Bathroom Renovation VS Bathroom Remodelling—What’s the Difference?

Although “remodelling” and “renovation” are quite often used to mean the same thing, it’s best for you to understand the difference before you discuss it with a contractor as they are actually very different.

The biggest difference between a renovation and a remodel is its scope and depth. Both of them will help you bring a new flair to your bathroom regardless of which one you opt for, but there are many key distinctions between the two.

A Renovation Changes The Bathroom’s Aesthetics Without Affecting Function

In a renovation, you update the look and feel of your bathroom. If you used to have a sink in one place, it’ll still be a sink when the renovation is done. On the other hand, with remodelling, you might have a mirror there when you’re done.

Renovation generally entails painting, changing flooring, repairs, structural rebuilding and much more. So for example, if a part of your bathroom is made up of rotting wood, this will be removed and rebuilt using a similar material.

A Remodel Can Permit For Both Design & Function To Be Altered

A remodel is the act of altering both the function and design of something—your bathroom in this case. This permits things like taking out a wall in order to expand your bathroom where your kitchen used to be for example. You can also change the layout of sanitaryware in your bathroom.

With that being said, you don’t always have to be so drastic when remodelling. Anything that changes the function and the design of a bathroom is a remodel.

Remodelling Costs More

Because remodelling usually means changing up a lot of the bare-bones physical structures in your bathroom, you might need to change the wiring, plumbing, ductwork, and so on within. This makes it a lot more complicated to do and usually more expensive.

Furthermore, remodels usually necessitate more professional labour, which in turn makes it cost even more. Although the costs involved depend on the scope of your bathroom changes, renovations are usually less complicated, costing less by extension.

Furthermore, remodels usually necessitate more professional labour, which in turn makes it cost even more. Although the costs involved depend on the scope of your bathroom changes, renovations are usually less complicated, costing less by extension.

You Might Need A Permit

Sometimes, when doing a renovation you’ll need to get a permit that ensures you’re following proper building codes. On the other hand, when you’re doing a remodel, you’ll almost always need to get one of these.

Generally, you’ll not need a permit for simpler renovations like painting walls or getting new carpets. With that being said, replacing your roof, a wall, or similar, might require a permit in your community, so make sure you’ve educated yourself about this before you begin.

DIY Friendliness

Renovations are a much better undertaking for those of us with the skills and time to dedicate to improving their bathrooms. You’ll find that in most communities, doing plumbing, wiring, or similar by yourself isn’t permitted, however, pretty much all renovation acts are. With that being said, if you’re lucky enough to be in a community that will let you do your remodel yourself, you should still ask yourself if you’ve got the skills to do everything you’d like to.

Renovating Gives A Better ROI

As we’ve already mentioned, renovating is usually a far less costly process than remodelling. Because of this, you’ll usually get a better ROI if you renovate your bathroom than you would if you did a remodel.

Sure, you could spend a lot of money to change the locations of all the sanitaryware in your bathroom. But that would require a lot of plumbing, and possibly rewiring work for a change that is mostly aesthetic. On the other hand, a leaky floor or the like is a much larger issue if you’re planning to sell your home at some point.

Remodelling Usually Takes More Manpower

If you’re looking to do a simple bathroom renovation, simply getting in touch with an experienced handyman, or an expert in home repair is enough. On the other hand, remodels can require a lot more than that.

Even if your remodelling project looks simple to do at first, you’ll find that the complexity can increase a lot while you’re doing it. They’ll usually require a lot of contractors in order to finish properly.

In Summary

Although renovation and remodel sound quite similar, in practice, they’re entirely different beasts. A bathroom renovation can be a fun project that you might be able to do yourself, a remodel is a much more serious undertaking that might require permits as well as more contractors working on it.

With that being said, what’s important is that you know the difference. Sometimes you’ll need a remodel, but there’s no need to hire an abundance of contractors to handle a simple bathroom renovation project. Pay attention to your needs, and there’ll be no way for you to go wrong!

If you would like to know more about your bathroom remodel or renovation, get in touch with us today! We’d be more than happy to help.