9 Biggest Home Renovation Regrets & How To Avoid Them

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Doing Things In The Wrong Order
03:32 - Function & Storage
06:57 - Resale Value
08:04 - Looking At Samples
08:48 - Trendy Finishes
10:02 - Not Budgeting Properly
10:54 - High Maintenance Materials
11:56 - Lack Of Communication
13:05 - Cheap Contractors & DIY

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[Marthac]

Having lived through two major renovations during my lifetime, I agree with all Reynard’s ideas. One thing I would add: if you’ve just bought your home, don’t do major renovations before you move in. I’d suggest living there for at least 12 more months before deciding on plans, layouts, finishes etc. Example- I thought I’d have my kitchen redone to “update” it to all white cabinets, new backsplash etc, but COVID hit and it was all too hard. So I moved in and thought I’d update the kitchen later. However, after living with the dark beige gloss cabinets for 12 months and styling with black accessories and small appliances, I realized the end result was very sophisticated looking and I love my “old” kitchen now! Saved myself at least $20k!!!
Love your videos Reynard. Always great info and beautiful designs 👍👍👍

[madeyed]

Excellent advice! I have wanted backsplash for my kitchen, but my husband delayed that until 3 months before we moved out. He regretted to wait that late and later he learned the new buyer replaced all the kitchen stuff anyway! Now, we are changing our kitchen while we will be living in it for long time!!

[gracegan]

Hey Reynard, could you do a video where subscribers could submit pictures of a room in their home and ask you for advice on how to change it? This would be fun and engaging, as well as make your design tips more relatable to the average person.

[karenhanson]

Could you do a video ALL about fireplaces?
I’m helping my mom redecorate my parents home and realizing that every single high-end home I see has no fireplace insert. There isn’t a lot of information out there about this and I’ve gone down quite a rabbit hole so far. Other issues like… a hearth or no hearth, how you remove a hearth, the expense associated with it… as well as mantels how high to hang them how you deal with an outdated mantle, etc. This type of video would be SO helpful!!!! 😃🙏

[janetl]

I actually learned this tip from another decorator site but SO wish I’d seen it before doing my reno. The suggestion was to install very simple cheap white shades or cellular blinds if you’re replacing window coverings just to get you by until the logical time for the pricier version comes (usually toward the end of the project). This is especially important If you’re living in the space, which we had to do. This would have helped me avoid the wrong color and wrong functionality of my window coverings and even avoid putting any window covering up in a couple of cases (e.g. no sun EVER hits my dining room window and the new bathroom window came frosted, and the direction of the drape pulls would have been obvious once the final furniture layout was decided.) Big lesson learned for me.

[ps]

Good point about communication. We have a great contractor working on our bath/kitchen reno. I did a mock up of the tile layout for the bathroom floor and shower so they had a visual of my expectation for the layout. Being on site is key to answer the little questions as they come up.

[OneLegFlamingo]

I am in the middle of renovating my first house. Picking out everything ahead of time is great advice, but easier said than done. I tried to budget very carefully, but I am over budget for sure. It's hard to accurately plan for everything when you have no experience and a huge project. My contractor was super unhelpful and took weeks to give me the simplest info, like sq footage for bathroom tile, width of the new doors, etc. so I could order materials. Choosing materials was time consuming and exhausting, but hopefully worth it. I have no money for paint or furniture. Those things will be added over time.

[JKl-jw]

I totally agree with all the points. I was cheeking 2 to 3times per day the renovation. The workers needs to feel your presence.

[martinaadamkovicova]

Could you make a video about interior doors, please? I think they are super important for interior design. Thank you

[monicac]

Great advise! My reno is about to complete. Thank goodness I’m the gung ho type and picked what I wanted way ahead of the contractor. There are so many components to consider and each may have a variety of options. Having clarity on what I wanted was critical - minimalist, easy/little maintenance and cleaning, clean/soft to the eyes, function over form, invest in core areas. My advise would be research, go to home events, visit multiple shops, talk to people..

[dashdash]

Also, don't confuse TREND with STYLE. Mid-century modern, Bauhaus, etc. are styles. "Gray floors", "White kitchen" are trends. Style encompasses a varieties of colors, materials, and shapes. Trends are usually defined in absolute terms, ie: "black hardware".

[maryd]

I had a house we considered our forever house and the kitchen, while dated, was fully functional. I knew that if we ever sold the house, the view would be the selling point and I never wanted to live through a kitchen renovation. When we had someone walk in and want to buy the place (that view!), they finally mentioned the kitchen being dated. It sold for a very decent amount to them and I can guarantee the woman who lives there now has way different taste than I do. I’m glad I just enjoyed living there and not trying to design something for someone else to take apart. The house we moved to…..we are having a blast redoing it for our taste, not waiting till year 20 to do what we want! I love the previous owner dropping by …. “But I thought you liked that”……yes, and no…..(I don’t think she’ll be back).

[shaynorman]

Can you do a video on how to organize larger cabinets for pots, pans, cutting boards, muffin tins and such? My kitchen only has 4 drawers, and my cabinets look a mess because they are wide open with no way to properly organize them. I'm unsure of systems to buy or how to fix this problem efficiently.

[Dampealx]

Dude, I wish you were in the UK. I need you to do up my new 2 bed house. Your content is a chefs kiss

[ChocolateKitty]

This channel just gets better and better. I regret doing renovation before this episode. 😅

[donf]

One thing I think can be hard to decide, is what are realistic vs unrealistic expectations from contractors. Considering everyone is human doing the work, when do you accept imperfections, or when (and how) do you approach getting items rectified when you aren't happy with the workmanship?

[alil]

Wish I'd done the renos before moving in... everyone said to wait and see after you've lived there a while... but the hassle of then doing it whilst living there (especially if a very small home) is way worse... emptying everything out, no bathroom, no kitchen...
Would definitely do it before moving in next time!

[Spiritgirl]

Fantastic advice as always! Loved the 3D bookend! And the bonus is you're wearing my favorite jumper too! Xo from Canada ❤️

[Hey_krystle]

Ahhh wonderful video!! Subscriber for a long time, and we have a long time coming kitchen/laundry/lounge and 2 bedrooms extension planning and your video is perfect timing. Thanking you!!

[cazpk]

I watched this timely video as i am brainstorming for my new home. Can you consider doing a video on the rustic design theme as there isn't much info out there and also something about how to choose the right Interior Designer.