Suppose that I bought an old house, and changed walls and windows, repainted the house, used new wallpaper, bought new sofa, table, etc…
For this kind of thing, which word is more appropriate, "decoration" or "remodel" or "upgrade"?
Learn English – decoration or remodel or upgrade
word-choice
Best Answer
In this context:
Restore = 1) Make major repairs to a severely deteriorated building, or 2) Return a building to its original state (for example, by converting a house back to single occupancy after it has previously been turned into separate apartments, or by replacing original features of its design or decoration).
Renovate / upgrade = Make significant improvements to update a house or to maintain its infrastructure in good condition, e.g. by rewiring it, replacing worn-out plumbing or fixing sagging floors.
Remodel = Make significant changes to the layout of a house, possibly in combination with renovation or restoration work.
Decorate / redecorate = Make cosmetic improvements to the interior of a house, such as with paint or wallpaper.
As you can imagine, with any specific building project it can be hard to define where the boundary that separates (say) renovation and restoration, or remodelling and (re)decoration, lies.