Renovation Vs. Remodel: What Are the Key Differences?
It is not uncommon for people to use the words renovation and remodel interchangeably. Even professionals who manage properties sometimes fail to differentiate between the terms. However, it is inherently important for them to understand the meaning and scope of these words before starting a new project as it helps enhance the accuracy of the decisions made.
The Meaning
According to the dictionary, the word ‘renovate’ means ‘to repair’ while ‘remodel’ refers to ‘rebuild.’ This gives us the following understanding of the terms:
Renovation is a process that involves adding to or upgrading the existing components of a building.
Remodeling essentially involves significant alterations in the present state of the building. Often including the addition or removal of rooms, extension of square footage, changing deck elevation and making sanitary adjustments, etc. Naturally, rebuilding has a bigger, broader scope than repairing.
Renovation Vs. Remodeling: What should I choose?
Identifying the work that you need to get done and being able to label it as either renovation or remodeling is critical, as it affects the extent of resources you would require to get the work done. Thus, knowing whether you want to renovate or remodel can help you achieve your goals efficiently and effectively.
Some factors that you need to look into to arrive at the decision are:
- Budget
Remodeling involves major and comprehensive changes and therefore leads to higher material costs.
Depending upon the scope of the task, one can perform DIY renovation but remodeling work typically calls for professional services. Thus, it is vital to plan your budget in advance to ascertain which of the two is a more suitable choice for you.
- Time requirements
Remodeling is a greater time commitment when compared to renovation. Remodeling work generally stretches over a few months, while the renovation can be done within shorter time periods.
- Scope
While renovation involves upgrading the current state of your space, remodeling involves changing it considerably or even completely.
- Reason for work
If a house is poorly planned or needs considerable adjustments, then remodeling is the way to go.
However, if someone is simply looking to increase the sale price of their house before selling, then getting small renovations done might be their best bet.
DIY or Contractor? What is ideal?
Home improvement work can be very demanding, often requiring huge investments of time, effort, skills, and money, depending upon its scale. While one can perform small renovation tasks themselves, it is seldom possible for non-professionals to perform remodeling by themselves.
This is because:
- Remodeling can include tasks such as changing the wiring or plumbing, which is typically not something an unlicensed person can do.
- Successful execution of such tasks also requires a certain level of skills, knowledge, and experience that only professionals Being negligent in cases like these can lead to larger, long-term problems, which, naturally, any homeowner would want to avoid.
- Even if a person does have the skills to carry out some remodeling work, the cost, in terms of time and money, of going DIY might be much greater than getting a home remodeling contractor.
- A vast amount of remodeling work calls for specific permits and licenses to be carried out, which regular people don’t have, thereby making the need for professional workers non-negotiable.
Whether or not a person requires professionals really depends upon the kind of work they are looking to get done and the kind of resources and skills they possess. While a person can carry out regular renovation work such as painting the walls or changing the carpets by themselves, it is not possible for them to extend a room or add/remove walls without professional help.
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