By sunny 
When renovating a home, homeowners are often faced with an important decision: should they renovate or remodel? This choice involves an assessment of the current state of the home, as well as personal needs and budget considerations. In this article, we will introduce the concepts of renovation and remodelling in detail, and discuss the ways in which the choice of home renovation can help you make an informed decision.
Ⅰ. The difference between renovation and remodelling
Renovation is a relatively light way of renovation, applicable to the overall structure of the house is better, the functional layout basically meet the needs of the situation. The following are the characteristics of renovation and applicable scenarios:
Renovation
Surface decoration:
Renovation mainly focuses on surface decoration, including paint refreshing, floor replacement, wall restoration, tile replacement and so on. Through these surface changes, the house can be refreshed and the overall aesthetics and comfort can be improved.
Localised Improvements:
Renovations focus on improving and updating localised parts of the home, such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. This can be done by updating furniture, replacing light fixtures, and updating bathroom fixtures to make the space more modern and functional.
Maintenance and Restoration:
Renovation also includes repairing and maintaining some of the problems that exist in the house, such as water leaks, cracks in the walls, and deteriorating electrical wiring. These maintenance tasks help to ensure the safety and longevity of the home.
Low cost and low disruption:
Compared to remodelling, renovation usually requires lower cost and duration and is less disruptive to your life while living in the house. This makes renovation a quick and economical renovation option.
Refurbishment is suitable for those who are happy with their home as a whole and only require some localised improvements and repairs. It can breathe new life and beauty into a home through a series of simple changes.
Remodelling
Remodelling is the process of making more substantial structural and functional changes to a home to achieve a home design that is more in line with individual needs and aesthetic preferences. Below are the features and applicable scenarios of remodelling:
Structural Adjustments:
Remodelling usually involves structural adjustments to the home, including wall removal, space re-planning, new partition settings, etc. This can create a more reasonable and practical spatial layout that meets individual functional needs.
Equipment Updates:
Remodelling can involve a complete update of the home’s equipment and facilities, such as replacing the heating system, upgrading the electrical equipment, installing a smart home system, and so on. This can enhance the functionality, convenience and comfort of the home.
Customised design:
Through remodelling, it is possible to personalise and customise the design of a home to make it completely ideal for one’s aesthetic preferences and lifestyle. By choosing the right materials, colours and décor styles, remodelling can create a unique space that stands out from the rest.
Value-added potential:
Remodelling can increase the value and marketability of a home. Adding functionality, aesthetics and comfort to a home through proper remodelling can make it more desirable and increase the return on investment.
Higher investment and duration:
Compared to renovation, remodelling requires a higher investment and longer construction period. Structural changes and system updates are involved, and it may be necessary to work with architects, designers, and construction teams to ensure the quality and schedule of the work.
Remodelling is for homeowners who are dissatisfied with their home’s existing layout and amenities and have a higher budget and time. It offers homeowners the opportunity to reimagine their home into a living space that perfectly matches their needs and tastes.
Ⅱ. How to choose between renovation and remodelling?
What should you choose between remodelling and renovation? When making the choice between renovation or remodelling, a comprehensive consideration of the following factors can help you weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision.
Actual needs
Practical needs are one of the most important factors in deciding whether to renovate or remodel. Evaluate carefully the specific changes you want to make to your home, including the spatial layout, functional zoning, and style of decoration. If you only need some superficial restoration and decoration, renovation may be able to meet your expectations.
However, if you require larger changes to the overall layout and functionality of your home, such as the need to remove walls, re-route space or adjust plumbing and electrical wiring, then remodelling may be more suitable for you.
Budget constraints
Budget constraints are an important factor to consider when choosing whether to renovate or remodel. Renovation is usually relatively economical as it mainly involves surface finishes and localised improvements. However, the exact cost still depends on the complexity of the refurbishment project and the quality of the materials chosen.
Remodelling may require a larger budget as it involves extensive restructuring and replacement works. In drawing up the budget, it is important to give full consideration to the cost of materials, labour, and possible unforeseen costs and changes to ensure that the budget is reasonable and affordable.
Time and duration
Time and duration are also factors to be considered. Remodelling usually requires longer construction time and duration as it involves larger scale works and structural changes. This may have an impact on your living arrangements and daily life.
If you are pressed for time or have no patience for long construction periods, renovation may be more suitable for you. Refurbishment can usually be completed in a shorter period of time and can be carried out in stages to suit your schedule.
Home appreciation potential
Considering the home’s value-added potential is also an important factor. Remodelling may add even more value to a home, especially for those who need to improve the overall functionality and comfort of their home. Through remodelling, you can create distinctive and unique spaces that add to a home’s appeal and marketability.
Renovations, on the other hand, focus more on landscaping and updating and may have less potential to add value to your home. Therefore, if you wish to increase the value of your home through renovation, remodelling may be the smarter choice.
Ⅲ. Considerations for Remodelling: Professional Advice
Plumbing and Electricity Remodelling
If the house is only for simple renovation, large-scale changes in plumbing and electrical remodelling are not recommended. Circuit part, you can make local adjustments, such as sockets, switches shift, or only need to add new sockets, just re-open a little slot, a little repair can be later; water changes are relatively complicated, basically buried under the tiles, so it will be the overall damage to the tiles, the cost is higher.
Bathroom waterproofing
For the old house, especially the purchase of second-hand houses, before the renovation to carefully check the back of the bathroom wall, the bedroom wall, the bathroom door wall feet and ask the downstairs neighbours about the bathroom roof, whether these parts of the water seepage traces. If there is water seepage, then it is inevitable that the tiles will have to be removed again to find the seepage points and repair or redo the waterproofing of the bathroom.
If you intend to replace the bathroom tiles, then it is advisable to reapply waterproofing after the tiles have been removed. Because in the process of remodelling and demolition, will certainly destroy the original waterproof layer, if directly affixed to the tiles, easy to seepage problems in the later stage.
Doors and windows
Before the renovation of the old house renovation, to check whether the windows and doors have water leakage. Windows used for a long time, the structural adhesive of the outer window sill will deteriorate, forming gaps that lead to water seepage, which will need to be shovelled out and re-glued to deal with.
Latex paint
Regarding whether the wall putty is eradicated: you need to check whether the old house has been sprayed with paint and whether it is water-resistant putty. Distinguish method is quite simple, spray some water on the wall, if the hand can rub out the white pulp, it is not water-resistant putty, such must be shovelled, otherwise it is difficult to adhere to the big white solid.
If you want to replace the coloured latex paint, you need to sand off the original latex paint, and then roll the coloured latex paint. If you apply coloured emulsion paint directly on the old emulsion paint, the whole wall will look messy.
Flooring
Most houses have tiled floors in the living and dining areas. If you want to change the tiles to flooring when renovating your house, you need to consider the height difference. Multi-layer flooring and laminate flooring are laid directly on the ground and will be lower than the bathroom and kitchen, so after the floor tiles have been removed, the floor should be levelled before the flooring is applied.
Wallpaper and wallcoverings
If you want to replace the latex paint on the wall with wallpaper wallcovering, first of all, you have to sand off the latex paint, can not directly paste, otherwise it will not be solid for a long time. In the latex paint sanding repair, roll coating once the base film, and then paste wallpaper, wall cloth.
Conclusion
Renovation and remodelling in the end how to choose, the analysis given above. By understanding the characteristics and applicable scenarios of renovation and remodelling, as well as the considerations for remodelling, homeowners can make better renovation decisions and create a living space that meets their personal needs as well as has value-added potential. We hope this article can provide useful reference and guidance for your home renovation.