Repair or Restore?
Do we use the correct vocabulary? When we contemplate old buildings a variety of words are used, two terms, in my opinion, are used the most. Repair and restore. But what do each of them mean? In the dictionary repair is described as 'to restore to a good or sound condition after decay or damage' and restore is described as 'to bring back into existence, use or to re-establish' . To me, repairing an old building means any old or original material that's still standing or in a good condition is left in place and not touched. Whereas anything that is damaged is replaced with new and fixed in an honest way with materials which are similar or the same as to what is already there. On the other hand, to me restoring an old building means taking out any and all old material regardless of its condition and replacing it with new materials. So which is the most honourable thing to do when undertaking a projec...