Minor, cosmetic, major repairs – definition

Repair work can vary significantly in scale, timing, investment. In this article, Our site of advice will tell you what exactly includes a cosmetic repair and in what cases a rework in a house or apartment can rightfully be called a major.

Let’s start with minor repairs. This is a process that almost never ends and is rarely planned by the owners in advance. A striking example of minor repairs is the replacement of a mixer. It just broke down and the owners had to buy a new one. In addition, minor repairs include replacement of sockets and switches, lighting fixtures, household appliances, furniture renovation.

Important! Minor repairs never require the owners of a living space to make fundamental changes to the usual rhythm of life, does not lead to a temporary move and does not require large investments. Most often, the owners cope with minor repairs with their own hands. Or, as a last resort, they use the “Husband for an hour” service, calling an electrician or a jack of all trades to hang a shelf, fix or replace a broken thing.

Why do you need cosmetics? To hide flaws, to look more attractive, fresh. Redecoration has the same goal! It is aimed at updating the interior, giving the room a new look. As statistics show, on average, Russians make cosmetic repairs every five to seven years. It is during this period that the paint and wallpaper on the walls have time to grow old and just bother the owners.

What works are included in the cosmetic repair process:

• Removing the old finish.
• Painting or wallpapering the ceiling.
• Changing the finish coating on the walls, if necessary, putty them, but we are not talking about serious leveling of the surface.
• Replacing linoleum and laminate, these are the most simple work with floor coverings.
• The simplest work with drywall, for example, the construction of a niche for a TV, a built-in shelf, a light partition in the dressing room.

The owners cope with the vast majority of these works themselves. And you don’t need to move during the repair. Usually, cosmetic repairs are done by room – they removed interfering furniture, updated the finish – everything was put in place.

Important! In the process, cosmetic repairs can turn into a more global rework! For example, the wallpaper was stripped off, and a solid piece of plaster fell out with it. And now you need to level the wall, remove the crumbling rough finish. Or they removed the linoleum, and under it a wooden base that began to rot. It needs to be changed. The costs, respectively, are seriously increasing, as well as the timing of the repair.

Overhaul is already a large-scale process that can completely transform a house or apartment. It includes:

• Replacement of windows and doors.
• Leveling the floor and walls.
• Replacement of communications, including wiring, which most often means wall slashing.
• Replacing radiators.
• Demolition of partitions and construction of new ones.
• Insulation and finishing of a balcony or loggia.
• Finishing.
• Installation of a stretch or false ceiling.
• Laying tiles.
• Replacement of plumbing.

Simply put, a major overhaul implies that an apartment or a house is set up “from scratch” in the case of new buildings, or the old rough finish changes almost completely. It is already much more difficult for owners to cope with such a global task on their own, they need special skills. Therefore, an electrician, plumber, drywall craftsman, plasterer are most often hired. As well as the tiler, about whose choice the portal wrote in detail.

It is possible to save on major repairs, but not on all processes. You definitely need the highest quality, most reliable and durable pipes, wiring, plumbing, radiators that save heat and provide quietness to windows and doors. It is worth spending money on them, so that then for many years to forget about the need to replace.

According to experts, it is easier to equip an apartment in a new building or a newly erected house than to put in order “Stalin”, “Khrushchev” and other real estate, built decades ago. Old houses have problems that are difficult to fix. But you can cope with a major overhaul if you plan everything correctly, find professional performers and invest the required amount of money.