7 Remodeling Mistakes Even Design Pros Commit By Realtor.com

The remodeling process is full of pitfalls: missing a measurement, uncovering an unfortunate surprise on demo day, thinking a tile pattern will work when it really, really doesn’t. Plus, it doesn’t help that, besides purchasing a house, a renovation is one of the most expensive things a homeowner will face.

No project will go 100% according to plan—that’s rule No. 1 of renovating—but you can avoid common stumbling blocks if you know what to look for.

The editors of Remodelista are something of experts in renovation errors: Since the design site launched 15 years ago, they’ve asked designers, architects, contractors, house painters, and homeowners alike about remodeling mistakes and what to know along the way.

Realtor.com® sat down with the editors to ask them about the most common remodeling mistakes they’ve run into—and how to avoid them in your own project.

What’s the No. 1 remodeling error you see time and time again?

Miscommunication. Remodelista’s architecture and interiors editor, Margot Guralnick, says remodels are like a game of telephone: With multiple people involved, work orders can shift in small but crucial ways from person to person. There’s no such thing as over-communicating to get the details right.

Is there a trick you’ve learned from the pros?

Label everything. Matriarchy Build, mother-daughter house flippers in Austin, TX, told us about a circa 1915 row house they once worked on.

“Despite being crystal-clear with our contractor that we wanted to keep all the amazing old details, we walked in on Day One of demo to find half of the tin ceilings crushed and thrown away,” they told us at Remodelista.

The lesson learned? Add can’t-miss-it visual labels and signs to everything, and tag everything you want to keep with painter’s tape marked “Do Not Remove.”

(You can read more of their tips in “How To Avoid Rookie Remodeling Mistakes.”)

What’s one way to avoid unnecessary costs?

Don’t supersize the kitchen and bath. A designer told us that a decade ago (see “15 Secrets for Saving Money on a Remodel“), and it’s truer now than ever.

The bigger the space, the more materials you’ll need (think tile, flooring, paint). On the flip side, small spaces are more efficient and eco-friendly (less to heat and cool).

Founding editor Julie Carlson redid her galley kitchen in Brooklyn a few years ago and reminded us that bigger isn’t always better—and that carefully sourced hardware store finds can look high-end. 

What’s the most common mistake you see in kitchen remodels?

Forgetting to install outlets in key places. It’s a detail that’s often overlooked but crucial to get right—especially when you have a finished kitchen and nowhere to plug in the coffee maker.

For a quick primer, see “Where To Locate Electrical Outlets, Kitchen Edition.”

Also, add dimmers to lights while you’re at it. You’ll be happy you did.

What do the homeowners you profile wish they’d known before starting a renovation?

We once checked in with a couple, six months into living with their new kitchen, to rate their choices. Their chief complaint was that the Calacatta marble counters looked beautiful but were already etched and marked by water rings. Fine for some, annoying for others.

Materials and appliances are among the most expensive parts of a renovation. Do your research and make sure you’re ordering according to your lifestyle, not just looks.

Have you run into renovation mishaps of your own over the years?

Definitely. Julie once had cabinet pulls installed only to find, a year later, that every single one was askew. In refinishing her floors, our editor-in-chief Annie Quigley gave the sander the wrong grit (which she realized after applying finish to the entire downstairs—by hand). We even wrote a post about it—”Lessons Learned: 10 True Tales of Renovation Regrets From Our Editors“—to help readers learn from our mishaps.