How To Check For Potential Problems Before Starting A Home Improvement Project
Planning a home improvement project can be quite a mess. There’s a lot you’ll need to do to prepare your property for structural work, including clearing it out, cleaning it up, and checking for obvious signs of damage you’ll need to address first.
The latter is really the most important task of the whole process, but so many people renovating for the first time can miss the signs they’re on the lookout for.
As such, here’s a little guide to spotting the potential problems in your home’s structure before starting a home improvement project. Even if the issue turns out to be minimal and easy to fix, you’ll thank yourself for taking the time to sort it out now!
Pay Attention to Cracks
Even the most comfortable of homes can have cracks hiding somewhere. While most cracks can be small and simple to diagnose, some cracks will reach deeper into the plaster.
There’s a big difference between a dent in the plaster caused by someone tripping and knocking their knee into it, and a crack that reaches from the top of the wall to halfway down toward the furniture! Pay attention to fixing both, but make sure you give the second kind a proper look.
Look for Signs of Pests
You wouldn’t believe the number of home improvement jobs that get started, only to have to halt a few days in because a termite mound, wasp’s nest, or a collection of rat droppings have been found. When pests are in the structure, you have to be very careful about what you do to it!
That is, until you get rid of the pests and can get on with the work in a safe manner. If you come across any signs of pests being loose in your home, be sure to get in touch with a Bug Exterminator who can make sure they don’t come back again. After all, trying to work your way through a pest’s nest can lead to some pretty disgusting mishaps!
Test How Doors and Windows Close
Have you noticed that any of the doors or windows in your home are a bit looser than usual? Or maybe they’re the opposite, and you’re having trouble closing them without having to exert some proper force? If either of these things is happening, it could be a sign your home’s structure is a little worse for wear.
After all, the doors and windows will be the first things to become misshapen if the floor or walls are warping, which is often due to the foundation settling. These operation issues could also be due to a lack of insulation in your home, and your doors and windows are expanding and shrinking due to moisture, heat, and cold. Test for every possibility here before you go any further.
If you’ve got a home improvement project in the works, double-check for the issues above before you put any protective coverings down. You could seriously waste your budget otherwise!
