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Is renovating easy to fall into pitfalls? Here is my methodology for avoiding pitfalls, combining many renovation articles from our community to provide some "old" ideas for renovation, helping everyone avoid major pitfalls in the renovation process and smoothly move into their Dream House.

Streamlined Version#

🏠 Applicable group: People with a house area of 140 square meters or less, planning to renovate with a clear package or semi-package approach, have some free time, a limited budget, and a certain pursuit of quality.

💰 Hard decoration budget: Within 200,000, soft decoration and appliances can vary.

💡 Strategy concept: Light hard decoration, heavy soft decoration. Gorgeous and flashy hard decoration uses complex processes, has more procedures, is easy to fall into pitfalls, and can easily become outdated.

Reasons why renovation is easy to fall into pitfalls: (1) Lack of understanding of the accompanying impacts of renovation decisions; (2) Lack of understanding of renovation products;

How to avoid pitfalls: (1) Set a budget: Focus on the present, prioritize locking in the hard decoration budget; (2) Decision ripples: Based on the perspectives of "renovation project cycle | lifecycle cost," gain a comprehensive understanding of renovation decisions; (3) Choose good products: Reasonably construct both positive and negative "information cocoons" to present the full picture of products; use the power of "systems" to filter products; (4) Choose good workers: Pay attention to workers' "surface work," avoid difficult-to-communicate "masters";

Other suggestions: (1) No need to worry about formaldehyde, be alert to other hidden sources of pollution (sealants, furniture, etc.); (2) Use good tools, master information: AI, Notion, Figma, Xiaohongshu, and Minority.

My family's expenditure reference: "Click here to view" (Notion)

Perhaps the most correct thing I did last year was renovating the long-idle new home. After a year-long renovation journey, I gained new insights into the renovation process. Combining many renovation articles from our community, I provide some "old" ideas for renovation to help everyone avoid major pitfalls and smoothly move into their Dream House.

Where Do Renovation Pitfalls Come From?#

The reason renovation is easy to fall into pitfalls is that ordinary people lack an understanding of the accompanying impacts of renovation decisions. As non-industry practitioners, we can say we know nothing about the overall situation and details of the renovation industry. Moreover, renovation is essentially a systematic project that requires coordination among various trades and processes, and many practices that seem reasonable from a single perspective often lead to problems in subsequent processes.

Therefore, the most important thing in the renovation process is to understand as comprehensively as possible the chain effects brought about by renovation decisions. When you understand the chain effects behind each decision, you can effectively avoid pitfalls by re-examining the decisions made.

For example, when we decide to use 200*1200mm fine wood grain tiles, the basis for the decision is its aesthetics and durability, but we do not know that the installation of this specification of wood grain tiles is extremely complicated. Later, the renovation company will ask you for additional fees for installation: installation costs, and you have to pull out this money as you look at the contract terms; then comes the layout. You hope to emulate a certain Xiaohongshu influencer's layout, and the tiler, without saying a word, lays it out for you. When you are happily imagining the beauty of your new home, reality gives you a heavy blow: the tiler did not follow the layout and still left you with a threshold stone, telling you to buy the threshold stone, and saying they have always done it this way, leaving you pondering the so-called "full tiling"; finally, there is the beautification of seams. When you realize that beautification is calculated by the meter, facing hundreds of meters of seams and prices exceeding ten thousand, it feels like the sky is falling...

The entire renovation market's products are extremely complex, just like the industry itself, leaving people dizzy. The range of products involved in renovation is still limited on the internet, and information is still scarce. Ordinary people cannot distinguish these products at all, let alone make rational choices.

Because of this, after viewing countless renovation guides, one can still fall into pitfalls until giving up. Therefore, this article provides personal experience sharing from five aspects: budget establishment, decision framework, information collection, product selection, and efficiency tools, to help everyone minimize pitfalls as much as possible.

Still a mess in the new home

Establish a Real Budget#

Having a budget will greatly reduce impulsive spending.

