[Insider Tips] 9 Common Renovation Regrets—and How to Avoid Them!
Release date:
2025-09-01
Having a perfectly decorated home is a shared dream among many homeowners, but while the vision may be beautiful, reality often falls short. Today, our editor will walk you through some of the less-than-perfect aspects of home decor—and share practical solutions to help you address them. If you’re striving for perfection, you definitely don’t want to miss these nine expert tips to eliminate those lingering regrets!
1. An awkwardly positioned socket interface
When wiring the bedroom and living room circuits, we didn’t take accurate measurements or even roughly estimate where the major appliances would go—instead, we simply decided on the socket placements on a whim. Only after the renovation was complete and the furniture was in place did we realize: either the bed legs or table legs were blocking access to the power outlets, or the appliance cords weren’t long enough. As a result, we ended up relying on extension cords instead. But with all those wires left exposed, it just looked absolutely messy and unsightly.
Solution
Before finalizing the placement of power outlets, homeowners should measure the furniture they plan to place as accurately as possible. If the exact dimensions of the furniture aren’t yet known, advise the construction team to leave extra outlets in various locations—without compromising the overall aesthetics—so you’ll have them handy when needed.
2. The tormenting ceiling light control
I’m sure everyone experienced this during their student days: after climbing into bed, you’d suddenly realize the ceiling light was still on. Especially in the chilly winter months, that warm, freshly made blanket would quickly lose its coziness as soon as you got out of bed—just long enough to reach for the switch. Many homeowners, unfortunately, didn’t install dual-control switches for their bedroom ceiling lights—meaning there’s one switch by the door and another near the window. As a result, the same frustrating scenario from their student years has sadly reappeared.
Solution
When doing the renovation, be sure to remind the electrician to install the ceiling light with a dual-switch control system. If objective conditions don’t allow for this, you can opt to add a controller to the ceiling light, designing it as a remote-controlled switch—this will achieve the same convenient functionality.
3. Didn’t remember to drill the air-conditioning holes in advance
When it came time to install the air conditioner during the renovation, we didn’t pay enough attention to the placement and failed to leave a proper hole in the wall. By the time we finally tried to mount the AC unit, it was already too late—there was no pre-drilled opening! As soon as we fired up the rotary hammer drill, the freshly created hole instantly turned the wall into an unsightly mess, looking like someone had painted it with chaotic, random strokes. For our meticulous Virgo friends, it’d be all too tempting to rip off every bit of wallpaper in sight!
Solution
Since water drills are essential for making holes for air conditioners, they can easily stain or smudge the wall surface. Therefore, during renovation, it’s crucial to carefully decide on the air conditioner’s placement and hanging height—and ideally, drill the air conditioner holes in advance, during the wall painting stage, to avoid any potential problems later on.
4. The TV wall does not have a pre-installed wall-mounted outlet.
It’s the outlet’s fault again—during the renovation, we might have been so focused on making the TV backdrop look stunning that we overlooked the tiny detail of not leaving space for a single outlet. As a result, the perfectly purchased LCD TV ended up sitting awkwardly on the TV cabinet, which honestly left me feeling pretty annoyed. After all, I specifically chose a wall-mountable TV—so why am I stuck with it perched on the cabinet instead? And if I *do* try to hang it, no matter how long or short the power cord is, the visible cable will just ruin the whole sleek, minimalist aesthetic I was aiming for.
Solution
If you’ve purchased a liquid crystal wall-mounted TV for your home, be sure to leave an outlet space on the background wall. Even if you place the TV on a standard-height TV cabinet, the cabinet should still cover the outlet area, preventing cables from cluttering the room.
5. Decorative paintings spaced too closely
When decorating the living room, everyone loves to hang some background decorative paintings before buying the sofa. Typically, these paintings are 60 cm by 60 cm in size. If you hang four of them with 40 cm spacing between each, the total length comes to 3.6 meters. At first glance, it looks pretty good—but once you place a sofa that’s slightly longer, the paintings suddenly seem cramped and underwhelming.
Solution: When hanging decorative paintings, be sure to carefully consider the overall length of the living room, the dimensions of the sofa, and the proportional sizes of other furniture. Properly plan the spacing between the paintings—otherwise, if it ends up looking awkward no matter how you arrange them, you’ll have to redo the work. And remember, leaving nail holes in the wall afterward can seriously detract from the aesthetic appeal.
6. The door dimensions do not allow for sufficient height.
When installing the living room door, I only considered the floor height—but completely overlooked the thickness of the doorway rug. As a result, after the flooring was laid, there was barely any extra space left. I had planned to add a beautiful little rug right at the entrance, but now there’s simply nowhere to fit it.
Solution
When installing a security door, be sure to consider the thickness of floor tiles, flooring, and carpets—and leave extra space in advance—to avoid inconvenience caused by insufficient height.
7. The ceiling grid was not designed with chandelier installation in mind.
When designing the ceiling in the living room, we didn’t put much thought into it and failed to communicate promptly with the carpenter. As a result, after the renovation was completed, problems arose: the chandelier we’d purchased couldn’t be installed on the ceiling. This happened because the weight of the fixture wasn’t factored in during the installation of the ceiling joists, which were constructed too lightly to support the chandelier’s load, making it impossible to mount the light fixture properly.
Solution: If homeowners want to install a chandelier on the ceiling, they must bring it up during the initial design phase of the ceiling structure and maintain open communication throughout the process. They shouldn’t allow construction workers to proceed on their own initiative. After all, if the carpenters aren’t aware of the chandelier design or if the underlying framework isn’t properly planned, it could lead to significant complications when it comes time to install the fixture.
8. Water heater left exposed
When renovating, people often focus only on reserving space for hot and cold water pipe connections—neglecting the aesthetic appeal of the water heater itself. As a result, the purchased water heater ends up looking unattractive, and with the pipes left exposed, it not only spoils the overall appearance but also makes cleaning and maintenance a real hassle, easily turning into a hygiene blind spot.
Solution: When installing a water heater in the kitchen, it’s best to leave space for a cabinet with louvered doors, specifically designed to house the heater. This approach not only enhances the kitchen’s aesthetics but also promotes efficient heat dissipation. Most cabinet manufacturers can custom-make cabinets with louvered doors, and it’s highly recommended that these match the overall style of your existing cabinetry for a cohesive look.
9. The ground was not leveled during geothermal backfilling.
Especially for homeowners in the north who like to customize their own underfloor heating systems during renovations, it’s common for them to encounter issues when backfilling the floor. Often, construction workers fail to properly level the surface, leaving an uneven ground that may not be obvious at first glance. But once the flooring installation begins, the flaws become painfully apparent—forcing homeowners to start over and repeatedly redo the work. It’s truly a frustrating and time-consuming ordeal.
Solution
So, when backfilling the ground, the homeowner must be present on-site to supervise the workers and ensure the surface is properly leveled. The smoother the ground is during backfilling, the easier it will be to lay the flooring later—and the less hassle you’ll face down the road. Plus, this approach helps keep renovation costs from spiraling out of control.
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