What is the difference between renovation and refurbishment?

The difference is depth. Renovation means repairing and upgrading a property so the whole thing is sound again, reaching into the fabric: wiring, plumbing, plaster, sometimes the layout. Refurbishment is lighter, renewing what is already there, a new kitchen, a new bathroom, fresh finishes, without major structural work or a full services overhaul.

In everyday London usage the two words blur badly. Estate agents describe almost anything as fully refurbished. On the Victorian terraces we work on around Crystal Palace and Dulwich, plenty of jobs sold to us as refurbishments turn into renovations once the floorboards come up, because the 1970s wiring and dead plumbing runs underneath need dealing with before any new kitchen goes in.

The label matters most when you compare quotes. One builder's refurbishment excludes rewiring, another's renovation includes it, and the cheaper number usually just covers less. Ignore the word and read the scope list. We survey the property first and give a fixed written quote, so what we call the job changes nothing about what you pay. Our whole-house renovations start from £1,200 per square metre. Retrofit, which is about energy performance rather than condition, is a separate question again.