We often set a limit for ourselves before renovation, such as "I plan to spend 250,000 to complete the renovation." Little do we know that such a hasty budget is the culprit of future budget overruns. The necessity of setting a budget lies in the fact that once we have a budget, we will greatly reduce impulsive spending. Just as you know that the balance in your bank card is insufficient to buy a luxury brand car, you naturally will not have the story of "I originally wanted to buy an electric car, but later upgraded step by step to a Rolls Royce."

First, we can roughly categorize home decoration costs: (1) Hard decoration expenses; (2) Soft decoration expenses; (3) Appliance expenses. With these categories, we can understand the expenditure situation of these categories from various information channels, providing a basis for our own budgeting.

Completing home decoration in a "clear package" manner requires the owner to purchase all materials themselves, with workers only responsible for completing various processes. By searching and inquiring, we can obtain the approximate costs of the three categories of expenses:

• Hard decoration labor costs: water and electricity 60 / square meter, tiler full package 13,500, carpenter charged per processed board 110 / piece, painter 75 / square meter, calculated at 120 square meters, total labor cost is about 40,000 yuan; main materials include tiles, wooden floors, washbasins, etc...
• Soft decoration: sofa, curtains, tables, stools, etc., totaling xxx.
• Appliances: TV, lighting, computer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, robot vacuum cleaner, etc., totaling xxx.

Adding these expenses together gives you your real budget, allowing you to know how much balance you will have in your bank card to buy your ideal sofa and dream TV, avoiding significant overspending.

However, we all have a tendency to be lazy. The above method will be very precise, bringing many decisions that need to be made in the future to the present, which will consume a lot of time and energy, and the effectiveness of the budget will decrease. Is there a simpler method? Of course. Since it is renovation, we should not set the goal as "a perfect home," but just renovate to a level that is livable. At this point, due to the significant reduction in expected goals, the information we need to focus on is greatly reduced; we only need to pay attention to what is involved in hard decoration. Later, you can slowly buy other soft decorations and appliances without needing to make hasty decisions.

My home is located in the main urban area of Shaoxing, with a construction area of 120 square meters and a usable area of 104 square meters. By understanding the prices of workers and materials in advance through multiple channels, the budget and actual expenses are as follows:

Two "Full Cycle" Perspectives#

With the hard decoration budget, you can purchase the corresponding materials.

From the example of wood grain tiles, if we can understand the chain effects triggered by decisions, we can largely avoid pitfalls. Before making each decision, from the perspectives of "renovation project cycle" and the entire "lifecycle cost" behind the decision, re-examine the decision and make an optimal solution within a certain range.

Pitfall Case 1: Lay wooden floors or wood grain tiles?

Let's start with the decision of "lay wooden floors or wood grain tiles." Generally, renovation bloggers will share the pros and cons of these two options, which is also the easiest information for us to search for, making it easy to choose the corresponding product. However, you can also easily fall into pitfalls because bloggers will only tell you the characteristic information related to the product itself, such as:

However, if you make the decision "I want to lay wood grain tiles" based solely on this information, you are likely to fall into a pitfall. Because you have no idea whether wood grain tiles will affect other processes, nor do you know the frightening beautification costs later, and you are unaware that the installation of wood grain tiles heavily relies on the tiler's skills; poorly laid wood grain tiles will look very unattractive.

What channels can provide this information? I believe a serious and professional designer should know this information, but since you chose a clear package or semi-package, it means the designer will not be involved throughout. My method is very simple: ask AI to sort out the chain effects that occur in these two dimensions (renovation project cycle dimension, lifecycle cost dimension). In the renovation project cycle dimension, we need to focus on the interrelated impacts of each renovation stage, so based on experience, I divide the renovation stages into: design stage, water and electricity stage, tiler stage, carpenter stage, painter stage, and finishing stage.

