Remodel vs. Renovate – What’s the difference?

If you’ve been doing research on making updates to your home, you’ve probably seen both of these words tossed around a lot. As you do your research and start talking to professionals, it’s important to know the distinction between the two. 

What’s the difference?

“Remodel” and “renovate” mean the same thing at their core, which is to update your home or living space. However, the differences come when it comes to the practice.

Renovation: restoring a home, especially one that’s a fixer-upper. Not only are you making updates, but you’re restoring the actual structure of something that’s had extensive damage or isn’t safe anymore. 

Remodel focuses mainly on updating the actual structure of the home. That is to say, remodels change the look of the home and updates it, rather than fix it. 

Why the difference? 

With renovations, the main focus is to restore the existing structure. A lot of times, renovations can include remodeling services such as new paint, updated flooring and new fixtures. A lot of times, these updates will come after a fix, such as repairing damaged drywall, installing new base flooring and fixing an existing electrical problem.

However, you can remodel without having to renovate. For example, to install new carpet, you don’t have to necessarily tear up the floorboard. 

Why is it important? 

If you tell your craftsman that you want to renovate your kitchen, that could mean you want to tear everything out and replace everything from the ground up. 

However, if you say you want to remodel your kitchen, that gives the craftsman a much better idea of what to expect. For example, instead of replacing everything, remodeling services your craftsman might suggest include updating the paint, installing new cabinets.

Renovations are much more expensive than your typical remodel, and if you don’t know the difference, it can lead to communication issues between you and your remodeling services company. Still confused? Talk with a specialist at Handyman Connections who can help you. 

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