The 7 home renovation mistakes Brits regret making most

Summer is the busiest season for moving house, with August topping the calendar as the nation's favourite month to relocate (1). And while buying a new home is exciting, many homeowners rush into decorating before they've truly settled in. A recent homeowner survey by Tapi Carpets and Floors reveals that over half (56%) of UK homeowners admit to making a renovation mistake when they first moved into their home. The good news? These early missteps can be valuable learning curves, with UK searches for "home improvements" soaring by 95% over the past year (2), as homeowners take a more considered approach to getting their space right the second time around.

Tapi Carpets and Floors have shared advice from both Tapi's in-house interior trends expert Johanna Constantinou and interior designer and TV presenter Georgina Burnett. The experts have shared top tips to help you to save money in the long term and avoid common homeowner mistakes.

Don't rush to decorate all at once

When moving into a new place, it's tempting to start filling the space straight away. But nearly half (48%) of Gen Z respondents wished they'd spent more time planning before buying, proof that resisting the urge to decorate all at once is easier said than done. Taking things slow isn't just about avoiding buyer's remorse; it can also make the whole process far less overwhelming.

Georgina states: "Ultimately, I'd say it's worth spending more time planning than rushing into decisions. The more you can think ahead at the beginning of a renovation, the smoother, less stressful and more cost-effective the whole project is likely to be."

Measure first, buy second: over 1 in 6 UK homeowners measured their space incorrectly

According to the survey, one in six (17%) UK homeowners admitted to making a mistake while measuring their space, leading to further problems, such as a fridge-freezer being too tall to fit into a confined space. This "space blindness" tends to be more common among younger homeowners, with 29% of Gen Z and 27% of millennials saying they regret not measuring their space before buying furniture.

Johanna advises how to measure a room: "Always measure the length, width and height of the room, and don't forget to note the position of doors, windows and radiators, as these can affect where furniture can go. Using tape on the floor to map out the size can help you visualise better, and make sure you measure the surrounding areas too, as it's easy to overlook how much room is left for walking space. It's also worth double-checking doorways and hallways to ensure larger pieces of furniture will actually fit through when it comes to moving in day."

Choose flooring for your lifestyle: 1 in 5 wish they'd chosen lower-maintenance solutions

Flooring is often overlooked, but not only is it a crucial factor in anchoring a look, it's also one of the choices homeowners end up regretting most. Nearly one in five (18%) Brits wish they'd opted for lower maintenance solutions inside and outside the home, with 11% saying it was their single biggest renovation regret.

"When choosing flooring, style can't come at the expense of practicality," says Johanna. "Durable, stain-resistant carpets can handle muddy paws and spilt juice while still looking good; all different rooms and lifestyles need consideration. Homes with young children or pets tend to do best with durable twist carpets, while single-occupancy homes or those with less foot traffic have more flexibility; wool-blend compositions are a solid choice or saxony carpets in bedrooms can add a more luxurious feel underfoot.

And it's not just what's inside: prioritising an easier-to-maintain garden is common for homeowners with busy lifestyles, so choosing artificial grass is a simple fix for one less thing to worry about."

For practical reasons, Georgina says: "One of the biggest renovation mistakes people make is leaving flooring decisions until the very end. Even I probably would have done that had I not been planning this project so carefully. In my 1930s home, there are several different floor levels and a patchwork of old flooring from previous extensions, so deciding what flooring I'm having early has been essential. It affects everything from floor heights and door clearances to underfloor heating, skirting boards and the overall flow from room to room."

A fifth of Londoners regret following trends which didn't suit their home

The pressure to recreate social media interior trends is prevalent among Londoners, with a fifth (20%) of respondents admitting they've followed trends that didn't suit their home, a decision that led to long-term regret. This pressure is largely fuelled by the constant stream of "perfect" interiors on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which can make people feel their own homes are falling behind, even when a trend doesn't genuinely suit their space or lifestyle.

Johanna advises, "When it comes to flooring, a neutral foundation gives you a blank canvas that can carry a room through a decade of style shifts: think natural wool-blend loop carpet, soft greige-toned LVT, or classic herringbone engineered wood. You can swap out your throws and cushions, your accent wall, even your entire colour palette, but if your floors are neutral and well-chosen, they'll quietly support whatever direction you take next. It's one of the best investments you can make for long-term flexibility in a home."

