• My husband and I renovated three areas in our home, and we regret our flooring choices in each.
• Our basement's vinyl-plank flooring seemed like a smart choice, but the space doesn't feel cozy.
• The light carpet in the front room isn't going to hold up against our kids and dog for very long.

In the summer of 2021, my husband and I purchased the home next door to my mom and stepdad.

Never in a million years did I imagine that I would raise my own family on the street where I grew up, in the heart of suburban Centennial, Colorado.

Yet, with two young kids, who spend the bulk of their after-school time and random school days off with their grandparents, the move toward the 'burbs began to make sense.

The decades-old home had great bones, but very little had been updated by the original owner. We were open to making the place our own through a renovation, so we didn't mind the wood-paneled family room, unfinished basement, or the brown carpet.

After a year of planning, a year of renovating, and a year of living in our home, I'm largely thrilled with our space, but I regret the flooring choices in three critical areas of our house.

The basement feels uninviting without carpet

Reflecting on the amount of time my husband and I spent in our basements growing up, we knew we wanted to turn ours into a great gathering space for our kids.

I also swore never again to have a carpeted basement after our first home's basement flooded with sewage.

So, we selected a light-colored, wide luxury vinyl-plank floor. It's gorgeous. But without carpet, the basement feels cold and unwelcoming. Our children hardly ever play downstairs.

Instead, the basement has largely become where I put the kids' toys before they relocate them to the front room of the house, where they prefer to play.

An added problem is that our anxious dog, Winnie the Poodle, is terrified of the vinyl-plank flooring.

In the rare instances that we go down to the basement, Winnie refuses to leave the carpeted steps and join us.

Our front room has become the playroom, and its carpet is susceptible to many stains

One of the many things I learned — unfortunately, too late in our renovation — was that our contractor was almost always correct.

He recommended putting wood floors in our front room to match the majority of the first floor and current trends. Instead, we installed a soft, gray carpet.

The room now offers such an inviting feel that our kids have taken over the space. At present, the coffee table is covered in Lego bricks, and the floor is barely navigable due to a flying boat made of blankets.

Initially, I was constantly on alert, trying to intercept markers and crayons from the light-colored carpet before they created stains.

At this point, I've lost my resolve. Given that this room is also Winnie's favorite room, the carpet already bears the scars from his anxiety-induced vomiting anyway.

We'll likely have to get it replaced in the next few years.

The mudroom would be even better with heated floors

When people visit our home, they "ooh" and "ahh" over our mudroom/laundry room, an enormous space with great light and excellent storage. Prior to our renovation, this space was just a tiny dining room.

We spend a lot of time on this room's tiled floors in bare feet, either doing laundry or getting into or out of shoes. It can be a little unpleasant during colder months.

After experiencing the luxuries of a heated bathroom floor in our primary suite, I wish we had thought to heat these floors as well.

Our renovation taught me a few lessons

Looking back, it might've been helpful to live in our home for a bit before making our flooring choices.

However, it wasn't feasible with the scope of our renovations, and we had no way of knowing just how much one flooring choice could impact how our family (and dog) use a space.

Once our bank account recovers from the reno, I'll be purchasing a lot of rugs for our basement to try to make it cozier.

We'll also probably start putting aside money to replace the flooring in our front room. Given that the room is so unexpectedly popular with our dog and kids, the light carpet doesn't seem like it's going to hold up for long.

Maybe one day we'll even retrofit our mudroom with the heated floors we now know we love so much.

• In 2020, David and Amelia Bay-Brown began renovating RVs to boost their income.
• Since then, they've bought, fixed up, and resold 17 RVs nationwide; the priciest sold for $60,000.
• Now, they're using their skills in redesigning small spaces to fix up New York City apartments.

In 2020, David Bay-Brown and his wife Amelia stepped away from their careers — in Broadway acting and professional hairstyling for theater and television, respectively — to start a new venture: renovating recreational vehicles, or RVs.

"We had careers in New York City, but the pandemic shut everything down," Amelia, 33, told Business Insider. "We were looking for another outlet to make money."

The couple started by spending $3,000 on a 1979 Dodge Cruise Master that they thought they would use themselves to travel the country. They documented the monthslong renovation process on YouTube and Instagram, transforming the dated, falling-apart RV into a stylish space with new flooring, cabinets, and a custom dinette booth. Multiple followers expressed interest in buying it, so the Bay-Browns ultimately sold it for $27,000.

"We told the other people interested in the vehicle that we could make them one just like it or build them a custom one, and that's how our clientele started," Amelia said.

Five years later, the couple has renovated 17 RVs across the country. Depending on the extent of the work and what needs to be rebuilt in the RV, their labor costs can range from $15,000 to $45,000. The cost of materials, based on the level of luxury and quality, can range from $5,000 to $15,000.

"It's definitely nerve-racking to tackle something as unique as a home that moves," David, 37, told Business Insider. "Everything has to be flexible and lightweight, so you don't compromise on gas mileage."

The Bay-Browns have recently expanded their business to non-mobile homes: small apartments in New York City.

Getting started renovating RVs wasn't easy

The Bay-Browns became inspired to renovate RVs after renting a run-down one during a 2020 trip out west. They decided to buy their own, customize it to their style, and use it for their adventures.

The first RV they bought — the Dodge Cruise Master — was in bad condition with water damage, rotting floors, and evidence of a mice infestation. They taught themselves how to restore it through YouTube videos and received help from an active online community of RVers.

They stripped the RV down to a shell and replaced the ceiling, studs, walls, paneling, and subfloor.

