This Vs. That: Remodeling Versus Renovating —
Want to work on your home, but can’t decipher if you’re in need of a renovation or a remodel? You’ve watched all the television shows, read the styling books, but still aren’t clear on which is which? Well, that’s where we come in.
For our first post of “This vs. That,” we’re breaking down…
REMODELING VS. RENOVATING
The differences between remodeling and renovating are quite specific in classification. But funnily enough their definitions have lost their clarity in recent times. So, when should one remodel, or when should one renovate? It’s actually quite an intuitive answer.
Try to remember it this way: To remodel is to change something.
While renovating is to repair or restore it. Both can be extensive processes, but the end goal is different.
REMODEL
Remodeling centers around a home that you love and want to give TLC to. Typically because it will help you reach your next desired lifestyle in that moment.
Say, you love your current home but your bathroom is outdated and no-longer functional. If you want to change it by bringing it into the new era and adding function. This is bathroom remodel. You can achieve this by gutting the current bathroom. You can replace the tub/shower combo with a new stand-alone shower and a separate claw foot tub. Add a double vanity and pick a fun, modern tile and countertop materials. Don’t forget to change out light fixtures.
There could be many reasons why people decide that remodeling a bathroom if the best way to update its design and layout. Whether it’s to make the bathroom more aesthetically pleasing or just more functional, it’s a big change and can be risky but taking risks often pays off. Whether they’re looking to replace their showers for easier access or whether they just want to have a change, a remodel can make all the difference. For example, somewhere similar to this bathroom remodeling kansas city company, can help to turn your bathroom vision and dream into a reality. Let your creative side run wild. It’s up to you what changes you make, but remember, this is what’s known as a bathroom remodel.
(In the above example, the underlined words are some terms you’ll hear or reference when talking about remodeling.)
RENOVATE
On the other hand, one renovates a home because it’s in a great neighborhood, or a light, bright and spacious place. And the home easily fits your family’s at-the-time needs. Basically it checks all the boxes on your wishlist… But the home in question is not necessarily a heavy-weight when it comes to the preservation of its architecture.
When a home purchase centers on the intrinsic beauty of the building’s original craftsmanship, or historical context of style, then we can specifically call it a renovation.
Now, say, your bathroom has a beautiful history that you want to revive without changing the bones of it. You can bring the corbels back to life and refresh the molding. Keep the existing tub and salvage the original tile floors and countertops. Also, you can rewire the original light fixtures. This is a bathroom renovation.
(The underlined words in the example above, are some terms you’ll hear or reference when talking about renovating.)
Renovations are longer term undertakings. They are often painstaking and entirely beholden to accuracy of detail and skill. A renovation is appropriate for a property that was built in a now historic section of town, or a home that was once part of a family legacy. As long as the motivation to bring the dwelling up to date is mostly motivated around preservation, its considered renovating.
LET’S RECAP!
If I were to neatly categorize the two and how they differ, I would describe remodeling as a means to most efficiently attain the lifestyle you want to embody in a recently purchased home. Whereas renovation brings back to life the safeguarding of an idea or craft from times past.
To sum it all up, maybe we should call this post re-creation versus preservation. When it comes down to the bones of each process, that is what remodeling versus renovation is all about.
And even though the two terms are used quite interchangeably these days, they are in fact quite different in their truest terms. But, both are worth experiencing during one’s lifetime!
