Do you have anything home improvement wise that you have ended up wishing you had done differently? (hardwood, how much)
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What home improvement have you invested in that either didn't end up being as much of an improvement as you would have liked or ended up being something you wish you had done differently?
For me it would have to be the Pergo floor in my great room...it looks nice but I really wish I would have shelled out the extra money for some quality hardwood.
When my husband installed the drywall ceiling in our bedroom, he didn't place it the full ten feet up. It's still a high ceiling but not as high as the rest of the house. It bothers me because we have a high four poster bed. I think the lower ceiling makes the room seem smaller even though it's a large room. When my husband told me his plans, I wish I would have said no but I didn't really think about it. Since it's a big hassle to tear out an redo, it has been like this for 15 years. We're planning to do it this winter. It's going to be a pain because we'll have to move our entire bedroom into another room.
I'm just starting on my 4th house, all of them with DIY. I think my biggest regret was installing laminate flooring in the first house. That's just not something I'd ever do again and I do my best to talk people out of making that mistake themselves. The labor is really no different to install real wood, just a little cost difference but even that can be minimized by shopping for closeout deals. I actually paid less for the pre-finished Elm that's under my feet currently than the laminate in that first house.
To add a flip-side to that, the Best thing I ever did was hire a licensed/insured contractor off craigslist to help me with a number of projects in my 2nd home. Since I was working along side my price was lower, I got to learn how to do everything from replacing drywall to laying tile and sweat in copper plumbing (bathroom gut and remodel). I later called on him to help me repair some shingle damage after a storm, replace/repair some bricks and the mortar around them, replace windows, etc... it was some of the best money I've ever spent, like having 1 on 1 instruction and it was really quite inexpensive. I still negotiate with contractors to this day to see if and how much they'll take off if I help. I mean, I'm going to be around supervising Anyway, might as well save some money and learn in the process.
I've torn apart various rooms at different times, then later after all the walls are back up, they change something so far as electrical / computer wiring goes.
Perhaps the best thing would be a main electrical room where all wires run to. And also very large empty conduits from each room to that electrical closet, then you can run new wires as they change things.
Then of course everything will be wireless!
Anyway *very* difficult to predict the future of stereo / TV / home automation / computer wiring.
Another recent change is that each electric wall switch now requires an extra wire to power the new electronic switches (occupancy sensor, home automation, etc.).
Painted my bedroom pink; it looked like a beautiful, soft, light pink on the sample. With the four walls reflecting off each other, I felt like I was inside a bottle of Pepto Bismol. I painted it again a year later and LOVE the color now; it's a beautiful soft gray that changes with the light and seasons. I love it.
I wish I had re-done my backsplash at the same time that I got new countertops in the kitchen. At the time, I thought I could live with the fruit tiles...wrong. That decision was just about the dumbest thing ever. I have had the backsplash re-done, but that just meant living through two big messes instead of one big mess.
My bathroom renovation was on a tight deadline and budget and I made a few design decisions that I regret. For instance, I chose a black 3x6 subway tile for the shower/tub surround. I mostly chose it because it was in stock (I needed tile that week and couldn't wait for a special order) and because it was cheap (around $2/sq ft). It looks fantastic and I get compliments all of the time but I really wanted a grey porcelain (would have been a 2 week wait and $4/sq ft) or a grey glass (which was in stock but about $15/sq ft).
Also, I wish I would have taken the roofer to small claims court for damaging the fascia board and some of the siding on my house. It's not too late, though, and I'm still considering it.
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