"I think we were just dumb enough to give it a try," David told BI. "The rest is history."

Selecting a buyer for the RV was as challenging as designing it.

Originally listed for $19,790 due to its 1979 build, the price went up after 200 people expressed interest in the RV, many willing to pay above the asking price.

In the end, they chose what Amelia called a "sweet family" from Kansas who offered $27,000 and had fallen in love with the RV.

Looking back, the couple admits the labor they put into the renovation likely cost more than they realized.

"It took about six months of full-time work to complete the renovation," Amelia said. "We made a good amount, but when you factor in our time, we probably got paid, like, two cents an hour."

Their pandemic project became a full-fledged business

The Bay-Browns spent two years traveling the country and renovating RVs while living in a motorhome they bought for $23,000 using some of the profits from the sale of the first RV.

"We've helped many people move out of their brick-and-mortar homes — whether it's because they want to live on the road, have a remote job, or a combination of both," Amelia said.

While working on client projects, they stayed in their own RV either on the properties or at nearby campgrounds.

The Bay-Browns told BI that they rarely take on renovation projects that require a complete overhaul. However, they always sand down the walls, reprime, and repaint each RV.

Many older RVs have plain linoleum floors and walls, making them feel less homey. The Bay-Browns renovate their RVs to have an "elevated aesthetic" and personality by using materials like wood, tile, wallpaper, and textured finishes.

"The traditional RV manufacturing process focuses on speed of assembly and is typically not designed with aesthetics in mind for the end user, which often results in bland interiors," David said. "We ask clients, 'What would make this feel like home to you?' and build their dream space."

Their renovations often focus on maximizing space and enhancing privacy in tight spaces. For example, they've soundproofed walls for families with multiple children or created multi-functional rooms. One project involved converting a master bedroom into both a bedroom and wardrobe for a couple who wanted the RV to serve as both a home and a film set trailer.

"What we really like to do is help people come up with unique solutions for their unique needs," David said.

Their clients are from all over the US

In 2021, the Bay-Browns purchased an 18-foot-long RV named Jute, which they envisioned as a "library with a view." They installed a custom desk, a projection screen, and a patio deck, allowing guests to enjoy movies on warm nights.

Once the renovation was complete, they sold Jute for $40,000.

A different RV, called Elle, was renovated for $45,000 in parts, materials, and labor. It was for a couple in Utah who, according to David, wouldn't settle for anything less than total luxury.

To achieve a high-end feel, the Bay-Browns painted the kitchen a rich chocolate brown and added a custom-slatted wood backsplash and butcher block countertops. For the entertainment area, they applied black Italian plaster behind a framed television.

They hand-built and upholstered a curved dinette booth in the dining area after an inspiration piece was too expensive for their clients' budget.

Another RV, named Oakley, is the most expensive the Bay-Browns have worked on; it sold for $60,000.

The 35-foot motorhome belongs to a family of six. The client requested that the entire interior be finished with authentic white oak veneer. The veneer was applied to every surface of the RV, while Italian travertine countertops were added to the kitchen.

In addition, the Bay-Browns designed a custom breakfast nook table with a convertible makeup mirror and a custom bunk bed for the children, complete with rock-climbing holds.

They renovate apartments now

The Bay-Browns sublet their apartment in Queens, New York, while living in their RV.

Now, they've returned to their apartment and resumed their previous careers, but they've also added apartment interior design to their résumés.

"We're taking the skills we've learned renovating RVs — like maximizing small spaces — and applying them to apartment living," said David, whose most famous role was playing Elder Price in "Book of Mormon" on Broadway.

So far, the couple has completed four projects across New York City.

Recently, they overhauled a 150-square-foot children's bedroom on Manhattan's Upper West Side that also doubles as a homeschool area.

To maximize space, they built a custom bunk bed, with one bed cleverly disguised as extra cabinetry.

In Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the couple turned an empty office into a functional living space by adding a custom-built Murphy bed. Designed and built from scratch, the project cost around $12,000, covering labor and materials.

"Designing with limited square footage is more fun than huge mansions," David said. "When you're working with limited space, it becomes a fun brain puzzle. It's extremely stressful but much more gratifying because you're forced to think creatively."

• After 20 years of spills, kids, and pets, most of the carpeting in our house needed to be replaced.
• Even though we hired professionals, the process required a lot of time, effort, and planning.
• We learned to purge while packing and get creative with storage solutions.

My family has lived in the same house for 20 years. It was a new build when we first moved in, but now it's endured five children, one grandkid, and a puppy.

As you can imagine, the carpet in our home got pretty gross over time, and it was well past time for us to replace over half of it.

Based on what we learned throughout the long and grueling renovation process, it may be another 20 years before we do it again.

Here are a few things I wish I'd known in advance.

We had more stuff than I realized, which made the prep work difficult.

Pulling up carpet and padding that's been lived on for 20 years is messy.

That meant anything we didn't want potentially covered in dust and debris had to be moved out of the rooms. Since we were tackling all the bedrooms, that also included everything in the closets.

I never realized how much fits in a closet until I was moving it all to a temporary home. We barely had enough room to store our belongings in other parts of our home during the renovation, so we got creative.

My teen also learned the hard way that it's much easier to start getting rid of things during the packing process.

Instead, they ended up packing their stuff, unpacking it, then packing it back up for donation or storage.

Cars are great storage vessels.

My eight-seat Honda Pilot became a full-blown closet.

We stacked clothes from dressers in suitcases and laundry baskets, piled shoes in the footwells, and used the middle row of seats to keep everything on hangers.

