With the recent home renovation tax credit, many people are undertaking renovations of their homes. In some cases, this is encouraging people who have never renovated their homes to take the plunge, and to take the plunge by themselves.
But sometimes taking the plunge is something new renovaters should not do by themselves. Although doing it yourself can help you save money, you need to make sure it’s the right decision. Today, I’m going to provide some pointers, particularly around safety, that you should keep in mind.
Image: Ingorrr / Flickr
Electricity
If you are thinking about fixing your home’s electrical system yourself, you should probably give up on the idea. The potential for electrocution is very high, and you can cause a fire hazard if you do it improperly.
Even simpler installations can cause problems. Many people install ceiling-fans by themselves, but the problem is that thousands of people are injured by fans that have not been mounted properly every year.
Gas lines
This is definitely an area for eager amateurs. Making a mistake with a gas line could create a gas leak. And gas leaks could cause explosions, or it could suffocate people from escaping carbon-monoxide.
Heights
Doing projects that involve you to be high off the ground can be a major source of injury. Cleaning leaves out of your gutter or painting a wall might be something you can (carefully) undertake yourself; refinishing your roof or pruning trees might be a task you need help with.
Power tools
Power tools are a leading cause of accidental self-injury: 30,000 Americans lose fingers every year from power tools and doors. Clearly, you should limit your use of big saws and nail guns to the bare minimum. But you can hurt yourself with any powered tool, and care always needs to be taken.
Make sure you follow all of the safety procedures when you are using a power tool. Plan ahead to ensure that you aren’t suddenly changing your mind halfway through the project, or that you aren’t put in a position where you feel pressured to do something quickly. And only use power tools when you have a clear mind. And don’t use them if you are tipsy, sick or tired. Many accidents happen when the user isn’t focusing on what they are doing.
Next week I’ll give some more pointers about the types of projects you should leave to the experts.
Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com
No related posts found
