Renovation Lingo

Are you in the middle of a home renovation project and it feels like everyone around you is speaking a different language? Are the contractors throwing around confusing acronyms? Is it even a renovation at all, or a remodel? It’s all so confusing. Here’s a quick run-down on the verbiage you may hear when encountering a home project. 

Renovation: this refers to taking something old and making it new, like updating your primary bathroom with new tile and fixtures. 

Restoration: this is different from a renovation, as you’re returning something to its original state, like pulling up old carpet and sanding down historic hardwoods so they look like they did when the house was first built. 

Remodel: yet another R, a remodel is giving something an entirely new purpose like taking a closet and turning it into a home office. 

R&R: we promise this list isn’t only R words, but this phrase specifically may show up on invoices. It stands for ‘remove and replace’, and refers to areas where a contractor will come in and swap old for new. For example, an R&R would occur when you have your kitchen cabinets taken out and exchanged for something updated and new. 

Load bearing wall: here’s an important one! Wanting to change the openness and flow of a certain area depends greatly on existing walls. Load bearing walls are just that… walls that fully support the weight of the floors above it. Removing a LBW essentially means that whatever is above it could simply cave in at any moment. Always consult a licensed contractor before removing or moving any walls in your home. 

Studs: If your walls are built with traditional stud framing and covered with drywall or gypsum board, being able to locate a stud is important. When hanging mirrors or mounting a television, you’re going to want to know where the wooden studs are behind the drywall because the drywall itself isn’t strong enough to hold up all those heavy hanging objects. You’re going to want to locate studs so that you can drive anchors into them! 

Retrofitting: Okay, one last R! To retrofit something in your home is to follow the same footprint just with updated materials. Perhaps you live in a historic home with original single pane windows. If maintained, these windows will last forever but you can also decide to retrofit the frames to include storm windows.