10 RENOVATION MISTAKES WITHOUT A DESIGN PROJECT
We regularly see each of these mistakes on sites where we are called to "rescue" a renovation. All of them cost money, and most can only be fixed with another renovation.
- Sockets in the wrong places. Furniture is arranged "later", and sockets end up behind the sofa with none by the bed. Extension cords forever.
- A single lighting scenario. A chandelier in the center of the room instead of designed lighting: no task lighting, no soft evening light.
- Switches behind an open door. A classic of unplanned renovation: to turn on the light you must close the door.
- The kitchen designed after finishing. Water and electrical outlets do not match the appliances — chasing through fresh tiles.
- Not enough materials (or too much left over). Buying "by eye" means either downtime or wasted money: a different tile batch differs in shade.
- Doors and floors do not align. Different floor heights between rooms — thresholds where there should be none.
- Furniture does not fit. The sofa will not pass through the doorway, the wardrobe hits the cornice — because nobody drew the layout.
- Underfloor heating beneath furniture. It heats the wardrobe, not people, and damages the furniture.
- Ventilation "somehow". The kitchen hood vents nowhere; the bathroom gets stuffy and moldy.
- Deciding "as we go". Every on-the-run decision means rework, crew downtime and on average +30–50% to the budget. A design project costs less than these mistakes.
A design project is not about "pretty pictures" — it is about making each of these decisions before work starts, on paper, where a correction costs zero. Estimate your project cost with the calculator on our home page.