Additionally, renovation products generally need to be used in conjunction with other products to be effective. Simply considering the purchase cost of the product itself is not comprehensive enough; it needs to be evaluated based on the entire lifecycle of use. The lifecycle of product use can be divided into: purchase cost, installation cost, durability, maintenance cost, and additional costs.

Taking wood grain tiles as an example:

Prompt: What processes (stage divisions: design, water and electricity, tiler, carpenter, painter, finishing) will choosing wood grain tiles or wooden floors affect in the entire renovation project cycle? Compare the lifecycle costs of wood grain tiles and wooden floors.

Renovation Project Cycle#

The answer provided by deepseek is very practical, and from the initial question alone, one can clearly understand the differences between the two options.

1. Design Stage#

Wood Grain Tile:

Need to confirm the laying method in advance (herringbone, chevron, etc.), affecting the floor layout design.

Need to reserve tile gaps (usually 1.5-3mm), in conjunction with the beautification plan.

The floor height needs to reserve tile + cement mortar layer (about 4-5cm).

Wooden Floor:

Need to confirm the type of floor (solid wood / composite / laminate) and installation method (floating / keel).

High requirements for floor flatness (≤3mm error), need to plan leveling in advance.

Need to reserve expansion joints (8-10mm at the wall), to avoid deformation from thermal expansion and contraction.

...

After further questioning and integrating other information, for the decision of "choose wood grain tiles or wooden floors," it is not difficult to see that if wood grain tiles are used, it will increase a series of subsequent processes. To pursue durability, more effort and money will need to be spent. At this point, a preliminary decision can already be made, but please wait, let’s continue to explore whether this decision is appropriate from the perspective of "lifecycle cost."

Lifecycle Cost#

Prompt: Please compare the overall costs of wood grain tiles and solid wood floors, covering purchase costs, laying costs, maintenance costs, and additional costs (such as beautification for wood grain tiles), and output in table form.

After looking at this table, a basic conclusion can be drawn: if there is no underfloor heating in the home, using wood grain tiles is a rather foolish decision. From the perspective of lifecycle cost, calculating based on my home’s 90 square meters of laying area, the use of wood grain tiles leads to more subsequent processes, such as cutting and beautification, where the beautification costs charged by the meter contribute significantly, resulting in the overall expenditure of fine wood grain tiles even equaling that of wooden floors, while greatly increasing the probability of pitfalls and mistakes, which is a typical case of "picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons."

Of course, after estimating the beautification costs, we chose to do it ourselves, saving this 10,000 yuan.

My home: wood grain tiles without beautification yet

My home: children's room, using Mapei 2801 cement-based grout, color 144

Pitfall Case 2: White and Colorful

Another very typical pitfall caused by the chain effects of decision-making is the overall color of the house. The color choices of various main materials are scattered throughout the previously mentioned "renovation project cycle," such as the colors of floor tiles and wall tiles, which need to match the colors of the surface panels in the carpenter stage, the paint colors in the painting stage, and the cabinet colors in the carpenter stage, extending to the colors of the baseboards and lighting in the finishing stage.

There are many colors of various renovation materials. If there is no designer to assist with matching, most people will fall into the pitfall. However, because there are many colors, starting from the number of color options can lead to a clear selection path. Comparing the number of color options, paint >>> tiles > cabinet surfaces = baseboards, so the order of selection is: cabinet surfaces—tiles—paint, which can effectively avoid the entire house being "white and colorful."

But still, please manage expectations; the color of the finished product may still be inconsistent with samples and color cards.

Xiaohongshu user: White and colorful, door, paint, cabinet door

Here is a template for thinking using the "renovation project cycle" dimension:

Common Issues Sorting#

Here are some common decisions that need to be connected and are easy to fall into pitfalls, for your reference.

Sharp Eyes for Product Selection#

Use Algorithms to Create "Information Cocoons"#

Using algorithms to form information cocoons builds a comprehensive understanding of products.