Alternating the hanger hooks on the seatbelt meant everything stayed in place whenever we had to actually use the car.

We couldn't paint our walls right before our carpet installation.

Since our decades of accumulated stuff would have to be moved out anyway, we also decided it was a great time to paint our walls and some doors.

The professionals told us we'd need to do this at least a week before the carpet removal flung dust all over. That time would allow the paint to fully cure and prevent it from getting messed up.

We originally planned on doing the whole renovation in two weeks, so once we learned this, that timeline had to change. It ended up taking about seven.

We unknowingly chose the perfect time of year for an installation.

Our professional installation was scheduled for early September.

We live in the Midwest, so luckily, that meant it was warm enough to use the garage as a storage space. On install day, everyone was also able to be outdoors to get out of the way.

None of that would've been a comfortable option during a frigid Chicago winter. Without knowing it, we picked the perfect time for the renovation.

The installers may not be willing to move all your furniture.

It's worth looking up the specifics of your carpet-installation agreement before booking a service, especially if you have some large furniture pieces.

In larger rooms, our installers were able to move most of the furniture while they worked.

However, they weren't allowed to move our beds because of some specific contract rule. We ended up having to figure out how to move and store those ourselves before the installers arrived.

One of the best things I did was create a note detailing where I'd packed our stuff.

By the time everything was packed up, stuff was everywhere (including in my car).

The living room and primary bath were full of primary bedroom furniture and boxes. The kids' bathroom had beds and bookshelves. The garage and basement were full of boxes.

So, throughout the renovation, I kept a note on my phone called, "Where's my stuff?" that had sections for each room that detailed where the furniture and boxes from it were in the house.

This note became invaluable when we moved everything back in, ensuring we knew where it all went before unpacking.

It was one of the best things I did throughout the renovation.

Putting all of our stuff back felt like the most difficult part of getting new carpets.

Although my note came in handy for locating items, putting everything back in its place felt like moving into a new house.

Even though all the stuff came out of our space, it was a bit of a headache trying to figure out how to make everything fit again. It reminded me of when TSA searches your zipped-up suitcase, but afterward, it won't close.

Despite a lot of purging during packing, there somehow didn't feel like we had enough space for our stuff.

I wished we'd more closely read the fine print of our carpet warranty.

Since we have a dog, we invested in a pet warranty. About a month after installation, our dog had an upset tummy and stained the new carpet.

Unfortunately, this was when we learned the nitty-gritty details of the warranty — for example, it's only valid if the carpets are steam-cleaned every 18 months. We also can't use carpet spray to clean stains if we want to keep the warranty.

These annoying specifics were a great reminder to always read the fine print before signing something.

• Phoebe Grier, now 18, flipped a home during her high school summer break.
• She used a hard-money loan and got financial help from her father as well as a private investor.
• Grier made a profit of $39,500 — she saved some, donated some, and bought a car.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Phoebe Grier, 18, who flipped a home in the Twin Oaks neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky when she was 16. She used her father's credit to secure a hard-money loan through Backflip, a platform that helps residential real-estate investors find, analyze, and finance projects. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

The summer I flipped the house, I still babysat and housesat, but that was my job.

When I wasn't playing golf, I was running errands for the house — going to buy things, making sure the things that the contractor said were supposed to be happening were happening and that people and places were where they were supposed to be.

My friends were thinking about going out to eat or buying makeup and clothes. One was working at a golf shop, one was working at an ice cream shop, and one was working as an intern. They didn't really realize what I was doing. They didn't even know what to think.

A lot of people were supportive of the fact that I was a young person who wanted to flip a house. Some people were impressed. Other people were like, "OK, you're a 16-year-old girl. Why am I listening to you?"

If I want to do something, I want to do it. I make it happen. It also definitely helped to get empowerment and encouragement from my parents.

My dad and an investor helped me buy the house and fund the renovation

Since I was little, I've had a passion for design and houses. My mom and I love HGTV — we really bonded over the design shows.

When I was in third grade, I collected a bunch of cardboard boxes and I built a house within my house. Even then, I loved anything related to building houses or design.

I first saw people flipping houses on TV. Then my dad, who was a pastor for most of my life, started working in commercial construction and started flipping houses.

My parents were in a real-estate "mastermind" class, and I went to a session and heard about a girl who flipped a house. I was like, "That is something that I think I could do also — and that I would love and be good at."

With my dad's help, I created an LLC called Phoebe Flips. Because I wasn't 18, my dad and I owned it 50/50. With his credit, through Backflip, I was able to get a hard-money loan to pay for the house.

I had to find all the money for the 20% down payment and the renovation on my own. Through talking with family members and friends, I found a private investor to cover the down payment and the renovation costs.

I bought the house for $234,500, including the 20% down payment, and $80,000 went into the rehab.

I had hoped my budget for the renovation would be around $45,000. I didn't know exactly how much every inch of the house needed to be touched. As the project progressed, no room was left untouched — the floors were refinished, walls were taken down and put up. We painted.

The house was in worse shape than I expected, but it ended up selling in 24 hours

I knew I was going to get a return because of the area that the house was in — Twin Oaks — but it really did need to be gutted.

I got the house from a wholesaler, which can sometimes be a little bit more tricky than buying it via a traditional real-estate agent.

The house hadn't actually been on the market. The day I bought the house, its resident hadn't gotten all of his things out. I showed up with the key, and he was actually there with his sister, still moving some of it.

There were still piles and piles and piles of junk, and it smelled. It was like, "Oh, gosh." With the help of my sister and my mom, we filled up, like, 12 bags of trash just within the first two hours we were there.

