I bought my first home just about two years ago. All in all, it's been one hell of a rewarding experience! I've completed a number of major and minor upgrades around the house that have been well worth every penny...and, ya know, the occasional blood, sweat, and tears. Emphasis on the tears.
The regrets have often been pretty tiny. Like installing this mid-century modern-ish chandelier in my kitchen! The internet duped me into thinking I would love it, but now I rarely turn it on since it makes me irrationally and inexplicably angry every time I look at it.
Other times, I've had more significant regrets. When the house's 30-year-old heating system finally died — mere months after closing, of course — we opted for a more eco-friendly approach by installing a ductless heat pump. Though I did hundreds of hours of research on it, there was one aspect I neglected to realize before it was installed: placing a large, noisy, vibrating box directly outside my bedroom, one foot away from my headboard to be exact, would ultimately be a not-so-wise idea.
So I'm genuinely curious: Am I the only homeowner who's ever made some questionable renovation or home improvement decisions? I don't think I'm alone here, so if I'm not, I'd love to hear from y'all about the upgrades and projects you've completed that weren't worth it in the end.
Maybe your regret is as simple as installing some finishes that you reaaaaally don't love looking at — like my light fixture, for example. HGTV tricked you into thinking an eclectic mosaic tile would be the perfect fit for your bathroom, but now that you've lived with it for a few months, the busy pattern stresses you out while you brush your teeth every single morning.
Perhaps you decided to save lots of money and assemble, install, and finish your kitchen cabinets by yourself. Now that the project is finished, it looks...well...like a DIYer did it. But hiring a professional to re-install would cost thousands of dollars, and you won't have the budget for that for another few years.
Or maybe your regrets are actually pretty difficult to remedy. You scored a great deal on a fixer-upper, renovated to your heart's content, but now that you're looking to move again, the return on your investment isn't lookin' so hot. The offers you're getting definitely aren't reflecting the work (and money) you put into the home, and you're starting to realize that you should've been a little more conservative with your upgrades.
Whatever your home improvement regrets are, we want to hear them. Tell us all about them in the comments below, or if you'd prefer to stay anonymous, you can fill out this quick Google Form. We'll feature the most helpful responses in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post.
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