Envision this:

You’re on the phone with a contractor explaining what updates you want to have done in your home only to find yourself questioning whether you should call it a “remodel” or a “renovation.” Or is it a 2023 thing to refer to it as a “complete refresh” of your space?

When it comes to making updates in your home you may be wondering what the proper terminology is for what you want to have done.

“Renovating is the same thing as remodeling, right?“ According to the experts: NO.

Let’s dig in to what they really mean in the construction and design industries.

Refresh—

Refreshing a space is probably the most common approach when it comes to sprucing up your home. Think of it as rearranging furniture, putting some fresh artwork in your picture frames, changing out throw pillows on the sofa…you get the idea.

It’s possible to refresh a room in your home and not spend a penny. It’s also possible to refresh that same space and spend thousands—that is if you’re planning to purchase new furniture sets, decor, paint, etc. It’s really a matter what your goal is and how much you want to budget for the update.

The photos below are images from a client refresh project. This client wanted to get a new sofa and additional decor elements to update her space but she struggled with the room layout as well as what would be a selection aesthetically. Needless to say, she was thrilled with her update and was able to start shopping at her leisure but had the blueprint in hand to help guide her.

Renovation—

The image below is a great example of what renovating actually is. It’s defined as updating a space while maintaining the same form and function as it previously started with. So here, you can see that the bath, vanity and toilet are all in the same location but it has been updated with new tile, a new bathtub, new vanity…you get the drift.

Remodel—

A “remodel” is defined as completely changing the layout and function of a space. Not only are you updating flooring, tile, wall paint, etc. You are completely reconfiguring the layout and functional purpose for the area being worked on. A good example of this is an exterior remodel I worked on in Davidsonville, Maryland.

As you can see there was a ton of work that went into reconfiguring the backyard with the removal

of the pool, but also the back deck was moved to land on a new hardscape paver walkway that was installed. New windows were added where a sliding glass door previously was so that changed the traffic pattern in the house and gave new use to spaces that didn’t see that kind of traffic before.