We didn't have enough time to get all the junk out ourselves, so I hired Junk Luggers to take it out of the house for $3,000. That was an extra expense that I wasn't planning for.

The renovation was my favorite part, and it was also the most challenging part. I love being able to pick out the fixtures and the different flooring and pick colors — just how it all goes together.

In the kitchen, I originally wanted light blue tiles, but they'd sold out, so I ended up going with dark emerald green tiles.

It doesn't just look like any old house; it doesn't have your average subway tiles and gray walls and boring floors. It appealed to all sorts of buyers, but still had some unique flair.

It took 91 days from starting the renovation to closing the sale.

In the moment, that felt really long, but looking back, I'm like, "Wow, three months."

Within 12 hours of listing, I received an offer over asking price, and in less than 24 hours, I had accepted it. I really did not experience any sort of agony with selling the house. We sold the house for $390,000, so the net profit was $39,500.

I didn't think it would be that fast. I wasn't expecting it to be on the market forever, but my expectation was not for it to be sold within a day. It was kind of shocking. I was really lucky.

I spent the money on a car, but I also donated and saved

With the money from the house, I bought a car. At the time, that was what I was working toward.

I also used the money to save for the school year so that I wouldn't have to have a job while in school.

I tithed and gave to my local church and also gave to two small group leaders who had been mentors in my life.

Some of the money is still in my savings account, but it's not enough to pay for college or anything. I'm going to college at Taylor University in the fall, and I'm going to play golf there. I'm going to study business and hope to minor in either entrepreneurship or Spanish.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to flip a house. Looking back, 8-year-old me would have never thought she could do this.

• We bought a fixer-upper in Canada while living in Australia, then moved our family across the world.
• Living in active construction for years was much more destabilizing than I ever imagined.
• My husband and I spent double our budget, missed time with our kids, and almost lost each other.

In 2017, we were living in Australia with our daughters and planning our move to Canada when I found my dream house on the internet.

From our home in Brisbane, I video-called and emailed a real-estate agent in Toronto, doing my best to juggle our 15-hour time difference.

Within days, I'd signed an online contract to buy the 1913 fixer-upper without ever setting foot in the house or the neighborhood.

My husband and I thought we could handle it, as we'd both lived in a few different countries and had worked with builders to renovate our Brisbane home years earlier.

However, the reality of our situation was far from what I had imagined.

The house needed more work than expected

When we bought the house, it had been divided into four apartments, so we agreed we'd live in it for a year or so while we drew up renovation plans.

However, as soon as our family moved in, we found that the house needed urgent repairs, including fixing its crumbling foundation and replacing its dangerous knob-and-tube wiring.

My husband, an engineer, decided we had to start work right away, and I didn't say no. In an attempt to cut costs, we hired the first person who said they could save us money and get the work done while we lived in the house.

As my husband commuted to his clean, quiet office for work each day, I tried to write and edit from home. Renovations, on top of the international move, were grueling.

No amount of plastic taped over doors kept the dust out of my hair, my nose, or the rest of the house. I dealt with bathroom floods and burst pipes while juggling being the sole parent and project manager since my husband had to travel for work.

My daughters, ages 9 and 11, missed their friends and our Brisbane home, and so did I.

Builders and the pandemic pushed me to a breaking point

By 2020, we had only finished a quarter of the house, and I finally convinced my husband we should move out during remodel. Before we could, though, our area went into lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living in renovations during the pandemic exacerbated every problem we already had. We were overwhelmed by decisions and financial pressures, and we were far away from friends in a city we didn't know.

Our daughters wrestled with severe mental-health issues, and family conversations spiraled into quarrels and angry silence.

During one late-night argument, my husband collapsed onto the kitchen floor. I should've taken it as a sign we all needed to step back, but I didn't. I became my worst self, and I hated the house.

I reminded myself constantly that we were lucky to even own a home, but it didn't help my panic attacks. After a particularly severe crisis, my doctor prescribed me medication for anxiety.

Years later, we're happy with our home — but the path to get here wasn't glamorous

All in all, it took us five years, over a dozen tradespeople, and two separate contractors to finish the house. We spent more than $1.4 million Canadian dollars (about $973,000.00), which was double our original budget.

It's hard to say if the renovations were worth all of the struggles. What I do know is that we now have a beautiful home and a new perspective.

Looking back, we realized our family took on far too much.

Our daughters were displaced by the move and destabilized by living with builders constantly in our home. And, by spending so much time working on the house, we missed precious growing-up time with them.

During these renovations, I also struggled to feel like an equal in my relationship. By letting my husband (an engineer and the main earner) make the decisions, I put too much pressure on him — and I was angry at myself for not speaking up.

After 20 years of marriage, we're finally talking about what we've learned and what we want our partnership to look like moving forward. I'm becoming more assertive, building my self-confidence, and prioritizing my mental health.

Above all, my husband and I are looking forward to never renovating again.

• My family finally decided to renovate our home after 35 years, and it cost us $36,000.
• Our smart oven has changed our lives, and the updated windows make our house look much newer.
• The couch is one of my favorite upgrades, but the most dramatic change was the kitchen cabinets.

My parents and I finally broke down and decided to renovate the 40-year-old home that we've owned and lived in for 35 years.

I always thought that significant home renovations meant new flooring and building a room over the garage, but I quickly realized that even simply upgrading appliances can go a long way.

After $36,000 worth of updates, here are the seven changes that made the most dramatic difference.

There wasn't anything special about our old dishwasher.

