The regrets apartment owners describe most often after a renovation are about hidden or practical things: services not renewed while walls were open, too few sockets in the wrong places, no heating, insufficient storage, poor ventilation, rushed decisions and missing records. They are recurring themes in conversations about renovation, not testimonials. Almost all can be avoided by deciding the practical layer before the decorative one.
Why are regrets rarely about the finishes?
Finishes are visible, so owners spend time choosing them and usually get them roughly right. The regrets come from things that were not visible during the decision, or that seemed minor at the time. A wrong tile is an annoyance; a missing socket behind the bed is a daily irritation; an old pipe under a new floor is a future problem. The themes below come up again and again when owners talk about what they would do differently. They are not quotes from clients but patterns that anyone who works in renovation recognises.
“We should have renewed the services while the walls were open”
The most common regret by far. To save money, the old wiring or pipework was kept, and a few years later a fault meant opening the new walls. In older flats, if most rooms are being renovated, renewing the services at the same time is usually the sensible choice. If budget is tight, it is better to simplify the finishes than to keep doubtful services. Our rewiring and plumbing pages explain what that involves.
“There are never enough sockets where we need them”
Sockets end up behind the sofa, none beside the bed, one for the whole kitchen worktop, nothing on the terrace. The fix is simple at planning stage: walk through each room imagining daily use — charging phones, the coffee machine, the vacuum cleaner, the television, a desk — and mark the points on a plan before the first fix. The authorised partner installer designs the circuits; you tell us where life happens.
“We did not think about heating”
On the Costa del Sol, heating feels unnecessary when you renovate in summer. In winter, tiled floors and older windows can make flats uncomfortable, and portable heaters do not solve it. Adding underfloor heating or radiators during a renovation is far easier than afterwards. Our heating page explains the options.
“We lost storage when we opened up the space”
Open-plan living looks generous until the coats, the vacuum cleaner, the suitcases and the ironing board need a home. Removing a corridor or a small room often removes cupboard space too. Plan built-in wardrobes, niches and a utility cupboard as part of the layout, not as an afterthought.
“The bathroom still steams up”
A beautiful new bathroom without proper extraction develops mould on the ceiling and around the silicone within a short time. The same applies to kitchens without a ducted extractor. Ventilation is cheap to install during the renovation and tedious to add later.
“We decided too quickly, and kept no records”
Owners who chose kitchens and bathrooms in a hurry, while the trades were waiting, often wish they had taken more time. And many regret not keeping photos of pipe and cable routes, the electrical installation certificate and the invoices, which they later needed when selling or letting. Make the main choices before work starts and keep a folder of everything. Our renovation checklist helps with both.
“The doors and floors do not line up”
When a new floor is laid over an old one, or underfloor heating raises the level, doors have to be trimmed, thresholds appear between rooms and the front door may no longer clear the floor. Owners who did not think about levels at the start often end up with small steps and awkward transitions they notice every day. The fix is to decide the floor build-up for every room before ordering doors or frames, and to plan level transitions deliberately, especially between the hallway, the bathroom and the terrace.
“We forgot the small practical things”
A list of minor items owners often wish they had thought of: an outdoor tap or socket on the terrace, a space and connection for a washer-dryer that is not in the kitchen, a light inside the wardrobe, a switch at both ends of the corridor, a place for the router where the signal reaches every room, and somewhere to store the cleaning equipment. Each costs little if planned and is a nuisance to add later. A walk through the empty flat with a notebook, imagining an ordinary week, catches most of them before the first fix.
“We should have asked about the community sooner”
Some owners only learn about the community’s rules on working hours, lift use or façade changes once the works have started, which leads to delays and tense conversations. A note to the administrator and a look at the rules before the start avoids that. Our guide to working in an apartment block explains what to ask.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Pisos Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
