No, as a professional designer, I take my time and am extremely careful about how I renovate.

Yes, my bathroom is not as I would like. Renovated by moving shower and vanity. Big mistake. I should have left the shower where it was.

No. I have a good sense of what I like, and I get really good help with any design decisions that may be iffy.

Nah. I just renovate again.

I mean...c’mon. This is a pretty weak effort lame poll Houzz.

Did Houzz get a new Intern? Lots of polls posted today!

Once my client insisted at extremely light grey tiles refusing my recommendation on using darker grey impact. After delivery, she was horrified seeing them white. what would destroy our plans. Fortunately, she didn't take in mind opening them at direct sunny rays what makes them appear white. Using them in inner room we got the right impact.

I do not understand "Polls" here. I never see any of the voting results.

There is always room for improvement in any project. Nothing turns out truly perfect. There are many ways to envision a project - sketches, computer renderings, etc. but until the last piece is in place and the last wall painted you won't know exactly how a project will turn out. There are always unknown factors that will affect a finish product. That being said experience is a great asset in determining a finished work.

Just finished my bathroom and it’s perfect!! How can I submit a photo of it?

Yes, I have two specific regrets. First, our wood floors are gorgeous but too dark. Every speck of dust or shoe print is visible. Second, I wish I had installed a normal tub filler next to the freestanding tub in the master bathroom. Instead, we installed a laminar filler in the ceiling above the tub. It's really cool and works fine, but I have to use a remote to add water during a bath-- wish I could just turn a tap.

I think this is a great poll. I'm on the fence about remodeling my kitchen. it's a huge investment so it's good to hear from others on what they would have done differently. thanks for sharing!

My two regrets have to do with lighting: I worked out the lighting with our contractor and we ended up with too many can lights in the kitchen— the ceiling looks like it has chicken pox when the lights are on—really don’t need that many—especially when we have lights in cabs, under cabs, sconces, chandeliers, etc. We just used the recommended number and placement from the electrical supply house. (I should have known they were going to sell us way too many.).

And also I should have been more mindful of the switches—I could have had some of the can lights on two or three separate circuits and also sconces on separate circuits (I do have separate circuits for some but not enough.) and I could have chosen better switch placements for better control. At least we have lots of dimmers. Still it feels like we are in a broadway light show sometimes. Live and learn.

I also have a good sense of what I like, but made the mistake of a major remodel without a designer 8.5 years ago. Contractor recommended an architect/space planner, who was quickly able to obtain a permit (no small feat in San Francisco) but disappeared after his first dispute with the contractor. Contractor walked all over me. Since then, even little things have design input and oversight from a professional.

Overall I’m happy with the 2 projects I took on in my 23 year old home. I renovated my loft- I live that and it didn’t break the bank to replace carpet w laminate wood look floors.”, add ship lap, paint, replace bannister and stairs with wood stained treads! Awesome results!
My kitchen project was trickier and more expensive but love the results!

I recently finished a gut remodel and I would say I am overall satisfied with what was done - I used a great designer and GC.

I can't imagine any project where one didn't regret one thing or another but I don't have any OMG what the f was I thinking :-).

I am not in love with my French door refrigerator but there wouldn't have been a better alternative. I know that bottom freezers are theoretically better but the advantage of my cheap plain old refrigerator with upper freezer was the ability to cram everything in if need be. With an bottom freezer one has drawers and I can't cram stuff in because they won't close :-)

I do second guess some of my choices - should I have gone with white oak floors? When I saw the sample, I thought it was too brown against the rest of my white oak cabinetry. Should I have gone with Blue Butterfly granite instead of Black Galaxy? Should I have gone with a Calacatta marble counter in master instead of French Vanilla?

By the time I understand and learn more and looking in the past if I start some projects ( floor color, FP surrounding) I would go different way.

I wouldn’t say regrets per se, but I find my tastes change quite often as soon as I see a new construction home done by an awesome designer. Luckily I’m planning to move in about a year or so so I get to pick out all new stuff. Maybe I should just be a designer...

Luckily nothing big. A few simple fixture changes a couple years later. And a couple small things that only I notice on a DIY project.

The best laid plans were drawn up by a designer.
1-The contractor wanted to re arrange the lay out which I let him.
2-The shower had issues, the curb less floors did not allow the shower door to open a full 90 degree, the door hit the overhead rain shower ( I’m short so I designed 12” from the ceiling) , this was resolved by raising it higher.
These are lessons hopefully
someone else can avoid. Overall I am so pleased with the remodel. It was deigned for “aging in place” and I always try to keep in mind what adds value to the resale. I knew I got it right when my millennial son walks and says “Yes”, even a millennial could see himself in my modest 1960s ranch, less than 1300sf.
My suggestion is to enjoy the journey to making your dreams come true.