Our old dishwasher leaked and was loud. In recent years, it also hadn't been cleaning dishes properly, meaning we were doing a lot of handwashing.

We'd had it for about 15 years, and early in the renovation process, we realized we were in desperate need of a new one.

We upgraded to JennAir's Rise model. It cleans the dishes beautifully with its multiple spray arms but is unbelievably quiet.

The dishwasher offers three racks with adjustable components making cleaning dishes after big gatherings much more convenient. Plus, the twist-out filter makes it easy to remove food particles, preventing it from becoming stinky.

The coolest feature is that the dishwasher tells us how much time is left and when it's finished by projecting a light onto the floor. It also subtly pops open when it's finished.

The windows were a bit of an eyesore.

The windows had been in this house since it was built, so it was time for new ones.

I never even realized how much of a difference windows can make in a house's appearance until we replaced all of ours.

We can see clearly now with our new ones.

We hired a company called Window World to come out for the installation, and it was so neat to watch the process.

The team of six efficiently staged the layout of the windows, tore out and replaced any rotted wood, measured and bent the metal for the new windows, hung the metal, caulked the trim, and meticulously installed everything.

The sizes and shapes of the windows didn't change drastically, but the difference in clarity felt stark. We live on a lake and it's so nice to be able to clearly see the beautiful view.

Our fridge was just plain old, and our new one is such a vibe.

Our old refrigerator was an eyesore in the kitchen, mostly because it was really showing signs of wear and tear.

Plus, it was getting to the point where it wasn't even staying very cold.

We upgraded to Samsung's Bespoke French-door refrigerator with a beverage center and built-in water pitcher.

It's so pretty that I actually can't stop staring at it.

We went with the white finish to help brighten up our kitchen, but it also has changeable door panels in case we ever wanted a different look.

One of its unique features is that it can sync to our phones, allowing us to regulate its temperature and know if the door has been left open.

Our old couches weren't doing much for us.

Our pair of matching living-room couches were small, and I thought the upholstery was ugly.

We'd had them for 27 years, and I rarely ever sat on them.

We went with a dramatically different style for the living room.

We upgraded to Cozey's Ciello XL seven-seater sectional in sunset beige, which completely transformed the space.

It was shipped in individual boxes and was easy to put together. I like that it's fully modular, plus the pillow and seat cushion covers are washable (aka very pet-friendly).

The couch has been the most-used item in the house since the renovation.

The color is clean and brightens up the room. It's also much larger than our old one, providing ample seating for company.

Best of all, it's incredibly comfortable and cozy. I honestly sleep on it more than I sleep in my bed at this point.

Our new high-tech oven is such a treat.

We'd had a JennAir oven for about 20 years.

Even though we loved it, we wanted something with a few more bells and whistles.

We wanted to stick with the brand we knew and loved, so we upgraded to JennAir's Rise double-wall oven. For someone who doesn't know how to bake or cook, it's been life-changing.

The touchscreen culinary center has built-in recipes with pictures that make it easy to cook and bake anything when I have no idea what I'm doing. I can even select the type of pan I'm using, and the oven will automatically adjust the setting.

To be honest, it's the smartest thing in the house.

The best part is that I can start the oven from afar and then fully control and monitor it wherever I am via the JennAir app.

The kitchen cabinets were a little drab.

We knew our kitchen needed the most renovation out of every room in the house.

Our outdated red-oak cabinets were 40 years old, and we never liked that they didn't reach all the way to the ceiling.

Our new cabinetry gave our space a facelift.

My mom has always wanted a white kitchen, so she took it upon herself to make it happen.

She deglossed the old cabinets to take off all the old varnish. Then, she sanded them down and prepped them for two coats of white paint.

She even built smaller cabinets to stack on the old ones to make the kitchen look taller. My mom then ordered small cabinet doors with cutouts from Fast Cabinets and filled them with frosted glass.

After months of work, new brushed-nickel hardware and hidden lighting were the finishing touches.

I'm actually excited to use our cooktop.

After living with a cooktop that only had two working burners for years, we were plenty fed up.

We caved and chose KitchenAid's electric downdraft cooktop.

There are two small burners and two larger burners, but the larger ones also have settings to heat smaller pots.

My favorite feature is the melt setting. Its sole purpose is to melt things like chocolate or butter without scorching it.

Plus, the downdraft fan with three speeds quickly sucks out any smoke produced while we cook.

• Developer and interior designer Robert Novogratz shared the mistakes people make during renovations.
• Novogratz has bought, renovated, and sold homes with his wife and business partner for over 25 years.
• Common missteps include not vetting contractors and going overboard with color and pattern, he said.

Home renovations are a practical way for homeowners to create the space they want without the high cost of buying new.

However, without careful planning and attention to detail, projects can easily cost more than expected — or might not turn out as envisioned.

Robert Novogratz — a New York-based designer and developer with over 25 years of experience buying, selling, and renovating homes and hotels alongside his wife and business partner, Cortney — has some advice.

The duo, who have seven children and call themselves the Novogratz, compiled the lessons they've learned throughout their years in the home renovation and design industry in a 2024 book.

"The best decisions we've ever made — the ones that felt right and true and are still with me today — were the ones we made when we were slightly limited, either financially or by square footage. Those are the moments that forced us to get creative," the couple wrote in the book.

The Novogratz have completed projects from Los Angeles to Brazil, including the bohemian-chic Hotel Dylan in Woodstock, New York, and the California mountain home of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

Here are seven mistakes homeowners often make when renovating and designing their homes, from choosing the wrong-sized furniture to hanging art too high, according to Robert Novogratz.

