13 Home Updates That HGTV's Christina Haack Thinks Are A Waste Of Money

Throughout her 15-plus years working in real estate, Christina Haack has watched buyers flip over more than a dozen different design trends. Which is why, when renovating a home, as she's done as the star of HGTV shows, she aims for timeless designs with mass appeal. "You want all buyers to walk in and be able to feel like, no matter what is going on, they could come in with their furniture and it would be their style," she explained to Realtor.com. "No matter if the homeowner tells me they're going to live here the rest of their life, I always look at it like, what's good for resale?"

The answer: Classic picks like neutral quartz countertops and light wood flooring will always outlast most of-the-moment trends. And when it comes to other upgrades, Haack would argue that it's not always necessary to knock down that wall or make way for another window. With hundreds of renovations under her tool belt, she's built up quite the arsenal of advice. Here are the upgrades she says simply aren't worth the extra cash.

When it comes to the flooring in your home, Haack would argue against setting it in stone. While travertine, made from a naturally occurring sedimentary stone, definitely had its moment, the tile has since been put to rest. "Like 15 years ago, everything was really heavy like travertine," Haack noted to Parade Home & Garden. "It was kind of like travertine on brown and everything felt very dark." Not only have styles since lightened up, she added, "I think when buyers look at that style, it's harder to fix because travertine's a hard material to get rid of."

The luxurious limestone can also be on the more expensive side, making it a fairly risky investment. Plus, it's one of the more high-maintenance materials, easily damaged by acids in fruit juice and cleaners. Haack noted that it's smart to avoid more porous types of flooring, especially when you have pets with sharp nails and kids who tend to spill. Instead, opt for more durable options like ceramic tile or luxury vinyl planks.

In fact, unless it's something you're certain you won't tire of, it's financially savvy to choose designs with a wide appeal. "I would say stick with a bit more, if you can, on the timeless side," Haack advised to Parade Home & Garden, noting that having consistent floor coverings throughout can make a home appear bigger. "It's cool to do like a different flooring in a bathroom or a cool tile in an entryway, but when it comes to the whole house, I would say sticking with a classic flooring, a classic color."

Her HGTV contemporaries have some thoughts on the best flooring options for your home. David Bromstad, for instance, favors weathered wood floors or, as a more budget-friendly option, a porcelain tile that looks like wood. Haack, however, is partial to the PVC flooring from her own Christina Collection. The Camelback, she said, is "always a safe option because I don't feel that one will ever go out of style. It's not too light. It's not too dark."

Sometimes you really should just fake it 'til you make it. For years, laminate flooring has received a bad reputation, with many home buyers preferring to purchase a home with the real deal. However, Haack notes that floors that scratch or are damaged by spills are a no-go in a busy home. So, when she discovered Stone Plastic Composite (SPC) flooring, a highly durable, waterproof luxury vinyl composed of PVC and limestone that can easily mimic natural stone, tile, or wood, she was sold. "I knew of SPC because we started using it in bathrooms, because I had clients who wanted to run their flooring from the bedroom into the bathroom," she explained to Floor Covering News. "So, we discovered this product that started looking better and better and was really affordable."

She compares the material to using durable quartz countertops in place of marble, noting it's a more dependable choice for those with kids. As Haack put it, "No mom wants to worry about someone spilling or dropping something and getting mad at somebody." While SPC options abound in her own line of floor coverings, you can also try Suntecwood Store's Rigid Core Planks.

Yes, open shelving, exposed beams, and barn doors are incredibly charming. And, yes, Joanna Gaines' love of shiplap left us yearning to fill our space with delightful accent walls. But going, uh, whole hog could leave you stuck with something you don't love when trends shift. "When you aim too much into a style like say farmhouse," Haack noted to Parade Home & Garden, "that I'm not all about."

Rather than, you know, bet the farm that all-wood everything will still be what buyers desire in the future, it's better to have a lighter touch when it comes to trying out trendy aesthetics. For those looking to switch up outdated farmhouse design trends, consider swapping those black matte fixtures for brushed nickel, warm brass, or copper. You can also replace those dust-collecting open shelves with a chic antique sideboard for concealed storage that still adds charm.

