8 Things You'll Regret NOT Adding During a Home Renovation.

Renovations are full of exciting decisions like tiles, paint, and finishes. But once you actually start living in the space, the things people regret most aren't those choices. They're the practical details that were overlooked during planning. Not having enough storage, bad insulation, too few outlets, or poor lighting. These mistakes can turn into daily frustrations. So in this video, I'm breaking down the renovation decisions people regret most, and what to do differently while you still have the chance. One of the most common regrets I hear from homeowners is simply not having enough storage. A lot of modern homes and new builds don't include the storage older homes used to have. Things like entry closets, linen cupboards, broom closets, and dedicated storage cabinets have slowly disappeared. Part of the reason is that builders prioritize open space and more bedrooms, and closets take up square footage that doesn't show well on a floor plan. At the same time, modern design trends lean heavily toward open and clutter-free interiors. But real life doesn't really work like that. There's so many everyday items that need somewhere to go. Vacuums, mops, spare bedding, towels, cleaning supplies, coats, and bags. All the things you use regularly but don't want on display. If you don't plan for them, they end up wherever there's space, and it's hard to keep your home clutter-free. That is why so many people regret skipping proper storage during a renovation. And there's a bit of irony here. A lot of those really clean, minimalist homes you see online actually have a huge amount of hidden storage. It is just built in so seamlessly that you don't notice it. In one of my own projects, I worked on a small studio apartment where the bedroom alone had more storage than most homes. Everything was integrated into the walls, so the space still felt calm and minimal, but it functioned really well day to day. So instead of leaving storage until the end, it is something you want to plan right from the start. Some solutions might not be possible in smaller homes, but a linen or broom closet, and some form of entry storage are almost always worth prioritizing. From my experience, most people wish they had more storage, but I've never heard anyone say they wish they had less. One of the most common kitchen regrets comes down to the choice of base cabinets. More specifically, choosing cupboards instead of drawers. Many kitchens were designed with lower cabinets that had a door and thick shelves inside because they're much cheaper than drawers. But it is awkward to use. You're crouching down and reaching all the way to the back just to get to what you need. Things get stacked, lids go missing, and the things you use most often somehow end up buried behind everything else. Drawers solve all that. Everything is visible at a glance and you can grab what you need easily. It also makes much better use of the full depth of the cabinet because you're actually using the entire space instead of ignoring the back half. So if you're redesigning a kitchen, it is worth replacing most lower cabinets with drawer units wherever possible. It is one of those small decisions that make a big difference in how your kitchen feels to use every day. And one of the biggest sources of friction in any home is cleaning. So I want to thank Roborock for sponsoring this video. I've been using the Saros 20 recently and I liked how it takes care of everything on its own. It can lift itself over door thresholds and transitions between rooms including double layer thresholds up to around 8.8 centimeters. So it actually moves through the house properly instead of getting stuck halfway. The navigation is also very accurate and it avoids small obstacles like cables or random items on the floor. So you don't have to pre-clean or tidy up before it runs. It's also one of the slimmest robot vacuums I've used. So it can get under low furniture that many others just can't reach. But the biggest difference is just how hands-off it is. Hair doesn't constantly wrap around the brush because it pulls it into the center and sucks it straight into the bin. And it cleans properly along edges and corners with the brush and mop extending out instead of leaving that dusty line around the room. It also transitions really smoothly between hard floors and rugs as it can lift and adjust itself on carpets to make sure you get that deep cleaning. Then on top of that the robot empties itself, washes the mop with hot water, dries it, and basically takes care of the whole cleaning cycle on its own. A well-designed home isn't just about how it looks. It's about how easy it is to live in and maintain. And the Roborock Saros 20 is one of those things that actually makes a difference day to day. If you want to check it out, I'll leave a link in the description. Another really common regret is not having enough power outlets. It sounds minor during a renovation, but once you move in, you feel it immediately. You go to plug something in and realize there's nowhere convenient to do it. So you start relying on extension cords, power boards, or constantly unplugging one thing to use another. The reason this happens is because most homes are built to meet the minimum electrical requirement, not how people actually live today. And now we're using more devices than ever. Phones, laptops, coffee machines, electric toothbrushes, vacuums, smart speakers. It all adds up quickly. If there's not enough outlets, everyday tasks become slightly inconvenient. It is so important to plan for them before your renovation because they're super easy to add while the walls are open, but not so much afterwards. So instead of thinking about outlets as a fixed plan, it helps to think about them based on how you use each space. In the kitchen, that might mean outlets on the island or inside a pantry. In the bedroom, outlets on both sides of the bed. In the bathroom, near or inside the vanity. And even near the toilet if you're considering a bidet. You can also think about the less obvious spots. Inside a broom closet for charging a cordless vacuum, near an entry table for lamps, or on outdoor walls and decks. It is a small detail, but it affects how convenient your home feels every single day. And this is something I know many people struggle with, knowing how everything would come together. That is why I created Room Visualizer AI, so you can test different furniture, finishes, and looks in your space before committing. We've also built a feature called Style Lens, which helps you define your own unique design style and apply it across your space. It gives you a detailed style profile like this, breaking down your colors, materials, and overall aesthetic so you can actually understand what you're drawn to. You can try it out for just $1. Lighting is one of the biggest reasons a home can feel off. A mistake I see all the time is relying on a grid of downlights, especially in spaces like the living room or dining area. It might seem like a safe choice, but in practice it creates a flat, slightly harsh environment that doesn't feel great to spend time in. A lot of the time, this comes down to the lack of planning. The electrician is just asked to put some lights in the ceiling, and you end up with the default option. Good lighting is layered. Instead of relying on one type of light, you want a mix of sources at different heights. Wall lights, pendants, floor lamps, table lamps, all working together to create a softer, more balanced atmosphere. But to do this, you