Renovation & DIY Alias words — 300 words for groups

Drills, grout, estimates and the neighbour drilling on Sunday. The renovation you can finally laugh about.

A set for everyone who has ever hung wallpaper, picked tiles in a hardware store or waited for a plumber "between nine and six". Tools and materials, painting and tiling, wiring and pipes, builders and their jargon, and the neighbours who start drilling the moment you lie down. Everything people tell stories about at every housewarming anyway — now against the clock and for points.

Why renovation makes a great Alias theme

Almost everyone has lived through a renovation: some held the roller themselves, some argued with builders for months, some just listened to a hammer drill through the wall. So the words are familiar to everyone, and the group has stories for every one of them. The first level is what you find in any home and any toolbox, the second leans on the materials and jobs anyone who has done their own DIY will know, and the third is about structure, engineering and real trade slang: joists, lintels and cowboy builders.

How to play with your group

This theme lands best at a housewarming, or when friends have helped you move and finally sit down among the boxes. Make a room on one phone and drop the link in the group chat — everyone joins from their own phone, no app and no sign-up. Split into teams of two or three: those who did it themselves against those who hired a builder, and see who really knows what primer is for. Pick the easy level when kids play, medium for any adults, and hard for anyone who has survived at least one full renovation.

Roller

Works: "the fluffy cylinder on a handle you dip in paint and roll up and down the wall". The motion and the shape give it away. Fails: "a painting tool" — the team will say "brush", "sprayer" and "sponge", and get to the roller last.

Grout

Works: "the paste you smear into the thin gaps between tiles, then wipe off the face". Say where it goes and when. Fails: "the stuff in the bathroom" — the team will go through sealant, silicone and mould before they get there.

Cowboy

Works: "the builder who takes the deposit, does half the job badly and stops answering the phone". The story everyone has heard does the work. Fails: "a bad builder" — the team will say "amateur", "botch" and "scam", and never think of the Wild West.

Where groups trip up

The first trap is near-twin tools: drill, hammer drill and driver, grinder and jigsaw, scraper and trowel. "A tool that spins" is a guessing game — name what the neighbouring tool cannot do: punches through concrete, cuts metal in sparks, drives screws. The second is the white stuff: putty, plaster, primer, grout and sealant all sound like "paste from a bag". Tell them apart by when and why it goes on: first, under the paint, between the tiles, around the bath. The third is "like in our bathroom" or a store's brand name: your bathroom helps nobody. Describe what everyone has seen.

Explain tools by sound and action: whines, hammers, throws sparks, drives screws.
Explain materials by the order of the job: what goes on first, what goes under paint, what goes between tiles.
On the hard level, describe a scene: "took the deposit, vanished, and the work has to be redone" — that's a cowboy.

Easy

Familiar words that land on the first clue. For warming up, for kids and for mixed groups.

hammer, nail, screwdriver, screw, saw, axe, ladder, paint, paintbrush, roller, bucket, brush, wallpaper, glue, tile, brick, sand, cement, plank, door, window, floor, ceiling, wall, roof, tap, pipe, sink, bathtub, shower, toilet, socket, switch, lightbulb, chandelier, wire, radiator, wrench, lock, handle, shelf, wardrobe, table, chair, bed, sofa, carpet, curtain, drill, tape, ruler, pencil, scissors, knife, box, bag, rubbish, dust, dirt, rag, sponge, gloves, helmet, overalls, apron, neighbour, builder, plumber, electrician, painter, shop, kitchen, balcony, hallway, room, flat, house, stairs, lift, fence, gate, bolt, nut, wheelbarrow, pliers, hose, shovel, mirror, lamp, hook, rope, stone, wood, metal, glass, toolbox, workbench, key, hinge, garage

Medium

Takes a few sentences and some imagination. The default setting for an ordinary evening.

putty, plaster, primer, scraper, level, trowel, grinder, jigsaw, chisel, plane, sandpaper, rawlplug, anchor, bracket, sealant, silicone, foam, caulk, grout, spacer, plasterboard, drywall, laminate, parquet, linoleum, skirting, windowsill, screed, underlay, insulation, faucet, siphon, boiler, meter, fusebox, fuse, adaptor, cable, wiring, thermostat, estimate, crew, foreman, client, contractor, designer, blueprint, quote, measurement, warranty, demolition, sanding, drilling, rewiring, tiling, plastering, decorating, varnishing, staining, patching, concrete, rebar, gravel, lime, gypsum, mortar, timber, plywood, chipboard, polystyrene, enamel, lacquer, varnish, turpentine, thinner, tint, stencil, mesh, dustsheet, toolbelt, scaffolding, stepladder, mixer, respirator, goggles, earplugs, kneepads, vacuum, extractor, crowbar, basement, attic, conservatory, porch, pantry, skylight, partition, ventilation, soundproofing, newbuild

Hard

Rare or abstract words. More failed rounds, and more laughing at them.

renovation, planning, permit, mortgage, developer, deposit, surveyor, survey, snagging, deadline, damp-proofing, waterproofing, condensation, mould, damp, subsidence, crack, leak, rot, woodworm, joist, lintel, rafter, beam, formwork, foundation, facade, plinth, guttering, cladding, conduit, earthing, circuit, voltage, short-circuit, terminal, breaker, transformer, junction, wattage, sewer, drainage, blockage, plunger, gradient, stopcock, ballcock, manifold, valve, backflow, texture, moulding, cornice, mosaic, fresco, patina, stucco, wainscoting, dado, beading, minimalism, loft, open-plan, zoning, ergonomics, lighting, uplighting, alcove, niche, mezzanine, cowboy, botch, bodge, overrun, defect, rework, eyesore, shoddiness, self-build, handyman, patience, compromise, perfectionist, budget, overspend, stress, complaint, housewarming, removal, noise, theodolite, rangefinder, plumb-line, protractor, calipers, soldering, welding, rivet, router, mitre