurel Home Essential Paint and Palette Collection is Here!
16. 

Seal all tile before grouting. Remember that fiasco?
How To Mess Up a Tile Installation Without Really Trying! (Parts 1 and 2)
Contractors.Â
17. Always make sure they’re working with a contract, building to code, getting permits and inspections.
In other words, they’re playing by the rules.
18. Make sure your contractor has adequate experience with your wishes. Or, at the very least, is willing to stretch his limits.
My guys struggled with all of the specialty doors. In the end, they did a terrific job.
Jib Doors – So Cool, Yet Such a Nightmare to Build – Parts 1 & 2
The post below is terrific!


Some of my contractractor’s subs were wonderful, but some weren’t.
The Paint Disaster Downstairs & What I’m Doing About It (Parts 1 & 2)
19. Can you use your own subs? It doesn’t mean you will, but is it cool with the contractor?
I would discuss with the contractor you’re considering hiring that you’re happy to use his people, but you still need to ask for references and meet them first. Or, ask if you can hire your own subs and pay the contractor the fee he would’ve received had he used his own. Some contractors won’t allow this, and others won’t mind. Of course, you need to be sure that any subs you hire are insured and working under the appropriate permits. This is not something I would do with all aspects. However, after meeting with my contractor’s floor guy, I realized that I was going to need to hire that sub separately.
20. Be sure to have more electrical outlets than you think you’ll need, and even in places you might not need them.
Things change, and it’s better to be covered.
21. When in doubt, leave it out.