Information cocoons usually refer to people being trapped in limited information, constantly seeking information that aligns with their expected viewpoints, thus weaving a self-deceptive web of information. Most information apps today use algorithms to recommend content, easily trapping users within.

Since this is the case, we need to find ways to suppress ourselves from falling into information cocoons and avoid making hasty decisions. We can try to use algorithms to weave one positive and one negative information cocoon, preventing us from making decisions in haste based on seeing advantages or disadvantages, which can help us view things more objectively. The method is very simple: use algorithm recommendations, conduct keyword searches, and continuously click on algorithm-recommended content for a certain period to obtain positive viewpoints; then calm down, suppress your impulses, and use completely opposite keywords to search for negative information, continuing to follow the algorithm's recommended content.

For example:

Using 2 Xiaohongshu accounts, search for the following information and follow the subsequent algorithm recommendations:

• Positive information cocoon: wood grain tiles + advantages / benefits / strengths.
• Negative information cocoon: wood grain tiles + disadvantages / pitfalls / drawbacks.

The reason for doing this is that if you purely search for "wood grain tiles," this is the trap that product marketing hopes you fall into, reflecting their advantages through disparagement. You will receive a lot of promotional articles, and you cannot judge whether this product is truly excellent. However, nowadays, with Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, and other mainstream social channels, UGC content occupies the mainstream. You can obtain information from a certain perspective through biased searches, thus gaining real user evaluations, and the algorithm will continuously recommend such content, forming a "positive" information cocoon about this product. Then, by using negative keywords to utilize algorithm recommendations, you can build a "negative" information cocoon about the product, allowing you to gain a comprehensive understanding of the product.

Practical Case#

Here, I will demonstrate this method using the product "grout" on "Xiaohongshu":

By searching for the keyword "grout," the mainstream products are 4 types: true porcelain glue grout, cement-based grout, epoxy colored sand, and polyurea grout. From the search results on Xiaohongshu, polyurea grout and true porcelain glue grout appear frequently, followed closely by epoxy colored sand, and finally cement-based grout. We will focus on polyurea grout and check user evaluations from both positive and negative sides. As the algorithm pushes similar content more and more, you will gain a clearer understanding of polyurea grout. I will summarize the collected information as follows:

Positive: Good looking, resistant to yellowing, good durability and stain resistance (doubtful);

The positive information about polyurea grout generally has a good perception.

Negative: Cracking, falling off, expensive, toxic (doubtful), no national standard.

There are many complaints about falling off in the negative information.

In fact, just by looking at the negative algorithm-recommended content, you already have an answer in your mind. Combining the content I will discuss below can help you make better decisions.

Trust the Power of "Systems"#

Prioritize purchasing renovation products that meet national standards.

The renovation market's products are among the most chaotic I know of. Many products do not have complete product descriptions like other categories sold online. If we purely rely on sales descriptions, we can only be fooled. However, like other industries, the state has established national/industry standards for various renovation materials, processes, and procedures. Using national/industry standards to filter products can help us avoid many products that are a waste of intelligence.

National Standards#

When faced with a completely unfamiliar product, checking its introduction page is a basic way to understand the product's information. If you are willing to spend a little more time comparing multiple similar products and extracting key information, you can identify the differences between competing products. If you are willing to spend a bit more time, you can delve into why manufacturers choose these things for marketing.

Taking grout as an example, we previously mentioned three types of products: filler, grout, and polyurea. First, let’s think from the perspective of demand: why do we need grout?

