HGTV asked their experts and they have spoken. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the 25 Biggest Home Renovating Mistakes renovators make. From least biggest (?) to the biggest of the big, here they are:
25. Gutting Everything
24. Buying Cheap Materials
23. Excessive Use of Duct Tape
22. Inaccurate Measurements
21. Not Doing the Prep Work
20. Using the Wrong Tools
19. Building a Small Bathroom
18. Ignoring Lighting
17. Going Too Trendy
16. Building Small Doorways
15. Failure to Anticipate Chaos
14. Incorrect Storage of Materials
13. Not Using Green Materials
12. Using the Wrong Paint
11. Building Narrow Halls and Staircases
10. Choosing the Wrong Windows
9. Forgetting About Safety
8. Not Doing Your Homework
7. Forgetting to Update the Electrical System
6. Ignoring Your Home’s Style
5. Avoiding Permits
4. Setting an Unrealistic Budget
3. Hiring the Wrong Contractor
2. Taking On More Than You Can Handle
1. Overbuilding for Your Neigborhood
So, have you made any of these mistakes? MWT and I have. When we first renovated our current house, we bought very inexpensive carpet to put over the areas that had a cement substraight. It was made out of recycled milk jugs–I kid you not–and it sort of ‘crunched’ when we walked on it. Ick. We replaced it last year with a lovely, SOFT nylon that was about 4 times more expensive.
To see why and how to avoid these mistakes, follow this jump to HGTV.