Similar to the warm, at-home-on-the-ranch vibes of the farmhouse trend, all-white kitchens also had their moment in the 2010s. But these days, Haack has started trying to steer clients away from a pure white space, urging them to add color through either a kitchen island or the upper or lower cabinetry. Explained Haack, "Just something so it's not just so whitewashed." Because while white paint does have a classic feel, at times it can read more hospital waiting room than timeless, inviting space.

To avoid giving off sterile vibes, consider trading any stark white hues for cream, a light beige, or even a white that's less cool and more buttery. Another way to complement white cabinets is to weave in a set of wooden uppers or even a wood vent hood. You can also add in a pop of a deeply saturated hue like navy, green, or burgundy with colored appliances, dish towels, or backsplash tiles. As Alison Genet, founder and interior designer at European Frump, explained to House Digest, "Neutrals are being replaced by bold colors and playful patterns, creating spaces that feel fun and yours."

Sometimes, blowing the renovation budget on expensive must-haves like electrical work is unavoidable. But before writing that five- or even six-figure check, it's always smart to look for a workaround. That's what Haack found herself doing during the season six episode of "Christina on the Coast" titled "Bucking Under the Timeline" (via Realtor.com). When the pro's dream of giving her clients an 18-foot bifold door required spending $12,000 to move an electrical panel and another $50,000 on a steel support beam, she found a $15,000 alternative. "It would just be two separate nine-foot bifold doors, and then we can center them in the room, and they're going to be floor to ceiling," Haack explained during the episode. "And I actually kind of like the fact that you could open one set of them, leave the second set closed, or have both of them open."

If faced with an electrical panel that's a bit of an eyesore, there are options that won't require making moves. Instead, consider hiding it with a simple solution. Using 2-by-4s and other wood pieces, construct a custom cabinet that can be mounted around the breaker box. Or, purchase a premade version that looks like a piece of art.

Haack is used to her clients wanting to soak up the sun. In the same episode, the design guru discussed how many homeowners start to worry mid-renovation that their home is going to be too dark. "You're living in a construction zone," she explained about where the anxiety stems from. And with all of the exposed wood and no drywall in place, "It always feels dark and dreary." However, she insisted, there's no need to throw money out the, well, window, by installing yet another one.

In a season 12 episode of "Flip or Flop" (via Realtor.com), Haack managed to brighten up an otherwise dark kitchen with a $600 solution. "I think adding the under-cabinet lighting definitely made a huge impact," she marveled, adding, "It looks cool." To keep things on the bright side, the key is to layer different types of lighting. You want an overhead option to fully illuminate the space. Then, add in accent lighting to highlight a specific area and task lighting, like the under-cabinet variety or recessed lighting, to make it easier to see during food prep.

Sometimes it's okay to keep your walls up. While opening up an otherwise enclosed floor plan is a popular move in many renovations, it's certainly a pricey one. So consider finding another solution before blowing through that load-bearing wall and your entire reno budget. Haack and then-partner Tarek El Moussa flipped their plan to knock down an awkward entryway wall during Season 12, Episode 9 of "Flip or Flop". Instead, they turned the space into a beverage center with some lower cabinets, shelving, and wine racks. The result? "This bar area makes a huge difference when you first walk in," acknowledged Haack. "Otherwise, that wall would have looked really odd."

And if you do decide to swing a sledgehammer to open up your home, there are a few things you should know before you knock a wall down. In addition to determining if it's load-bearing or not, you'll want to investigate if you need to move electrical or plumbing lines and what sort of permit all that work requires. However, you can also take a cue from the HGTV stars and find a new creative way to give the wall a new look or purpose.

Bespoke pieces can be great when it comes to suits or carefully curated experiences, but for cabinetry, it may be superfluous. Pre-made cabinets start at $100 per linear foot while custom options can run up to $30,000. For those looking to save a bit of cash, "You can get white cabinets for a pretty inexpensive price if you go with pre-fab cabinets, as opposed to custom," Haack explained to PureWow. "So, you can get a white, chicer cabinet that's definitely affordable because so many people make them, so they have to be really price conscious when it comes to those."