From this simple logical chain, the main functions of grout are functional and decorative. If we need a more precise definition, "filling" is functional, while "grouting" is decorative. However, because everyone is accustomed to calling this process "grouting," it seems that making the gap disappear or weakening the presence of the gap is the purpose of this process. This is also why the "gap disappearance technique" is highly praised in the grouting community. In reality, from the logical chain mentioned above, due to the inevitability of the gap's existence, water, dust, etc., will enter the gap, forming dirt and moisture. Therefore, the primary function of grouting should be "waterproofing and dustproofing." After meeting this primary function, the pursuit of aesthetics follows. In summary, we get two main uses for grouting:

• Waterproof and dustproof, preventing water and dust from entering the gap;
• Beautifying the gap, making the gap disappear or decorating the gap;

Based on these two points to find products, what constitutes a good product becomes clear. For example, if a certain grout uses polyurea, there is no need to rush to explore what "polyurea" is. Just check the selling points on the product page, which are all related to "beauty," such as "not easy to discolor," "not afraid of sun exposure," etc. The ability to waterproof and resist stains is either not mentioned at all or briefly glossed over. Therefore, if it is for grouting in bathrooms or kitchens, from the perspective of functionality, such products can be excluded.

More importantly, the materials used for grouting have "industry standards." Cement-based and epoxy colored sand belong to fillers and have corresponding industry standards "JC/T 1004-2017," which stipulate the performance that products should possess, serving as a lower limit. Therefore, purchasing products that meet relevant standards is obviously more reliable than those without any standard support. No matter how much merchants boast about their products, as ordinary people, we lack the ability to identify product performance, so we should trust the power of systems.

That said, polyurea grout has been on the market for nearly three years, and there is still only one group standard. Coupled with a lot of negative feedback, it is really not recommended for use. As for true porcelain glue, its main component is epoxy resin, and its execution standard is the national standard "GB/T 36797-2018" for "surface decorative joint glue." Seeing this name, it is evident that this serves a decorative purpose. Using it in living rooms and other dry areas is harmless, but because it does not possess sufficient waterproof and dustproof properties, it is absolutely not recommended for use in bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas. So if someone recommends using true porcelain glue throughout the house, I sincerely advise you to stay away.

Common Products' Execution Standards#

To facilitate readers' inquiries, here are some common renovation products' execution standards. As long as you confirm this information when purchasing, you can buy whichever is cheaper, and you will basically not fall into pitfalls. Of course, each category will have its leading enterprises and other companies. As long as they meet the standards, they can be purchased without needing to blindly trust leading enterprises' products.

Some Product Detail Pages Displaying Execution Standards#

The execution standard for paint

Qualified epoxy colored sand grout must meet the RG2 standard in JC/T 1004-2017.

Choose Good Workers#

For clear package or semi-package types of renovation plans, workers are key to success or failure. Choosing an excellent worker is like interviewing candidates in the workplace; you only need to focus on the worker's professional ability (skills) and communication ability (listening, expressing).

Judging Workers' Skills: Look at the Surface!#

Prioritize finding workers from renovation companies to undertake the work!!!

So how do you judge a worker's skills? The most important point: look at the surface work. The reverse of this statement is: if a worker is unwilling to do surface work for you, how can you expect them to do the internal work well? Surface work may seem superficial, but it is the most intuitive indicator of the worker's seriousness I can feel in renovation practice. Good workers truly have a craftsman's heart, striving to complete each of their works and treating every detail meticulously. My painter reminded me earnestly before leaving: pay attention when installing furniture; this is a piece of work I put effort into. Although I did not use fancy artistic paint or provide him with exquisite wool brushes, he still completed the work meticulously.

The renovation worker market lacks evaluation feedback and relies solely on word-of-mouth communication. Most excellent workers have entered renovation companies. As long as it is a formal renovation company, at least they will put effort into surface work, as this is the simplest way to win customer praise. Because of this, renovation companies will establish relevant workflows, forming standard processes. Workers working under such processes for a long time (otherwise they face fines and dismissal) will inevitably develop habits, and the power of habit is formidable.

Taking "the tiler opening a panel slot on the tiles" as an example, please first look at the comparison image:

The left side's slotting level is a disaster (search keywords: tiler + pitfalls), which must be the "purely handmade masterwork" of the tiler on site. Not following standard dimensions will easily lead to issues later, such as the switch panel not covering the edges and installation difficulties; the right side shows the best level (search keywords: tiler + master craftsman), where the tiler found a processing factory, achieving a masterful craft. If you were to choose a tiler, which one would you choose? A person willing to invest time and effort in these details is surely worthy of your trust, right?