need a lighting plan from the get-go, because they all require routing. And once you start layering, having control with a dimmer switch is just as important. Bright light might be useful during the day, but in the evening, most people want something softer and more relaxed. Winding down with the lights in full brightness is not a pleasant feeling. Another thing to think about is lighting zones. If one switch controls every ceiling light in a room, you lose flexibility. It is much more useful to separate lighting into zones, so different lights can be used depending on the situation. Task lighting is often overlooked as well, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. In the kitchen, for example, if your only light source is behind you, you end up working in your own shadow. Under-cabinet lighting or better placed fixtures can solve that problem completely. The secret to planning all of this properly is the floor plan. In order to know where lights should go, you first need to know where the furniture will be placed and how the room will be used. Once that is clear, you can design the lighting around those activities. Just because the real estate agent calls a room a bedroom, doesn't necessarily mean it has to stay that way. And the lighting should reflect how the space will actually function. Because good lighting doesn't just help you see, it shapes how your home feels to live in. The way your home is positioned on the block has a huge impact on how it feels to live in. Think about the difference between a room that is bright and filled with natural light, and one that feels dingy and cold. Most people are naturally drawn to the first one, and a big part of that comes down to orientation. Surprisingly, this isn't always treated as a priority. A lot of projects focus heavily on the floor plan and how the home looks from the street, but less attention goes into how it sits on the land. Windows end up facing the wrong direction. Living areas miss out on sunlight, and the wrong room feels dark throughout the day or overheats in the afternoon. In winter, the house can feel colder than it should because it's not capturing enough sunlight. And in summer, certain rooms overheat because the sun is blasting straight through west-facing windows. But good orientation and passive design can make a huge difference here. If you're building or doing a major renovation, it is worth working with an architect or designer who understands passive solar design principles. The basic idea is to think about how the home interacts with light throughout the day. If you're from Australia, the government also has a great resource about all the passive design principles you should adhere to that is worth a read. Living areas like the kitchen and living room are usually best placed where they can receive softer morning or winter sun. At the same time, things like shading and window placement can help control stronger afternoon sun. And this does depend on where you live. In the southern hemisphere, that typically means prioritizing north or east-facing light. If you're in the northern hemisphere, south-facing rooms tend to get more light throughout the day. When you're planning, most of the focus goes to visible elements like cabinetry, flooring, tiles, and lighting. Insulation tends to get overlooked and whatever meets the minimum requirement because it's not something you interact with directly. And in Australia especially, that minimum can be none. Our homes are so dangerous that according to a 2015 medical study, Australians are twice as likely to die from the cold than Swedes are. There's a running joke that Australian homes are colder than houses in Greenland, and I can vouch for that. It honestly feels like your room is either 15 degrees or 50, so you're either freezing or sweating your balls off. Poor thermal insulation means rooms heat up quickly and lose warmth just as fast, which makes the home less comfortable and forces you to rely more heavily on heating and air conditioning. It also means you'll end up using more electricity just to maintain a stable temperature. And then there's sound. Without proper insulation, noise travels easily through the house. You hear conversations from the next room, footsteps from above, or the TV playing through the wall. This is especially noticeable in and home offices where you expect a bit of privacy. It's not always obvious straight away, but over time, it changes how the home feels to live in. And like orientation, this is very difficult to fix later. Once the walls are closed up, improving insulation becomes a much bigger job. So if you're renovating, it is worth thinking about both thermal and sound insulation early on. It is not the most exciting decision, but it's one that quietly affects your comfort every day. Now the next one isn't essential, but for the people who include it, it often ends up being one of their favorite features. Heated bathroom floors is a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. But for the people who install it, heated bathroom floors are often one of their favorite parts of the renovation. Whether it makes sense really depends on where you live. In warmer climates, it's not something you think about. But in colder regions, stepping onto a freezing tile floor first in the morning isn't exactly a great start to the day. Bathrooms tend to feel colder than other rooms because they're usually finished with tiles, which hold onto the cold, adding ventilation and moisture, and the space cools down pretty quickly. Radiant floor heating warms the tiles from underneath, so the surface stays comfortable. It is a small change, but it makes a noticeable difference in how the space feels day to day. There's also a practical side to it. A slightly warmer floor helps moisture evaporate faster, so the bathroom dries out more quickly after showers. That can help reduce dampness and the chance of mold over time. And like insulation, this is something that is much easier to plan during a renovation than to add later, since it sits underneath the tiles. Electric systems in particular are relatively straightforward to install during a remodel, and don't take up any visible space. Bidets have become a lot more popular in the western world in recent years, especially electric ones with features like warm water, heated seats, air drying, and automatic lids. But most bathrooms still aren't designed with that in mind. Traditionally, in a lot of western homes, the toilet area was never designed with power in mind, just a toilet paper holder. But in places like Japan, electric bidets are the standard, and it does make you wonder how we're still cleaning with paper. I mean, just look at this very accurate representation. I'm sorry, toilet paper is not hygienic. Imagine you grab poop with your hands and then just wipe it with a dry paper towel. Are they clean? No, of course not. Now, if you're renovating, it is worth asking your electrician to add a discrete outlet nearby. It doesn't cost much, and it gives you the option to install an electric bidet whenever you want. From my experience, I've never seen anyone go back to toilet paper once they're properly introduced to a bidet. There are also non-electric bidet attachments that work perfectly well, but planning for an outlet gives you more flexibility down the line. If you enjoyed this video, check out this video on 9 kitchen design mistakes and what to do instead, and this video on 11 bathroom design regrets and costly mistakes to avoid. Otherwise, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.