Are you remodeling or renovating your home?
What is the correct terminology for your project?
By definition remodel means to alter the structure. When used in reference to a house, or an individual room it would indicate changes to the floorplan, or location of amenities. Maybe that’s a room addition, or restructuring by means of moving/removing walls. A remodel typically means a more indepth project. For example, a bathroom remodel would typically at least involve rough plumbing changes to allow moving location of plumbing fixtures like bathtubs, showers, and vanity sinks. A bathroom remodel would also often involve the addition of electrical circuits, to allow for installation of jetted tubs or heated floors, both of which require a dedicated circuit.
By definition renovate means to restore to previous new condition. Renovation could be as simple as basic replacement of failing materials due to age or gaining a compete new look by changing up what type of materials are installed during home maintenance. When used in reference to a house, or an individual room it would indicate keeping the main structure intact. There wouldn’t be structural framing changes needed, and in some instances may mean little above and beyond cosmetic changes. Again using a bathroom for example all the plumbing fixtures will stay in their current locations and sometimes may even reuse some fixtures, such as when replacing a tile tub surround leaving an otherwise good condition bathtub in place. We often see this when a previous tile installation is failing, typically due to sub par installation methods, or to get a more custom appearance by changing the type of surround….. like going solid surface shower walls or cultured marble panels to a custom tile surround.
How important is this ? Well……..perhaps it really isn’t so crucial, I must admit that I don’t always use the correct term when referring to a project either in idle conversation, truth is that generally the majority of home improvement projects are likely incorrectly referred to as remodeling. Where it likely makes the most difference is to your wallet. You just might be surprised with how affordable a newly renovated updated bathroom can be, after all, we can give it a complete new look without the full bathroom remodel price you may have previously had in mind.
Did you know you can change from a bathtub to a walk in shower stall without a major remodel or associated cost if the need arises? Yes, there are shower bases designed to retrofit into the space of a bathtub without the need for structural remodeling and the ability to keep the existing plumbing locations. More on that later……