What is another word for renovation work?

On paperwork, renovation work is most often called refurbishment works or alteration works. Those are the phrases you will find in building contracts, planning documents and freeholder consents, and they cover the same job your builder calls a renovation.

Each document has its own term. A JCT contract describes everything as 'the Works', defined by the scope attached to it. Planning and building control applications talk about 'alterations and extensions'. If you own a leasehold flat, your freeholder will want to grant a 'licence to alter' before you touch structural walls or services. We deal with these regularly on flat renovations in Clapham and Balham, and the paperwork can add weeks to a start date, so apply early.

Money people use different words again. Accountants and landlords split the same building work into capital improvements (a new extension, a first-time bathroom) and repairs and maintenance, or R&M (fixing what was already there). The split matters for tax, so if you are a landlord renovating an ex-rental, ask your accountant before the work starts, not after. Insurers tend to say 'renovation works' or 'building works', and most policies want notice before anything structural begins.