The line isn't about how big the project feels — it's about whether you're adding footprint.
The distinction that matters legally and structurally is simple to state and easy to miss in practice: does the project create new exterior walls and new foundation, or does it change what's inside walls that already exist. The first is an addition. The second is a remodel, no matter how extensive it feels.
New foundation or footings. A new roofline, or an extension of the existing one. New exterior walls. A structural tie-in between new framing and the existing house. If any of these apply, you're in addition territory, and the project needs engineering and permitting sized to new construction, not to interior work.
Walls move, but the building's footprint doesn't. A kitchen gets gutted and rebuilt inside the same exterior walls. A basement gets finished inside the foundation that's already there. These are remodels, and a remodeling contractor — not a builder set up for ground-up construction — is usually the better fit and the better price.
Utah cities generally require a more involved permitting and inspection process for new footprint than for interior remodeling, because new foundation and structural connections carry more risk if done wrong. Expect more inspection stages on an addition, and expect the process to take longer than a remodel of similar visible size.
A builder who works in additions and new construction thinks in foundations, framing and structural engineering by default. A remodeling contractor thinks in finishes, layouts and working around existing structure. Both are skilled at what they do; hiring the wrong one for your project type usually shows up as either overpaying for simple work or underpaying for structural work that needed more expertise.
Some projects really are a combination — an addition with a remodeled connection point in the existing house, for instance. That's normal, and it just means the builder needs to be comfortable with both scopes, which is worth confirming before you sign anything.
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