Hindsight Renovators: What we’d change about our DIY projects to date (and what we’d do all over again)

Committed home renovators David and Andrew Harrison-Colley (better known on Instagram as The Home Boys) are part of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing their thoughts on making a home together and living through the tricky parts. See the rest of their articles here.

One of the best (and occasionally painful) things about renovating is that you’re always learning - usually through trial, error, and a lot of dust.

We’ve now tackled three homes together: our London flat, a holiday cottage in Suffolk, and our current cottage renovation - which is still very much in progress. Along the way, we’ve had wins we’ll repeat forever… and decisions we wish we’d handled a little differently (with a little more planning, or frankly, more sleep).

So in the spirit of honesty - and hindsight - we thought we’d share a few of the lessons we’ve picked up along the way.

What we’d do again in a heartbeat

Terracotta tiled floors

We fell in love with terracotta in our Brixton flat and knew we wanted to use it again in our current kitchen renovation. It brings instant warmth, ages beautifully, and adds texture without competing with everything else. Yes, they take a bit more effort to seal and maintain - but for us, the rustic charm is 100% worth it.

Black-steel-style glazing

We added bi-fold black-steel-style doors to open up the rear of the old flat and connect the living space with the small courtyard garden (a huge win in London!), and it was one of those changes that made the room feel bigger as it visually doubled the area. In our Suffolk home, we’re repeating the idea with slim profile sliding doors which open up into the garden and create a sense of connection with the outdoors. It’s modern, classic, and adds just enough drama.

A glass roof to flood the space with light

In our Brixton flat, we turned what had been a narrow, unused side path into a light-filled kitchen by adding a glass roof over the new side return. It completely transformed the space, making it feel wider, brighter, and so much more inviting. We knew we wanted to recreate that feeling in Suffolk - so in our current project, we added a glass roof to bridge the original cottage and the new extension. Even though it’s north-facing, the space is now flooded with natural light all day long. We genuinely can’t imagine the house without it.

A DIY kitchen

In Brixton, we made a budget-friendly in-frame kitchen using basic IKEA carcasses, filler panels, and a lot of determination. It saved us thousands - and gave us exactly what we wanted. We’re doing it again now (albeit with slightly better tools and hopefully fewer mistakes). It takes longer, and you need to be happy living in a semi-functioning kitchen for a while, but we love how personal and solid it feels when it’s done.

Choosing vintage and preloved

It’s no secret that we love a second-hand find. From car boot treasures to Facebook Marketplace stalks, preloved pieces add character that brand-new furniture just can’t match. We brought this approach into our flat and it’s something we’ve kept doing throughout both Suffolk renovations. Bonus: it’s better for the planet, the budget, and the vibe.

What we wish we’d done differently, so far . . .

Leaving the roof insulation to ourselves

When it came to insulating the roof in our current extension, we decided to save some money and take it on ourselves. Cue us wrestling with giant Celotex boards in a sweltering loft, cutting them to fit around rafters while covered in dust and insulation flakes. It saved us thousands - but honestly, the time, mess, and physical toll made us wish we’d factored it into the builder’s scope from the start.

Not planning ahead for second fix

One of the more frustrating (and expensive) mistakes we made was not realising that the plumbers and electricians would need stud walls up and ready for second fix. Because we hadn’t prepped that area of the extension in time, we ended up having to bring the builders back at short notice to build them - paying a premium in labour costs for a job we could have had done earlier (and more cheaply) if we’d just asked the right questions at the right time.

What we’re still figuring out

Some decisions aren’t instant regrets - or instant wins. They’re just part of the process of getting to know your space.

Take our kitchen layout, for example. We originally planned it as a simple run of cabinets and appliances along the back wall, with a large central island set neatly in front. It looked great on paper: balanced, open, symmetrical. But once we started using the space (read: stacking up pans and realising we had more vintage china plates than cupboard space), we realised it just wasn’t going to be practical for the way we actually live.

So we pivoted. We added a row of base units down the left-hand wall to form an L-shape, shifted the island slightly off-centre, and trimmed the size of it down a bit too. It’s no longer the perfectly symmetrical design we’d sketched out in the beginning - but it works better. It gives us more storage, creates a clearer flow through the room, and makes the space feel more relaxed and lived-in. Less showroom, more real home. Which, for us, is always the goal.

What it’s all taught us

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that no renovation is perfect. You’re making hundreds of decisions while standing in a building site, often with limited time, budget, or experience.

But homes evolve. And sometimes the things you’d change in hindsight are what help shape your approach moving forward.

We’ll keep doing our best to make thoughtful choices - but we’ll also keep sharing the messy bits, the missteps, and the wins, so if you’re mid-reno yourself, you know you’re not alone.