I listened to the manufacturer, not the builder and installed beautiful 3/4" hickory variable plank floors in my bayside shore home which is built on stilts right by the water. They all cupped within a month just like the builder said. Luckily in time they calmed down a little and we got used to the look. I also installed IPE Brazilian hardwood on our outside deck which was also beautiful but the maintenance was absolutely horrible because of being on the saltwater bay. It turned black by the end of the season.

Renovating the kitchen. Everything has worked out except the color of the cabinets which are very difficult to find complementary colors for backsplash/ wall paint. The undertones are cooler than I'd like when I want a warm cozy kitchen.The result is going down a whole other color palette I never intended.

HUGE and costly mistake of refacing instead of replacing kitchen cabinets. Refacing was almost as expensive as total replacement and I am not happy at all. We went from dark to light in color so when the doors are opened, the original dark color is still around the opening. It is obvious that they have been refaced. Don’t do it!!!!!

Mary Ann - After getting current pricing on refacing I would never do it again, years ago the price differential was substantial. Now it is almost the same price, but I am confused by your statement. They should have covered all exposed spaces with matching laminate. You shouldn't have any of the old color exposed.

Cherry floors. I did and still do love the warm color but the wood is soft and scratches/scuffs easily in high traffic areas and with dogs. Wish we had been more practical.

Painted kitchen cabinets. The lower cabinet paint has chipped badly on all cabinets over 3 years. Very disappointing.

Very few of our choices have been disappointing over the last few years of renovating a 1992 house. We did the kitchen, laundry room, 3 bathrooms, windows, hardwood floors, closets, tile floors, carpets, paint, new staircase, finished the basement, roof, to name a few.
As a recommendation, I would say overthink all choices down to every detail and try to do a practice run if you can. Get the biggest sample of whatever ( fabric, carpet, tile, wood, etc) and view it in daytime to nighttime lighting before you commit. Tape off the size of things like islands, furniture, etc. before purchasing. Ask to see their work. Take photos of everything they do in your house. It can come in handy if there’s a problem later.
We go to show homes and see what they’ve done and if we like it, we copy it. Ask who the company was that did the kitchen, built the staircase, etc, and get the name. That way, you know what the finished product will look like.
Get at least three quotes. Visit lots of show rooms. Use the best ideas from everyone. Trust your own taste, experience, and your gut. Each designer has what they like. Don’t be swayed to like what they like or whatever is the newest thing. Think of living with the choice you’re about to make for a few years. Will you get tired of it? The guy at the countertop store really loved the big patterned black veined white quartz, and really tried to sell us on it. It would have looked awful in our smaller kitchen and it would have been too dramatic for our taste. I’m glad we didn’t cave into the “latest thing”.
Hope this helps.

My regret is going with shaker style cabinets in a contemporary house for two reasons. 1) they should have been flat front not shaker to go with the style better (should have listened to someone here who said that...) and 2) maintenance reasons. I can't stand the dust / dirt that collects in the bottom lip of the door and my cat also tries to open the cabinet doors by scratching on that same inset bottom lip of the door and drawers.

Laminate wood flooring! Ugh! They looked horrible!

Even though they were the ‘higher end’ scraped wood.......the color was the same and had a cheap shine to them.

Splurge on flooring. No substitute here.

Luckily it was a great house and quickly sold a year later above full asking. I ended up moving cities. But, the entire year I lived there....I felt I ruined the home. Not a good feeling.

I also did black wood flooring in the master and master closet (this was 2000) and they looked great!

But, everyday I had to use the Swifter thingie. Dust was always showing.

For flooring....do not rely on flooring store showrooms.

Better to go to Model Homes and see the real thing throughout the house.

Then get the floor info....and, copy it! Same with wall paint color.

I usually know exactly what I want, so the projects in our home have turned out nicely. Having said that, I have learned to be precise with contractors and check the work before paying. I recognize it's my prerogative to change my mind and that costs more, so my husband and I are good with that. Finish-work is a pet peeve, but I just try to be realistic.

Not using a professional designer for ALL major decisions! We are building a new home and have professionals helping us achieve the atmosphere we want on the inside, but we wish we would have also consulted them for the exterior as well, which is fairly permanent. It will look fine - everything coordinates - however, we won’t have the contrast we would have preferred. Professionals can quickly determine your personal style and dreams for your space while also offering suggestions that you might not have considered on your own. Well worth the extra expense so you don’t have regrets later!

My husband wanted a pocket door. This is what he and the builder came up with. How am I supposed to work around that? He doesn't see a problem. Almost comical.

Notice the light switch.

When building our ranch home. Our great room was supposed to be 2 ft. wider. Somehow it wasn’t. Builder didn’t want to bother with variance. Sorry I didn’t insist. Plus should have kept the entire back wall of the great room dining and kitchen without jogs and also 2 ft.wider. It’s an open floor plan. Love it.

