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Renovation can easily lead to pitfalls? Here is my methodology for avoiding them, combined with numerous renovation articles from our community, to provide some "old" ideas for renovation, helping everyone avoid major pitfalls during the renovation process and smoothly move into their Dream House.

Streamlined Version#

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

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

💡 Strategy Philosophy: Light hard decoration, heavy soft decoration. Gorgeous and ostentatious hard decoration uses complex processes, involves more procedures, is prone to pitfalls, and can easily become outdated.

Reasons Renovation is Prone to Pitfalls: (1) Lack of understanding of the accompanying impacts of renovation decisions; (2) Lack of knowledge about 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 the right products: Reasonably construct both positive and negative "information cocoons" to present the full picture of products; leverage the power of "systems" to filter products; (4) Choose the right workers: Pay attention to workers' "surface skills," avoid "masters" who are difficult to communicate with;

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. Combined with numerous renovation articles from our community, I provide some "old" ideas for renovation, helping everyone avoid major pitfalls during the renovation process and smoothly move into their Dream House.

Where Do Renovation Pitfalls Come From?#

Renovation is prone to pitfalls because ordinary people lack 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-evaluating 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: you look at the contract terms and have to pay this amount; then comes the layout. You hope to emulate a popular layout from a certain social media platform, and the tiler, without saying a word, lays it out according to your design. When you happily imagine the beauty of your new home, reality hits you hard: the tiler did not follow the layout and still left a threshold stone, telling you to buy one and saying they always do it this way. You look at the so-called "full paving" and fall into deep thought; finally, there is the beautification of seams. When you realize that seam beautification is calculated by the meter, facing hundreds of meters of seams and a price exceeding ten thousand, it feels like the sky is falling...

The entire renovation market is extremely complex, just like the industry itself, leaving people dizzy. The range of products involved in renovation is still limited in dissemination on the internet, and information is still scarce, making it impossible for ordinary people to distinguish these products, let alone make rational choices.

Because of this, after reading 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 significantly 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, such a hasty budget can be the culprit of future budget overruns. The necessity of setting a budget lies in the fact that once we have a budget, we will significantly reduce impulsive spending, just like you wouldn't think of buying a luxury brand car if you know your bank balance isn't enough, thus avoiding the story of "I originally wanted to buy an electric bike, but ended up upgrading step by step to a Rolls Royce."

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

Completing home decoration in a "clear package" manner requires the owner to purchase all materials, 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 cost: water and electricity 60 / square meter, tiler full package 13,500, carpenter charged per processed board 110 / piece, painter 75 / square meter, calculated for 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, 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 account to buy your ideal sofa and the big TV you've always dreamed of, thus avoiding significant overspending.

However, we all have a tendency to be lazy, and 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, thus reducing the effectiveness of the budget. Is there a simpler method? Of course. Since it's renovation, we shouldn't set the goal as "a perfect home," but just renovate to a level that is livable. At this point, because the expected goal is significantly lowered, 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 rush 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 a 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-evaluate the decision to make an optimal choice within a certain range.

Pitfall Case 1: Should I use wooden floors or wood grain tiles?

Let's start with the decision of "should I use 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 and easily relate to the corresponding products. However, you can also easily fall into pitfalls because bloggers only tell you product-related characteristics, such as:

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

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 approach, it means the designer will not be involved throughout the process. My method is very simple: ask AI to sort out the chain effects occurring in these two dimensions (renovation project cycle dimension, lifecycle cost dimension). In terms of the renovation project cycle dimension, we need to focus on the interrelated impacts of various renovation stages. Therefore, based on experience, I divide the renovation stages into: design stage, water and electricity stage, tiling stage, carpentry stage, painting 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, tiling, carpentry, painting, finishing) will choosing wood grain tiles or wooden floors affect throughout the renovation project cycle? Compare the lifecycle costs of wood grain tiles and wooden floors.

Renovation Project Cycle#

The response 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 ground layout design.

Need to leave gaps for tiles (usually 1.5-3mm), combined with the seam beautification plan.