Georgina explains how looking at the project as a whole steers her away from making trend-led decisions: "One of the best decisions I've made early on is thinking about the house as a whole rather than making lots of separate decisions. Before choosing paint colours or furniture, I've been planning the big-ticket items that will make the home more comfortable, more efficient and cheaper to run in the long term."

Leave the finishing touches to last: almost a quarter (24%) of millennials bought home accessories before planning a room

Furnishing and decorating a new home is often the most enjoyable part of buying a house, but rushing into it can backfire. In fact, 27% of respondents in Northern Ireland said they regret their paint or wallpaper choices, and a quarter of millennials bought home accessories before planning the room.

Georgina advises, "My biggest piece of advice is to have a clear idea of the direction you're going in before you start choosing either flooring or paint. You don't need to know the exact paint colour or have the paint code picked out, but you should know whether you're aiming for warm or cool tones, light or dark, and the overall feel you want to create.

From there, I'd choose the flooring first and then fine-tune the paint. Flooring is usually the biggest surface in the room, and it's much harder to change than a tin of paint."

Johanna agrees, "It's easy to get swept up in choosing furniture and accessories first, but flooring and wall colours are what everything else needs to sit on top of, visually and practically. Getting your carpet colour right early gives you a foundation to build the rest of your palette around, rather than trying to match new furniture back to a floor you've already committed to."

Think about living in the space: 18% of respondents wished they had prioritised better planning before buying

Planning a home for day-to-day living is difficult, and it's where many homeowners fall short. 18% of respondents wish they'd prioritised better planning before buying, 24% regret not making more of storage, and 45% of Gen Z admit to decorating their space too quickly.

Georgina relates: "Initially, I was focused on how I wanted my home to look, whereas now I'm thinking much more about how I want it to feel and function. Every decision is being made with family life in mind, creating spaces where we can spend time together, giving the children room to grow and making the house work for us for years to come."

"The homes that work best aren't necessarily the most stylish on the day you move in; they're the ones designed around how you actually live," says Johanna. "That means thinking about your morning routine before you pick a rug, working out where shoes, coats and clutter will actually go before you buy the sofa, and planning your layout around how you entertain rather than how a room photographs."

What to do as a homeowner who has made mistakes

Johanna shares how to fix common decorating mistakes without having to start all over again, "For those who admit they didn't plan enough the first time round, it's not too late to course-correct: start by mapping out how each room is really used day to day, then build the storage and layout around that, and let the finishing touches like a colour, pattern or accessories come last rather than first."

As many homeowners begin to move this summer, taking the time to plan carefully is key to avoiding costly long-term mistakes, and to enjoying the process along the way.

If you're looking for more home renovation tips, please visit: https://www.tapi.co.uk/the-ideas-hub/lifestyle/home-renovation-tips

ENDS

Notes to editor

Sources

1. https://www.clockworkremovals.co.uk/residential-moves-news/why-august-is-the-busiest-month-for-moving-house-in-the-uk/
2. Google Trends data correct as of 30/07/2026

About Tapi

Tapi Carpets & Floors are the flooring people you can trust, founded in 2015 by a group of industry experts with a shared ambition to place customer experience at the heart of buying flooring. Created to make the process simpler, more inspiring and reassuring, Tapi combines deep sector knowledge with a service-led approach.

Recently named 'Best Big Retailer' in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, Tapi operates more than 220 stores nationwide, including 19 John Lewis concessions, alongside over 230 mobile showrooms, bringing expert help and advice to customers through a personalised experience. The business continues to expand through new retail formats, partnerships and a B2B service, including the acquisition of the Carpetright brand in August 2024, further strengthening its presence across the UK flooring market.

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About Georgina Burnett

Georgina is an interior stylist and home coach with nearly 20 years of experience, including work with celebrity clients. Many of her transformations have been featured on ITV where she is a regular contributor on shows such as This Morning, as well as in leading newspapers and interiors magazines. Whether you need expert advice for a single room, support with decluttering and organising, home staging for selling or a complete house makeover. Georgina provides a bespoke, budget-conscious service tailored to homes, restaurants and offices alike.