1. One mistake many homeowners make is not hiring the right contractor.

"When you hire a contractor, check all of their references and previous work extensively," he told Business Insider. "It's crucial for everything, from avoiding lawsuits to preventing thievery or shoddy work and making sure the job is finished on time."

Novogratz recommends checking at least three references and visiting their past projects in person before hiring a contractor. He said failing to conduct proper due diligence could cost homeowners hundreds or thousands of dollars.

"The world has become very litigious," Novogratz said. "Anytime someone walks on your property, you're at risk, so your general contractor needs to be insured. As a homeowner, you should also be included in their policies as 'additional insured.'"

2. People often choose furniture that's too large or too small for a room, which can throw off its entire vibe.

Novogratz said getting the scale right is key.

Furniture that's too small can get lost in a room, while pieces that are too large can overwhelm the space.

The same goes for rugs, he added.

3. Homeowners who don't stick to their renovation budgets might buy things they don't truly need.

Novogratz suggests homeowners create a wish list when renovating their home and follow it closely.

"You want to stick to that budget and then pick what you want in your home," he said.

4. Artwork is often hung too high on walls.

"Usually, 60 inches from the center of an art piece is how you hang something on a wall. But art is hung too high sometimes — I see that a lot," Novogratz said.

Hanging art at this height can ensure it's at eye level for most people, making it easier to enjoy. It also might help the room feel more intentional and organized.

5. People add too many colors and patterns to their homes, which can be overwhelming.

"My wife and I love color and patterns in homes, but sometimes it can be a problem," Novogratz said. "You might see checks, stripes, dots, or other patterns that just don't work together. It can be too much.

He emphasized that great interior design is about balance and making sure all elements complement each other in a cohesive and harmonious way.

"Editing is key in design — more isn't always more," Novogratz added. "I love many things, but sometimes less is better."

According to Novogratz, a home "should tell a story." Mixing and matching elements, like having "five different hardwood floors" or mismatched decor styles, can be a chaotic faux pas.

"I'm one of those people that believes everything has to make sense — the dots need to connect the chapters," he said.

6. Homeowners sometimes back-burner structural necessities in their quest to make spaces aesthetically pleasing.

"We all want to make the house beautiful, but when you're building, the most important thing is getting the basics right," Novogratz said.

"Don't just patch the roof — make it perfect," he added. "The plumbing and the electrical work might seem boring, but they're the most important. Make sure that doesn't come back to bite you in the ass."

7. People ignore their intuition. Don't — it's your greatest asset.

"Sometimes a home has great bones but a weird layout or floor plan," Novogratz said. "You have to get a little creative. For us — like anyone else — our gut instincts are usually right. When we've ignored them, we've been wrong."

• I renovated a bathroom in my Victorian home for $12,000. It's nice, but I have a few regrets.
• White floors are difficult to keep clean, and our mirror is hung too high to serve shorter people.
• Our ceramic inserts for shampoo and toilet paper are too small to be fully functional.

I live in a charming 4,000-square-foot Victorian home that was built in 1890.

In recent years, I spent about $12,000 renovating the small, 50-square-foot bathroom that's tucked underneath the front staircase.

When I bought my house in 2012, it already felt outdated.

A stained acrylic tub was shoe-horned behind a half-wall near the toilet, tucked under a pitched ceiling where stairs on the other side of the wall ran up and over it. This meant no one taller than 5 feet could stand under the showerhead.

My renovation included a full rip-and-replace to the wall studs, custom tile and installation, plumbing and electrical costs, new fixtures and accessories, drywall, and paint.

Although I love my updated bathroom — now bright and modern with black-and-white tile throughout and the shower in a new location — I still made a few mistakes.

Here's what I did wrong and wish I'd done differently:

The toilet is in clear view from my living room whenever the bathroom door is open.

My carpenter convinced me to reverse how the door opens from the hallway, moving the hinges from the right side to the left.

It used to swing into the bathroom, and he needed it to swing out so it would not hit the new wall-hung sink directly behind the door.

Unfortunately, this means the toilet is now in full view to anyone in my living room — not exactly classy to see while enjoying a glass of wine or watching a movie. I close the door when leaving the bathroom, but guests often fling it wide.

If I had a do-over, I wouldn't have changed the direction in which the door opens, instead keeping the toilet hidden and putting the sink on the opposite wall.

White tile floors look elegant but show every speck of dirt.

I love the retro look of tiled bathrooms, especially in gleaming black-and-white designs. My tile floor was beautiful when installed, with bright-white grout and a polished black center in each square.

Within days, though, heavy foot traffic made the floor dingy — and the white still seems to show every speck of dirt.

I'm on my hands and knees weekly, scrubbing the floor.

The shallow wall inserts for shampoo and toilet paper are impractical.

I chose to add one ceramic insert to the tiled shower and another for the toilet paper roll. Unfortunately, both are too small.

The shower insert holds about one bottle of product. Had I gone with a taller and wider insert, I could fit two larger bottles, shampoo and conditioner.

The toilet-paper insert is also too small for the mega rolls we buy. I need to leave the roll on the floor until enough sheets have been torn off where it will fit into the smaller holder.

The mirror is hung too high to be useful to shorter people.

There's only one piece of drywall in the bathroom, and everything else is tiled. During installation, the tile was stacked too high up the wall, meaning the drywalled area is closer to the ceiling.

My 90-year-old mother lives with me and, after we hung a mirror on the drywall, we discover she can't see into it. She is 5 feet tall — on her tiptoes, she can see the top of her head. Although we chuckle, this is impractical.