The ground height needs to reserve space for tiles + 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 leave expansion joints (8-10mm at the wall edge) to avoid deformation due to thermal expansion and contraction.

...

After further questioning and integrating other information, it is not difficult to see that choosing wood grain tiles will increase a series of subsequent processes. To pursue durability, one needs to invest more energy and money. At this point, a preliminary decision can already be made, but please wait; let’s continue exploring 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 seam beautification for wood grain tiles), and output in table form.

After looking at this table, one can basically conclude: if there is no underfloor heating in the house, 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, using wood grain tiles leads to more subsequent processes, such as cutting and seam beautification, with seam beautification charged by the meter contributing significantly to the overall expenditure. The fine wood grain tiles can even equal the cost 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 seam beautification costs, we chose to do it ourselves, saving this 10,000 yuan.

My home: wood grain tiles that haven't had seam beautification done yet

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

Pitfall Case 2: White and Colorful

Another very typical decision chain effect leading to pitfalls 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 color of the surface panels in the carpentry stage, the paint color in the painting stage, and the cabinet colors in the carpentry stage, extending to the baseboard and lighting colors in the finishing stage.

There are many colors of various renovation materials, and without a designer's assistance in matching, most people will fall into pitfalls. However, because of the large number of 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 should be: 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 differ from samples and color cards.

Xiaohongshu user: white and colorful, door, paint, cabinet doors

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 reference.

Sharp Eyes for Product Selection#

Using Algorithms to Create "Information Cocoons"#

Using algorithms to form information cocoons helps build 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.

Therefore, 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 both positive and negative information cocoons, helping us view things more objectively rather than making rushed decisions based on seeing only advantages or disadvantages. The method is very simple: use algorithm recommendations, search with keywords, 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:

Use two Xiaohongshu accounts to 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, showcasing their advantages through negative comparisons. You will receive a lot of promotional content, making it difficult to judge whether the product is truly excellent. However, on mainstream social channels like Xiaohongshu and Bilibili, UGC content dominates, allowing you to obtain real user evaluations through biased searches. The algorithm will continuously recommend such content, forming a "positive" information cocoon about the product. Then, by using negative keywords to leverage 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 "seam beautification agent" on "Xiaohongshu":

By searching the keyword "seam beautification agent," the mainstream products are four types: true porcelain glue seam beautification agent, cement-based grout, epoxy colored sand, and polyurethane seam beautification agent. From the search results on Xiaohongshu, polyurethane seam beautification agent and true porcelain glue seam beautification agent appear frequently, followed closely by epoxy colored sand, and finally cement-based grout. We will focus on polyurethane seam beautification agent and check user evaluations from both positive and negative aspects. As the algorithm continues to push similar content, you will gain a clearer understanding of the polyurethane seam beautification agent. I have summarized the information collected as follows:

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

The positive feedback on polyurethane seam beautification is generally very good.

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

In the negative feedback, there are many complaints about falling off.

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 next 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 in the world I know. Many products do not have complete product descriptions like other categories sold online. If we purely rely on sales descriptions, we will only be deceived. However, like other industries, the state has established national/industry standards for various renovation materials, processes, and procedures. Leveraging national/industry standards to filter products can help us avoid many products that are a waste of money.

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 even more time, you can delve into why manufacturers choose to market these products.

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

From this simple logical chain, the main functions of seam beautification are functional and decorative. If we need a more precise definition, "grouting" is functional, while "seam beautification" is decorative. However, because everyone is used to calling this process "seam beautification," it seems that the purpose of this process is to make the seams disappear or weaken their presence, which is why the "disappearing seam technique" is highly praised in the seam beautification industry. In reality, based on the logical chain mentioned above, due to the inevitability of seams, water, dust, etc., will enter the seams, forming dirt and moisture. Therefore, the primary role of seam beautification should be "waterproofing and dustproofing." After meeting this primary function, the pursuit of aesthetics follows. In summary, we get two main uses for seam beautification:

• Waterproofing and dustproofing, preventing water and dust from entering the seams;
• Beautifying seams, making seams disappear or decorating seams;

Based on these two points, finding products becomes clear. For example, if a certain seam beautification agent uses polyurethane, there is no need to rush to explore what "polyurethane" 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 exposure," etc., while the ability to resist water and stains is either not mentioned or briefly mentioned. Therefore, if it is for seam beautification in bathrooms or kitchens, such products can be ruled out based on their advertised functionality.

