10 Home Features Homeowners Often Regret After Remodeling

Updated August 2026

A beautiful home feature is not necessarily a practical home feature.

That is something I have learned repeatedly through buying, selling, renovating, and investing in homes. Some improvements photograph incredibly well and look great on Pinterest or Instagram, but living with them every day can be a very different experience.

I once worked with sellers who installed a freestanding bathtub because it was the look they wanted. The problem was that they removed the shower from the main bathroom in the process. Buyer after buyer commented on the missing shower.

We eventually took the home off the market, removed the freestanding tub, and put the tub and shower configuration back. The house sold a few weeks later.

That experience illustrates an important point: before making an expensive change to your home, think about functionality, maintenance, and resale along with appearance.

Here are 10 home features I believe homeowners should think carefully about before installing.

1. Large Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens can be fantastic if you entertain frequently and know you will use one. But they can also represent a substantial investment that may not appeal equally to the next buyer.

This is especially important in Colorado.

Our weather limits the number of months when an elaborate outdoor kitchen gets regular use. Outdoor appliances and finishes are also exposed to weather, temperature swings, snow, moisture, and sunlight.

There is another issue I see with buyers: maintenance.

Many buyers today appreciate usable outdoor space without wanting another area of the property that requires significant upkeep. A large outdoor kitchen can also consume yard space that another buyer might prefer for children, pets, gardening, or simply having an open backyard.

If you love outdoor cooking and plan on staying in your home, build what works for you. If your primary objective is resale, I would be careful about assuming an expensive outdoor kitchen will return its entire cost.

2. Completely Open Floor Plans

For years, knocking down walls seemed to be the answer to practically every remodeling question.

I have opened up plenty of houses myself.

But in 2026, I think homeowners should be more thoughtful about how far they take the open-concept idea.

One of the biggest complaints I hear about completely open homes is noise. Someone is cooking in the kitchen, another person is watching television, somebody is working from home, and another family member is trying to have a conversation.

Everything happens in one large space.

There is also very little visual separation. If your kitchen is messy, everyone sitting in your living room gets to look at it.

I still like an open layout, but there is a difference between creating good flow and eliminating practically every wall in a house.

Before removing walls, think about how your family actually lives. A little separation can sometimes make a home more functional.

And before removing any wall, particularly one that could be structural, have the appropriate professional evaluate it.

3. Too Much Open Shelving in the Kitchen

Open shelving can look fantastic in professionally styled photographs.

Everyday life is different.

Dishes get stacked. Glasses do not match. Mail lands on counters. Dust accumulates. Grease from cooking eventually finds its way onto nearby surfaces.

Traditional upper cabinets hide much of that.

That doesn't mean you have to avoid open shelving entirely. A better compromise can be combining traditional cabinets with a small amount of open shelving.

You get the design element without sacrificing the majority of your enclosed storage.

For renovations intended for resale, I generally favor functional cabinetry because it tends to work for a broader range of buyers.

4. Barn Doors Everywhere

Barn doors had a huge moment, particularly with the modern farmhouse trend.

I have used them myself when they solved a legitimate space problem. But I wouldn't automatically install one simply because it looks interesting.

A barn door requires open wall space so the door has somewhere to slide. More importantly, it typically does not seal the opening like a traditional hinged door.

That can create problems with sound and privacy, particularly around bedrooms and bathrooms.

There are situations where a sliding door makes perfect sense. But if you are choosing one primarily because it is trendy, think about whether you will still appreciate that decision several years from now.

5. Hollow-Core Interior Doors

This one sometimes surprises homeowners because hollow-core doors are extremely common.

The problem is how they feel and perform.

They generally provide less sound control than a heavier solid-core door, and they can make an otherwise nicely renovated home feel more builder-grade.

You don't necessarily need solid-core doors everywhere. Closets and low-priority areas can be perfectly reasonable places to save money.

But if I were building or doing a substantial renovation, I would consider spending more on solid-core doors for bedrooms, bathrooms, and offices where privacy and sound control matter.

It is one of those improvements people may not immediately notice visually, but they can certainly notice when they use the home.

6. Converting the Garage Into Living Space

This is one I have considered on my own renovation projects.

You look at a two-car garage and think, "That's a lot of square footage. What if I turned it into another bedroom, family room, or office?"

Sometimes that makes sense.

But you have also eliminated the garage.

In Colorado, garages can be particularly valuable because they provide protected parking during snow, hail, cold weather, and summer storms. Buyers also use garages for bicycles, tools, outdoor equipment, holiday decorations, and general storage.

Before converting one, I would look closely at comparable properties in your neighborhood.

If most competing homes have two-car garages and yours doesn't, the extra interior space may not automatically compensate for what you removed.

You should also investigate permits, building codes, heating, insulation, egress, parking requirements, and whether the converted area can legitimately be represented as finished living space.

7. The Microwave Over the Stove

This was one of the more surprising complaints I heard from homeowners.

The over-the-range microwave has been a standard builder solution for years because it saves counter space and combines two functions in one location.

But there are tradeoffs.

Some homeowners dislike lifting hot dishes above shoulder level. Others want a dedicated range hood with stronger ventilation. And visually, a large microwave can dominate the cooking area.

If you are redesigning a kitchen, alternatives can include a microwave drawer, built-in microwave, or a microwave located in a pantry or appliance area.

The right answer depends heavily on the kitchen layout.