Unfortunately, to fix this, we would need to rip out all the tiles in the wall.

I wish I'd gotten a built-in shower bench installed.

Speaking of my mother — although she's still agile, she is 90 years old.

Although our shower has a grab bar, I wish I'd paid extra to have a built-in bench installed, too. I've since noticed benches in friends' homes, and I imagine my mother will one day need this option.

I can buy a teak bench to place in the shower, but a tiled one would've been a sleeker solution.

• Seven years ago, we took our ranch from three bedrooms to two to make the primary bedroom bigger.
• My daughters' sharing a room has led to little space, lots of clutter, and constant arguments.
• Now, we're planning to renovate again to add a second floor and give them their own rooms.

Seven years ago, my husband and I took our 900-square-foot ranch from three bedrooms to two.

Much of our $60,000 renovation budget went to a new kitchen and relocated basement stairs, but we used the rest to split the middle bedroom in two.

Half of that space went to our primary, and the rest was joined with the other remaining bedroom, creating an 11-by-12-foot space for our daughters to share.

We've regretted it ever since.

Many people in my life advised me not to do this, but I didn't listen

When making my plans, my main thought was that our bedroom was too small. My husband and I were squeezing past each other each time we got ready and waiting for the other to dress so we could reach our own clothes.

For me, the only logical solution was to make our bedroom bigger and have our kids share a room. Fellow parents and even my husband didn't think this was a good idea, but I ignored them.

Instead, I thought fancifully about the bonds my girls could build within those four walls and imagined the fun they'd have growing up in the same room, just as I did with my sister.

My girls don't have enough space and their living styles aren't compatible

Today, I'm very much reaping what I sowed.

One of my daughters is messy and nonchalant while the other is organized and opinionated.

Instead of their shared space bringing them closer, it serves as a major point of contention between them.

They love each other but, every day, they fight over something concerning their room: closet doors left open, a cluttered nightstand, lights left on at bedtime.

When I made this decision, I didn't know their developing personalities wouldn't mesh in a roommate way. I also should've realized that as they grew, their belongings would, too.

The single five-drawer dresser that could once hold all their clothes is now overflowing. I spend many a morning stuffing sweatpants and jeans down so its drawers can shut.

My now-13-year-old's woman-sized clothing needs full-sized hangers, which don't fit in her child-sized closet. The hangers jut upward on one side while her clothes are pressed together like sardines in a tin.

As a little girl, she had only a brush, some hair ties, and bows. Now, she needs space for makeup, skincare, hair straighteners, and curling irons.

As her collection of adolescent items grows, so does her younger sister's resentment toward the disparity of storage space … and back to arguing we go.

We're planning to renovate again, in part so our daughters get their own rooms

I'm grateful our daughters have enough things that their drawers are too full — and there are certainly families who successfully share smaller spaces — but this setup doesn't work for us.

Moving isn't an option right now, so we're renovating again to add a second floor to our house. My daughters' bedroom issues aren't the only reason we're doing so, but they're definitely a contributing factor.

I'm excited to add a larger pantry, upstairs laundry room, and primary bathroom, but I'm downright elated that my girls won't have to share a space.

I can't wait for the day when they'll no longer fight over who has an inch more space atop the dresser.

Yes, they'll still argue — they're siblings, after all — but I'm confident my kids will get along better when they have some privacy and space from each other.

Maybe absence will even make their hearts grow a little fonder.

• After years of saving, I spent $50,000 on a kitchen remodel to create the space of my dreams.
• I'm glad I splurged on my high-end countertops and an interior designer.
• My new appliances have been great, but I didn't need to install under-cabinet lighting.

When I bought my three-bedroom, two-bath house in 2005, I was in my late 20s, and it felt like my first real step into adulthood.

There was a lot to love about my new home, from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the office (a dream for any writer!) to the 1970s archway from the living room to the kitchen that provides so much character.

But there were also things I hoped to one day change, like replacing the wall-to-wall carpeting with tile and remodeling the sad brown kitchen. Little did I know it would take 15 years to save up for new flooring and a few more still to get around to the kitchen.

I estimated it would cost $45,000 to make the changes I wanted — which included ripping out and replacing just about everything — although my final bill came in closer to $50,000.

I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Five things stand out to me a being 100% worth splurging on, but there's one expensive choice I wouldn't make again.

Hiring a designer was worth every penny.

I'm terrible with a tape measure, know nothing about piecing together cabinets into a cohesive and functional layout, and didn't have the time or eye to pick out the perfect tile — so I hired an interior designer.

We worked together to bring my vision to fruition and she to planned all the details of my remodel. I paid $525 for an initial consultation and $5,250 for the design development.

I have no doubt that if I'd tried to do this myself, I would've wasted a ton of time at stores being indecisive and I probably wouldn't have liked the end result.

I don't regret living in hotels during the demolition and early construction.

This project was supposed to take about three weeks, but it actually went on for about three months.

My contractor had forewarned me just how messy and loud the demolition phase would be and that I wouldn't have access to a kitchen the entire time — so I booked three weeks of hotel stays to avoid the chaos.

Although it would've been easier, logistically, to stay in one hotel the entire time, I chased specials and discounted rates at some of the most luxurious resorts in Phoenix (the triple-digit summer heat means massive sales each year).

I work from home, so being able to work in peace at these hotels for a few weeks at the start of the project was priceless. I definitely had a tough time once I went back to living in my house during the rest of the remodel.

My higher-end countertops feel worth every penny.

I knew I wanted quartz countertops, and my designer helpfully chose some options within my budget. The problem? I hated how cheap and flat they looked.