More importantly, the materials used for seam beautification have "industry standards." Cement-based and epoxy colored sand belong to grout, with corresponding industry standard "JC/T 1004-2017," which stipulates the performance that products should have, thus setting 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 discern product performance, so we should trust the power of systems.

That said, the polyurethane seam beautification agent has been on the market for nearly three years, and there is only one group standard so far, along with a lot of negative feedback, so it is 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, and using it in living rooms and other dry areas is not a big deal, but because it does not possess sufficient waterproofing and dustproofing capabilities, it is absolutely not recommended for use in bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas. Therefore, 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 the cheapest one, and you will basically avoid 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 blindly trusting 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 the Right Workers#

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

Judging Workers' Craftsmanship: Look at the Surface!#

Prioritize finding workers from renovation companies to take on the job!!!

So how do you judge a worker's craftsmanship? The most important point: look at their surface work. The reverse of this statement is: if a worker is unwilling to put effort into surface work, how can you expect them to do a good job on the underlying work? Surface work may seem superficial, but it is the most intuitive indicator of a worker's seriousness in my 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 work I put effort into. Although I didn't use fancy artistic paint or provide him with exquisite wool brushes, he still completed the job meticulously.

The renovation worker market lacks feedback and evaluations, relying solely on word-of-mouth communication, and most excellent workers have entered renovation companies. As long as it is a legitimate renovation company, they will at least 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 develop habits, and the power of habit is formidable.

Taking the process of "the tiler slotting 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), undoubtedly a "purely handmade master craftsman's work" on-site. Not following standard dimensions will easily lead to problems such as the switch panel not covering the edges and installation difficulties later; the right side shows the best level (search keywords: tiler + master craftsman), where the tiler found a processing factory, showcasing master craftsmanship. If you were to choose a tiler, which one would you choose? Wouldn't you trust someone willing to invest time and effort in these details?

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 doing this craft for over a decade," 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 with finished putty. If the master insists on adding glue (which makes construction easier), it not only damages the product's performance but also clearly generates more pollutants. So when encountering such workers, please change them without hesitation; otherwise, you will definitely fall into pitfalls.

Communication Ability: Willing to Listen to Your Ideas, Express Clearly#

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

Many people who fall into pitfalls complain that their ideas are often not recognized by workers, and workers make decisions on behalf of the owner in their own way, leading to results that often leave the owner in pain. Therefore, when looking for workers, be sure to try to ask about the issues you care about, paying attention to whether you understand the master's answers and whether your questions are effectively answered. An excellent worker will certainly give you serious answers because you are their client, 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 in paints and the formaldehyde in boards, but in fact, the formaldehyde release from these products is controlled under national standards, and most of it will be released within a few months, which is really not a 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 use of sealants and adhesives, as the products brought by workers are often of very poor quality and are absolutely the biggest 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 ventilation, and a fresh air system is the ultimate nemesis of formaldehyde. If you do not have an obsession with "opening windows for ventilation," I strongly recommend installing 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 be considered a substitute. Fresh air not only effectively removes formaldehyde but also brings an unexpected benefit: the dust in the house will significantly decrease, and you no longer have to struggle to clean the dust-covered bookshelf.

Is It Necessary to Hire a Formaldehyde Removal Service?#

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 indoor formaldehyde levels. If you are really in a hurry 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 in 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 most closely monitored aspect is expenditures; Notion is really useful.

Input expenditure items in the database, easily summarize data.

Display total expenditures by room and process.

Figma#

Draw various furniture dimension diagrams, mark lighting positions, very versatile and easy to use.

Information Channels: AI, Xiaohongshu, Minority#

LLM-based AI is the first choice for gathering information, and Deepseek is a shining example of domestic products; Xiaohongshu has the largest amount of UGC content currently; Minority has the highest quality UGC content. For most problems encountered in daily life, these three channels are sufficient.