These Are the Areas You Should Stop Renovating in 2024

If you’re thinking about renovating your kitchen, we recommend marinating on it first. Kitchens are undoubtedly the most popular room to renovate, and offer the greatest ROI, but when it comes to styles, over-the-top luxury finishes can sometimes be a turn off. Instead, opting for a classic, transitional style will appeal to more people, and guarantee that ROI you’re after!

An easy, quick fix for tired kitchens is a cabinet refresh with a new coat of paint and updated hardware. This is an easy facelift that makes a world of a difference.

Yes, we know, having a spa-like escape in your own home sounds like a dream come true, but updating a bathroom can be costly, complicated and inconvenient, so just be sure the effort is worth enduring. If you’re renovating a bathroom for resale purposes, remember to keep the design simple, as most homebuyers aren’t swayed by bathrooms. If the design is too personalized to your taste, that could actually be a turn-off for potential buyers.

Sunrooms might have felt like a must-have during COVID lockdowns, when we were all starved for Vitamin D, but the sun has set on this trend and it’s not worth the investment. You’re better off using that square footage for functional rooms, like a main floor powder room, a pantry or a home office.

Home theatres may seem like a cool renovation, but how often will it really be used? Your money is better spent on high traffic rooms, like kitchens and bathrooms, than a home theatre (and let’s face it, nothing beats watching HGTV Canada curled up in bed).

Light fixtures can be true works of art and have the ability to set the mood and tone of a room. If your lighting needs to brighten up, remember to stay grounded. It’s easy to get carried away with trendy light fixtures that can end up costing a fortune and fade away when the next trend lights up the scene.

Getting swept up in the hype around Pantone’s Colour of the Year is always fun but keep your walls out of it. Painting or wallpapering a room tends to be more expensive than people think, and colours tend to fall out of favour quickly, especially if they’re bold. If you need to upgrade your walls, find a professional and choose a colour or print that works with your home and your personality, ensuring its longevity in your home.

It’s tempting to redo floors, especially after scrolling through Parisian apartments on Pinterest. Those beautiful herringbone floors are tres chic, but your home’s original flooring tells a story, too. Don’t turn your back on your home’s heritage. Instead, consider refinishing your floors, and salvaging materials wherever possible. 

We’re always a fan of luxurious walk-in closets but let’s leave it to the celebs to show off where they stash their purses and shoes. If you’re taking on a reno project and are mindful of your budget, it’s important to do a cost benefit analysis of where you’ll spend the most time, because that might help decide where to spend more money. If you don’t spend hours dressing yourself (who’s got time for that?!) opt for off-the-shelf storage systems. They take less time to arrive (if everything is in stock) and can be more affordable than custom, made-to-measure closets.

Showers and floors are one thing, but if you’re looking to shake things up in the backsplash department, opt for a simple, affordable tile that looks clean and timeless versus spending time and money on a trendy tile that might grow out of style.

If you’re looking to DIY, peel-and-stick can also be your answer. Not only is it a less invasive way to upgrade a backsplash, it’s easier to install (you can do it yourself), waterproof and comes in a variety of materials and colours. 

Removing a room in favour of an open-concept layout can leave you with a more spacious room, but it’ll also leave you down a room. With open concept everywhere, finding a special spot to yourself can be hard. Think twice before you knock down those walls and open yourself up to having some personal space.