So, she showed me some upgraded samples — and, of course, I fell in love with how much more depth and richness they had.

I ended up paying about $11,000 for countertops, which was several thousand dollars over budget. I don't regret it because they have the "wow" factor I wanted.

I'm glad we had a millworker make custom shelves.

One of my requested design features was a display area for my collection of colorful Le Creuset enameled cast-iron cookware — but each piece is so heavy and large that we weren't sure how to accommodate it.

My designer engaged a local millworker to custom-create three floating white-oak shelves that would enhance the overall design while providing functional storage space.

The project cost over $2,200, but the shelves are the focal point of the room — and I can see their beauty from my living room, too.

Upgrading to new appliances now saved me a headache down the road.

At first, I thought I might keep my 19-year-old stove and fridge for another year or two until I saved up for replacements.

However, once you design a kitchen around appliance measurements, it's not as easy to swap them out down the road.

So, I spent over $5,000 on a gorgeous LG stove and LG fridge I'd had my eye on. It was the right call — they look sleeker and more modern and are far superior to my old appliances.

The new fridge is enormous, and my new induction-style stove heats up twice as fast as the old electric one.

On the other hand, I don't think installing under-cabinet lighting was worth it.

I'll admit that a slew of TikTok videos about task and mood lighting convinced me to install trendy under-cabinet lights.

Although I dig the vibe they give off, I just don't use them as often as I expected. One of the reasons is that I didn't spend even more money to have them put on a dimmer switch, so they're just too bright at night.

I could've saved a few thousand dollars if I hadn't bothered with them at all.

• I planned ahead and consulted with experts but still made mistakes while renovating my bathroom.
• My floor looks dirty quickly because the grout is too light and I chose the wrong vanity lightning.
• The shower niches look nice but don't drain properly because they're not angled.

As a writer with kids, I'd long ago abandoned the dream of a bathroom remodel. Instead, I'd learned to live with perpetually loose floor tiles and a tub that was as shallow as it was short.

Then, one day, the shower wall caved in, exposing a gaping hole of black mold. Outwardly, I cursed our bad fortune. Inwardly, I threw back my head and silently screamed, "We're renovating!"

With the help of a small inheritance, we transformed our tiny, dilapidated bathroom into a clean and airy space that sparks joy whenever I use it.

The renovation required a full gut down to the studs. We moved the door, opened the ceiling, and splurged on a double vanity and high-end fixtures.

I made good calls and a few bad ones and probably spent 50,000 Canadian dollars (about $36,000) total.

Although I consulted with a designer and sought help from my design-savvy sister, there are a few things I'd definitely do differently next time.

I should've done my shower-niche homework.

I added shower niches for storage and was thrilled with my design choices until I had my first shower and noticed water pooling in both shelves.

After a quick Google search, I realized the tiling at the bottom of a niche should be angled to let the water drain. I hadn't thought of this, and my contractor apparently hadn't either.

The niches aren't angled at all. Worse, they're in a part of the shower that gets especially wet.

They don't always dry between showers so, over time, water could seep through the tile and into the framing behind — which might eventually cause another mold problem.

A darker grout would've helped my floor tiles look cleaner.

During the design process, I had to select a grout to accompany my beautiful white-gray Carrara marble tiles.

At the time, I chose a light color thinking it would seamlessly match the tiles — it did. Unfortunately, it's also a dirt magnet in the high-foot-traffic area around the sink.

No amount of scrubbing has helped thus far and comparing it to the pristine tile under the vanity hurts my heart a bit. Next time, I'll go at least two shades darker with floor grout to help mask the unavoidable grime of this busy zone.

I didn't appreciate the importance of specs.

It took forever to find the perfect floating vanity with drawers and space for two sinks. At last, I imported a beautiful fluted piece from Italy.

While awaiting its arrival, my contractor roughed in the plumbing based on the standard height for vanities. It turns out my piece was not standard — its cutouts for pipes didn't match up with the now-installed plumbing lines.

Fortunately, we were able to cut out a notch in the back of each of the drawers to accommodate pipes. This was better than buying a new piece, but it added another 400 Canadian dollars to my budget.

Next time, I'd ensure my contractor had all the specs before mounting or installing anything.

The lighting for my vanity area isn't great.

Although I'd put a lot of thought into the placement of pot lights in the ceiling, I neglected to do the same with vanity lighting.

Instead of, say, three lights placed at eye level or two over the mirrors, I settled on just one placed between the two mirrors. This was, in part, to save money.

But one light doesn't provide nearly enough illumination when you're using the mirrors. (Just ask my teens!)

I don't really have enough room for three sconces, but I wish I 'd at least placed one above each mirror. I'm now sourcing new (hopefully cheap) sconces, which I'll also have to pay an electrician to install. Ouch.

I wish I'd paid more attention when ordering my custom window.

When I discovered my existing window had to go, I knew I wanted to replace it with an industrial-style one complete with grilles running in a grid on the outside.

I could already picture the adorable piles of snow that would collect in the corners come December. Since I was so certain and so busy I ordered my window over the phone.

When the window arrived, I was shocked to find the grilles were between the sheets of glass. I'd never seen this design before, and it was definitely not my intended vibe.

It was a custom piece, so I couldn't return it. Instead, I focused on the positives: This was much cheaper and way easier to clean than the ones with grilles on the outside.

Since it's a small window, I've gotten used to it and even come to like it. But if ever I'm in a position to add windows to another room in my house, I'll spend more time and money to ensure I order the grilles on the outside.