Реконструкция и обновление зданий и сооружений

Improving a broken, damaged or outdated structure

Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, or bringing something back to life and can apply in social contexts. For example, a community can be renovated if it is strengthened and revived. It can also be restoring something to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding). Renovation is very common in some places. For example, there are more than twenty thousand home improvement projects every year in Hong Kong, affecting more than a million residents (population of HK is around 7.5 million in 2023).

Many people renovate homes to create a new appearance. Builders may renovate homes to enhance the home's value as a stable source of income. Homeowners often renovate their homes to increase the re sale value and to turn a profit when selling. Homeowners may also want to add renovations that make their home more energy efficient, green or sustainable. Also, over time, a homeowner’s personal preferences and needs may change, and the home will be renovated for improved aesthetics, comfort, or functionality. Other types of renovations also can be initiated for similar reasons. The user or owner of a building can change which can effect the needs or wants for the space prompting a renovation. This is becoming more popular as buildings owners are renting or leasing floors or sections of the buildings to companies which have different spacial requirements than the previous users causing needed renovation. Renovations can also occur as companies increase size which could lead to needed additional retail, office, or other types of spaces. Similarly to homes other building owners could also want renovations to increased value, make the building more energy efficient, green or sustainable, or to update the building.

Wood is versatile and flexible, making it the easiest construction material for renovations, and wood buildings can be redesigned to suit changing needs. Few homeowners or professional remodelers possess the skill and equipment that is required to alter steel frame or concrete structures. When looking at embodied carbon in building materials wood is often labeled as the most sustainable. This is because it sequesters carbon which if certified sustainably sourced will significantly reduce embodied carbon of buildings. This makes it a low emitting choice for a building material for an overall building and for renovations. Forest certification verifies that wood products have been sourced from well managed forests. Most certification programs provide online search options so that consumers can find certified products—the Certification Canada program includes a search option for all of the certification programs that are in use in Canada. In North America, most structures are demolished because of external forces such as zoning changes and rising land values. Additionally, buildings that cannot be modified to serve the functional needs of the occupants are subject to demolition. Very few buildings on the continent are demolished due to structural degradation.

In the US, “About 75% of homes built before 1978 contain some lead based paint. The older the home the more likely it is to contain lead based paint. You should assume that any home built before 1978 contains some lead.”