The only reason I tapped “yes” is because I regretted WHO I used to perform the work. I was extremely pleased with my choices (now 7 months later) and how everything came out but the process was extremely frustrating. I had to act as my own “general” despite the fact that I hired a general for both my kitchen remodel and later a general for remodeling the rest of my house to match my beautiful kitchen. And it took MONTHS to have the little things finished. In fact, there are still little things left to be finished despite the fact that it was supposed to be a 3-month project and we are now 7 months down the road (and, yes, I held back significant $$ which seems to have not helped). This had led me to ask everyone I know - has anyone ever been completely happy with their contractor? I haven’t met anyone yet . . . .

I have had a wonderful contractor (Allied Kitchen & Bath, Ft. Lauderdale) who did my kitchen and master bath. They are a pleasure to work with, meticulous about their work, and follow up wonderfully even a year or more after finish.

Loved our contractor! Palmer Custom Homes. They remodeled our kitchen and master bathroom. We were also able to get a true laundry room and an extra half bath! Gary Palmer would always have suggestions for how we could improve on the plans-and his suggestions saved us money! He kept us informed and finished when he said he would. A truly wonderful experience. We have our forever home!

Yes, big mistake-refacing kitchen cabinets--should have just replaced them.

Most of my regrets have to do with contractors. It's rare that I'm 100% satisfied with their work, and I'm not bold enough to complain or to ask to have things redone. The only time I'm completely satisfied with a project is when I do it myself, but as an amateur it takes me forever, and with a baby in the house it's just not possible for me to do it all.

So far I have no major regrets about my design choices, though I waver between thinking we're spending too much on a property that may end up being a rental, and wishing we'd spent a little more to get what we really wanted for a property that may end up being our forever home. (We aren't sure whether to stay and add on, or rent out and buy bigger.)

Yep, contractor makes a huge difference. Staying on budget, offering advice and finishing on time. Seems like everyone could do that, but not so, so not so. Never go with the lowest bid, never have a "friend" do the work.

Yes, I failed to get multiple bids on a room addition. The room was completed and turned out beautifully but was 25% more than the average rate even though my spouse did 1/2 of the finish work. 2 lessons learned: do not hire your contractor friend and always get multiple bids.

Laura and I must have had the same contractor. We trusted our realtor’s suggestion of a good builder since we were new to the area. Never again.

We loved our contractor—Bob Moser, Moser Homes in Minnesota. He’s done remodeling for us as well as a new build. As someone mentioned above, our biggest mistake was using a flooring person our designer recommended instead of our builders usual sub. Our hardwood flooring is the one thing I hate in our house. WD Flooring in Minnesota. They actually had to completely replace our floors after a year in the house because the installer took the finish off the floors. Still not happy. Terrible company.

Everyone has regrets but we’re all worthy of redemption. My husband had renoed many smaller projects before we spent any money where we lived. He’s an electrician by trade but artist by hand.
Because we had three kids and big dreams, we worked project by project. All decisions were made before a sledgehammer was swung. Everything was purchased ahead so we didn’t run out of money. Some people say ‘budget’. I say ‘checkbook’.
All I know, and am truly thankful for, is that the shoemaker’s kids got one shoe at a time...even if it was missing a shoelace for a bit.

Regret hiring a person that wasn’t knowledgeable in bathroom renovation. He made many mistakes and I had many things redone. Also, didn’t finish the project. I’m now faced with hiring another person to install cabinets, tile and fixtures. I will definitely get references for my kitchen renovation this year.

I hired a friend. They installed my hardwood floors years ago. But age seemed to have been factor. Going to tear out the tile and start over.

While using an interior designer, I deferred to her taste far too often hoping for an "elevated look" in my living and family room. As I result I have a lot of pretty but uncomfortable and impractical furniture. It was my own fault but I did learn, don't buy furniture you can't try out and don't completely deny your own aesthetic.

My husband and I renovated our Las Vegas kitchen. He did all the demo and we had planned to do a minor upgrade. Enter Hope Negro from Lowe’s. She was a marvel! Not only did she come up with savings at every turn, the savings were on beautiful upgrades! Because big box stores have a list of subcontractors and you many end up with anything, she gave us a list of contractors to specifically request. My kitchen turned out BEAUTIFULLY! The only thing I regret is leaving that kitchen when we moved.

I hired a guy to do one room at a time. Slow and perfect. He destroyed my home and I wish I was rich enough to put a price on him. Every single louvre had to be replaced. He stole my motor cycle trailer and refused to return it. I hate that I feel this much co tempt but it has taken nearly four years to get back what I had I. The first place and thousands of dollars. My kitchen is ruined and all I can hope for is a fire.