Costly mistakes?

HOLYHUDSON recently posted this comment:


Will you think hard and see if you have anything to add to my latest post?
http://holyhudson.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-biggest-design-or-renovation-mistake.html

I want to gather helpful, funny stories from as many bloggers as possible. I feel like you think long and hard about your decisions (and have a pretty enviable budget) so you may have avoided any royal f'ups. But maybe you have something to contribute?


This is a great question. Honestly, the biggest way we avoided costly mistakes was by not doing anything major for the first 4 years we lived in the house. This is my first house and I didn't know anything about remodeling or even, say, patching plaster. So we did nothing. It was very frustrating not being able to make big changes, but I am so glad we just lived with the house as it was for a while while I figured out what I really wanted. During this time, I saved a good chunk of money. This helped later on when it was time to update the kitchen. This way, I didn't have to cut corners on things I wanted to splurge on like the counter and the faucet.

KITCHEN MISTAKES
But I did make other mistakes. Lots of them. We didn't figure out under-cabinet lighting before we started the project and we still don't have them. I did ask the contractor to wire for it, but that part is left unfinished. Amateur move on my part. Not paying enough attention to lighting at the start of the project was my biggest mistake. So now, when people at work talk about doing their kitchens, I tell them 2 things: (1) figure out your lighting first and (2) splurge on your faucet if you having something special in mind (you will be touching it ALL the time, so buy exactly the one you want once you've saved for it).


COLOR MISTAKES
The other mistake I have made (or currently am making, really) is not making a color plan for the whole house at one time. I am not great with color and I've made several mistakes already. I should have sucked it up and hired someone to help with that early on. But, it's kind of a catch 22, because 5 years ago, hiring a color expert or designer was not in the cards and now it's possible. So, you know, maybe ask a friend with good design sense to help you figure it out if hiring someone is not an option at the moment.


GO SLOWLY
The other mistake I would have made if I'd had the money to do it back then would have been decorating the place all at once. I am certain I would be regretting furniture purchases made five years ago if budget hadn't kept me from making them at the time. My taste is kind of settling in. I am more sure of the things I like, less excited about trends, and more interested in buying things I will have for a very long time.


This is a great topic, so thanks for throwing the question out there.

What mistakes have you made? Any advice to give a new homeowner? Post them to comments below or post them on HOLYHUDSON.