I wouldn't necessarily tear apart a perfectly functional kitchen just to move a microwave. But if you are already remodeling, it is worth considering your options.

8. Combining Bedrooms to Create One Large Room

This is where homeowners need to be especially careful about resale.

Turning two smaller bedrooms into one beautiful oversized bedroom can improve the home for your lifestyle.

But you have also changed the bedroom count.

A four-bedroom house becoming a three-bedroom house can affect which buyers consider the property.

Bedrooms are flexible spaces. They can function as children's rooms, guest rooms, offices, hobby rooms, exercise rooms, or caregiver space.

Before permanently eliminating one, look at your neighborhood.

If four-bedroom homes generally compete against other four-bedroom homes, removing a bedroom could put your property into a different competitive category when it is time to sell.

9. Freestanding Bathtubs

This one comes with a story.

I worked with sellers who had renovated their bathroom and installed a freestanding bathtub. It looked great.

Unfortunately, they removed the shower in the process, leaving the tub as the primary bathing option in the main bathroom.

When we listed the house, buyers kept raising the same objection.

Where is the shower?

Eventually, we took the property off the market. The sellers removed the freestanding tub and restored a tub-and-shower configuration.

The house sold a few weeks later.

That was an expensive lesson.

The issue wasn't simply that buyers disliked freestanding tubs. It was that the renovation sacrificed everyday functionality to achieve a particular design.

Freestanding tubs also require room around them and can be harder to clean behind and underneath.

If you have a large primary bathroom with a separate shower, a freestanding tub may work beautifully. But I would think very carefully before eliminating your home's most functional shower just to install one.

10. Swimming Pools

Pools are extremely location-dependent.

In a warm climate where a pool can be enjoyed for much of the year, buyer expectations can be very different from what we see in Colorado.

Here, the usable season is considerably shorter.

Pools also come with maintenance, utilities, repairs, insurance considerations, winterization, and safety concerns.

Some buyers will absolutely love having one.

Others will see it and immediately start calculating what it will cost to maintain or remove.

That means I would never automatically assume that spending a large amount of money installing a pool will translate directly into an equivalent increase in home value.

If your family will use it for years, that enjoyment has value. Just separate lifestyle value from resale value when making the decision.

What I See in the Littleton and Denver Metro Market

One of the biggest lessons I have learned working with homes around Littleton and the Denver metro area is that buyers generally respond well to functionality.

That is especially important with our older housing stock.

A 1960s or 1970s home does not necessarily need to be transformed into a completely different house. Sometimes improving the layout, lighting, flooring, kitchen, bathrooms, storage, and deferred maintenance while preserving the home's useful features is the better approach.

I would rather have sellers spend money fixing something buyers are likely to object to than spend the same amount adding an elaborate feature buyers may or may not value.

This is also why I look carefully at the neighborhood before recommending major renovations. What makes financial sense in one Littleton neighborhood may make considerably less sense somewhere else.

The Biggest Remodeling Mistakes to Avoid

Most expensive remodeling mistakes come back to a few basic problems.

Homeowners follow trends without considering how they actually live. They remove functionality to gain appearance. They assume an expensive improvement automatically adds an equal amount of value. Or they make a permanent change without considering what the next owner might want.

There is nothing wrong with making your house your own.

If you plan to live there for another 15 years and have always wanted a swimming pool, build the pool. If you love freestanding tubs, install one. If you hate walls, create the open floor plan you want.

Your home is not just an investment.

But if you are remodeling because you expect to sell within the next few years, I approach the decision differently.

My Advice After Years of Renovating and Selling Homes

I have been involved in real estate for decades as an agent, investor, landlord, and someone who has renovated plenty of properties.

One thing experience teaches you is that the most expensive option isn't always the best option.

When I renovate a property for resale, I generally try to make the safe play.

I want good storage. Functional bedrooms. Useful bathrooms. A practical kitchen. A garage when buyers expect one. Durable finishes. Good lighting. And a layout that appeals to a reasonably broad range of people.

That doesn't mean making every house boring.

It means understanding the difference between personalizing a home for yourself and renovating a property for resale.

Those are two very different objectives.

Quick Takeaway

Before spending significant money on a renovation, ask yourself:

1. Does this improve how the house functions?

2. How much maintenance does it add?

3. Am I removing something useful to create it?

4. Is this appropriate for homes in my neighborhood?

5. Am I doing this for my enjoyment or expecting a financial return?

6. Would this feature appeal to a broad range of buyers?

7. How difficult or expensive would it be to reverse later?

If you love something and plan to stay in the home, your personal enjoyment matters.

If you're preparing to sell, however, you need to look at the property through a buyer's eyes.

That distinction can save you from spending money twice, once installing an improvement and again removing it when you eventually sell.

Thinking About Remodeling or Selling a Home in Littleton?

If you're considering a major renovation, preparing an older home for sale, or trying to decide which improvements are actually worth making before you list, it can help to look at the decision from both the homeowner's and buyer's perspective.

I’m David Novak, a Littleton Realtor with RE/MAX Professionals, known as the Problem Home Solver. I work with homeowners throughout Littleton and the surrounding Denver metro area, including properties that are outdated, need repairs, or require some strategy before going on the market.

If you're considering remodeling or selling and want help deciding where your money is best spent, I'm happy to help.

Call or text: 303-929-9660
Visit: ProblemHomeSolver.com