This has been a motto I’ve had for at least 30 years.
22. Never select paint colors from something you saw, especially in a photo or even in another home, even if it was your old home.
Finalizing the Paint Colors for My Newly Renovated Boston Condo!
Please pin to Pinterest for Reference.
What about you? Please share, in the comments, some renovation mistakes you made or almost made!
Oh wait. That reminds me. Hang on a sec, please.
I’ve been going on some walks around Back Bay and Beacon Hill. And I don’t know what’s going on, but let me show you a sampling.
Right?
Yes, yes, yes, I know. They’re waiting for the temps to go above freezing before they dump another load to have their planters replanted for spring. Fair enough. However, they do not need to keep their Christmas decorations up weeks after their expiration date. At the very latest, they should be gone by Saint Patrick’s Day, and some of these should’ve been gone weeks before that because they are soooo dead!
Even if they are in St. John, can’t they have someone yank that stuff down? There’s nothing wrong with an empty planter.
Or, they could do what these folks did.
There were half a dozen of these planters in a row on a well-known street on Beacon Hill.
In addition, some people have replanted their beautiful planters.
This was a few years ago, in May.
xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES!Â
 Also, if you’re doing some shopping on Amazon, please click this Amazon affiliate link or the graphic below.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support!
Related Posts
Can A Modern-Style Home Mix With Traditional Mouldings?
The New Staircase Is Going In! – This is What It Took
He Wants Dark, Rustic Decor But She Really Doesn’t
Mismatched Sofas – Good Idea, Or A Colossal Mistake?
Color Palettes From Nature + Springtime in Boston!
Difficult Windows – Window Treatment Dos and Don’ts
12 Amazingly Wonderful Exterior Home Makeovers
10 Responses
I know just what you mean about sealing up holes, Laurel. Our original plumber enlarged the hole for the kitchen waste pipe as the cabinets were going in, and so we have a mouse-friendly hole in a corner behind the cabinets which is totally inaccessible. I’ve managed to block every gap in the backs and sides of the cabinets, but it’s not the solution I prefer!
Our experience is very unlike what I’ve read here, since we renovated a total wreck of a stone farmhouse in France. We bought the walls and a sound roof structure; everything else was done by us. No GC, the works were put out to tender and we employed the craftsmen direct, and directed the work ourselves with the help of an architect friend. Advice: do your research and make sure you’re employing the best craftsmen, ask to look at their work elsewhere. Inspect the work frequently as it goes on, and don’t tolerate mistakes at any stage, even if the workmen are somewhat obdurate.
Mary makes a very good point about the problem of decision fatigue. Having to choose everything is exhausting, so make sure that something like light switches isn’t a last-minute decision. Look into everything well in advance.
Research everything yourself and remember that the advice of the pros may not be reliable. We started with a more or less local paint manufacturer who gave us entirely the wrong advice about the undercoat for new plaster walls, and the results were a disaster. In one room I had to sand all the paint off, down to the plaster, and start again. Fortunately the cost of this was just materials, as I’m my own painter. But the mess and labour were unpleasant.
I agree with all these things except for ordering kitchen cabinets in advance. After a demo you may find surprises that alter the walls, and your framing may change the measurements. If you are even off 1″ with kitchen cabinets (especially tightly fitted ones) you are sunk. I would never order the cabinets until the rough framing is in place, unless the walls aren’t changing or there is room to move one way or the other. Then, to your point, you won’t have cabinets hanging around in the way waiting to be damaged, or paying for storage.
This is said in the best of humour, but……NEVER believe your husband when he says your renovation will take six months and cost $200,00 – especially when he’s doing it himself. Eight years and 1 million dollars later, we are still together. Although we couldn’t afford to keep the house once it was done, so we now live in a biege 1990’s builder special. And it’s staying that way!
Luckily, I’ve never had to go through a renovation (YET)! But if I ever do, I know which blog post I’ll come to for advice. I sure appreciate your sharing the wisdom you’ve gained by going through many decisions and trials during your renovation. I also appreciate your readers who have shared their wisdom (on this post and others). It’s really generous of all involved to take the time to help others!
P.S. I can’t get over those Christmas decorations still up in April! I hope they come down soon :]
My big one: Order and pay for the paint yourself. Either pick it up yourself or have it delivered. Put in your contract that you will do this but that you want to use the contractor’s or painter’s account number for the discount. I’ve had dishonest painters substitute the paint I speced for another, cheaper line or even worse color matched another brand. Other painters simply mistakenly bought and used the wrong color (White vs Super White, which are very different.) The result is either uncomfortable conflict with a dishonest painter or, if you’re like me, covering the cost of the redo for the wrong color. (“Hey, I think this would really look better with a third coat. I’ll go buy the paint myself.”) Also, so many painters will try to tell you “Aura isn’t any better than x”, but trust me, it is. They also don’t like to use Advance because of the dry time, but it is totally worth it to pay a bit more. And if you want to use Farrow and Ball or Fine Paints of Europe, it’s your house and your budget. If the painter refuses, find another painter. Offering to pay by the hour will help.
Ummmm…yeah…there are so many to choose from! Here’s a couple from the top of my head:
•Always check the work as it goes along. A client’s doorway was built 2 feet off from the architectural plans which would have kicked our furniture layout idea to the curb, had I not caught that early on.
•Stay close by. Someone will inevitably want your opinion on something last minute and all work stops until that question is answered. In person. Staying at your mother-in-law’s place four hours away isn’t going to cut it.
•Have a plan to thwart theft. I’m not talking cameras…’cause most of the time you’re just watching footage of someone carrying off your new copper range hood and that’s that. Think: Guard dog, night watchman, padlocked storage, living on the property or an invisibility cloak.
•Biggest mistake…expectations of perfection. Yeah, high standards are important, but there are always going to be challenges. Arm yourself with a good sense of humor and be prepared to be okay with a few disappointments, even if they’re small ones. Same advice goes for weddings.
Hi Laurel,
Unfortunately, until you’ve gone through a renovation you don’t know what you don’t know.
Great post! There are so, so many decision that go into a renovation it can get exhausting and so tempting to let go of the details and trust it will be okay. What a great reminder not to!!
On that note, make sure you are using the right paint base for your application. We used Aura and then tried Advance on our cabinets and it literally never, never dried and had to be sanded off. The local Ben Moore rep had recommended Advance since it is their cabinet paint, but the other local rep introduced us to Command, also Ben Moore. Command is fast drying and hard as a rock. We will never paint cabinets with anything else again!
Thank you, Love your blog posts.
Fantasticaly useful post, laurel, especially with your links to previous posts to illustrate your point. Going to have to bookmark this one