Since a possible downside to these affordable, ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets is lower quality, consider a semi-custom set. You'll want to look for cabinetry made from plywood versus cheaper particleboard. You're also looking for something with soft-close, steel, 6-way adjustable hinges, and solid wood doors and drawer fronts.

The look of marble is top-notch, making it a must-have for many home buyers. But since the high-cost material is a relatively soft natural stone, it's prone to scratching, nicking, and chipping. It's also susceptible to heat damage and, as a more porous material, it can be marred by acidic liquids like lemon juice, wine, and vinegar. Haack detailed to PureWow, "A lot of people want quartz because it's more durable, as opposed to marble, which is porous. If you spill something on it, it's very hard to get out."

With seemingly endless options of the more affordable alternative, added Haack, "Even the ones that look like marble — can look really realistic." But while the material is certainly heartier than marble, you still have to handle it with care. Be sure to mop up spills, especially those of a more acidic nature, immediately so that they don't stain. And avoid using abrasive sponges, sharp utensils, and placing hot pans down without a trivet or potholder.

Just because you can doesn't mean that you should. So before you opt for that ridiculously pricey tiled backsplash, ornate wallpaper, or even an impossibly luxurious sofa, consider if it's something you can skip. That's the question Haack asked during Season 3, Episode 10 of her series "Christina on the Coast" (via Realtor.com) when she was giving her clients' bar area a makeover. Though she fell hard for an antiqued mirrored backsplash, it would have blown the budget wide open. So they dared to go bare, realizing the wall worked just fine without that little something extra. "We saved money here," noted Haack. "It's not quite as fancy, but I think it looks phenomenal."

When you just want it to look like you spent a million bucks on upgrading your spread, consider more budget-friendly ways to decorate your home. A coat of paint goes a long way as does reupholstering an affordable piece of furniture in a luxe fabric. Other low-cost upgrades include new hardware for your cabinets and drawers, bold throw pillows, and leaning into your life as a plant parent.

Opting for the decor of the moment means having a very stylish, very on-trend domicile that looks just like every other house in your neighborhood. Take the bright, airy coastal vibe that dominates Haack's own zip code. While all the terra-cotta shades and rattan furnishings can leave you feeling as if you've been transported to a Malibu beach house, it "can get a little bit boring," Haack admitted to Realtor.com of her biggest challenges, "since everyone wants pretty much the same design." The same goes for the Tuscany-inspired style that dominated the early '00s. Though Haack admittedly leaned into the travertine tiles and darker tones, now, she told the outlet, "I'm not super into that, all the browns, the heavy rugs, and all those things."

The takeaway: Just like your beloved skinny jeans, trends are cyclical. So act with caution when filling every square foot of your home with a style that might fall out of favor. And if you really want to surf that California coastal wave, consider dipping just a toe in by trying "Coastal Scandifornia", a new design trend that combines the best of two aesthetics. Part coastal cool, part Scandinavian minimalism, it's a seemingly timeless blend of tailored clean lines, organic materials, and earthy color palettes.

Here's a hot take: As much as Haack loves an oversized kitchen island, she's lukewarm on those that pay extra to incorporate a stovetop. "I'm not a fan of ranges on islands," she noted to clients on Season 4, Episode 10 of "Christina on the Coast" (via House Beautiful). And since the feature puts the burners an arm's length away from where kids tend to eat and do homework, she added, "It's, like, dangerous, too."

Another helpful tip when it comes to designing the ideal island is to be mindful of what activities will take place there. "When you choose a countertop material, make sure that it's durable because families do spend so much time entertaining in the kitchen and around the island," Haack explained to Realtor. "If you go with a porous material, you may regret that later." Quartz and granite are some of the most durable kitchen countertops. While granite is still porous, a sealer will prevent it from absorbing spills.