What’s even scarier is that workers stick to their craft, doing the same thing for ten years. If a master boasts to you: "I've been using this craft for over ten years," please change workers immediately. Taking the painting stage's wall base process as an example, a few years ago, the mainstream process was putty powder + glue, which was cheap and easy to construct. But now, it is all produced according to national standards using finished putty. If the master insists on adding glue (which makes it easier to construct), it not only damages the product's performance but also clearly generates more pollutants. So if you encounter such workers, please change them without hesitation; otherwise, you will definitely fall into pitfalls.

Communication Ability: Willing to Listen to Your Ideas, Expressing Smoothly#

In addition to excellent skills, a good worker also needs to have excellent communication skills.

Many people who fall into pitfalls complain that their ideas are often not recognized by workers, and workers will make decisions for the owner in their own way, leading to results that often leave the owner in distress. Therefore, when looking for workers, you must try to ask about the issues you care about. During this process, pay attention to whether you understand the master's answers and whether your questions have been effectively answered. An excellent worker will certainly give you serious answers because you are their customer, and the transaction has not yet been completed.

The carpenter master is seriously asking questions about my wife's drawings.

About Formaldehyde Anxiety#

Sources of Formaldehyde: Many#

I believe this is a common anxiety for most people and one of the most well-known issues in the home decoration industry. We worry about the formaldehyde from paint, the formaldehyde from boards, but in fact, the formaldehyde release from these products is controlled under national standards, and most of them will be released within a few months, which is not a major concern. However, in reality, a large part of the indoor formaldehyde exceeding the standard is actually the collective release of various types of products, such as curtains, sofas, furniture, etc. Here, special attention should be paid to the glass glue and sealants used; the products generally brought by workers are extremely poor quality and are definitely the largest source of indoor formaldehyde. Therefore, it is highly recommended to purchase high-quality products yourself, such as "Wacker DA."

Ways to Remove Formaldehyde: Ventilation#

Moreover, the best way to remove formaldehyde is through ventilation, and a fresh air system is the ultimate weapon against formaldehyde. If you do not have an obsession with "opening windows for ventilation," it is highly recommended to install a fresh air system. If the budget and actual situation do not allow for the installation of a fresh air system, you can also purchase an air purifier like I did, or an air conditioner with fresh air functionality, which can also serve as a substitute. Fresh air can effectively remove formaldehyde and comes with an unexpected benefit: the dust in the house will significantly decrease, and you no longer have to struggle to clean the dust-covered bookshelf.

On-site Formaldehyde Removal? Not Necessary#

Being both the referee and the athlete is the most vivid description of such companies. Through the previous section, you have already understood the sources of indoor formaldehyde; as long as you maintain ventilation, you can significantly reduce the indoor formaldehyde content. If you are really anxious to move in, you can completely imitate newly opened luxury hotels by using air purifiers, which is just the cost of changing a few filters.

Tools Used#

Notion / Multi-dimensional Spreadsheet Tool#

Track expenses, categorize costs, and form categorized views to see expenditures for each link. Compared to using Excel or a memo to track expenses, using Notion or multi-dimensional spreadsheet tools is much more convenient, allowing you to easily label and categorize expenditure items.

In 2024, the tightest focus will be on expenditures; Notion is really useful.

Input expenditure items in the database and easily summarize data.

Display total expenditures by room and process.

Figma#

Draw various furniture size diagrams, mark lighting positions, very versatile and extremely useful.

Information Channels: AI, Xiaohongshu, Minority#

AI based on LLM is the first choice for collecting information, and Deepseek is a shining example of domestic products; Xiaohongshu has the largest number of UGC contents currently; Minority has the best quality UGC content. For most problems encountered in life today, these three channels are sufficient.