Home renovation or home remodeling easily comes to mind this springtime especially if you think that your family’s home needs a major makeover. If you and other family members will do the renovations yourselves, it’s vital that you consider safety measures to protect your family from potential health and physical injury as you start your home renovation project.
Consider working with experts in detecting home hazards.
If you and your family are living in a significantly old house, you should consider working first with professionals who could conduct an asbestos inspection in your Salt Lake City home, as there are large deposits of asbestos in Utah’s mountains.
If your renovation project requires ceiling replacements and scraping of walls, you need to have it tested for asbestos. Your home might contain asbestos if it’s built between the 1940s and 1970s. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homeowners should not drill holes, sand, saw, or scrape any part of the house that may contain asbestos. Working with experts helps you identify all the hazards before renovating your home.
Some renovation hazards like plumbing problems, electrical issues, structural problems, and termite problems are also common in old houses. Some of these issues could be visible, so an inspection can help you determine if something needs repair or replacement. However, you may still consider working with specialized contractors if you don’t know how to fix other home problems while doing renovations.
Asbestos is a toxic mineral that can seriously harm you and your family.
There was a time when asbestos was commonly used in home and building construction because it was an affordable way of making fire-resistant construction materials. Asbestos was previously mixed in paints, concrete, vinyl floors, tiles, and other plumbing fixtures as well.
The U.S. government banned asbestos after extensive research revealed that its tiny fibers could cause cancer if accidentally ingested or inhaled. Home renovation activities like drilling holes and sanding could make asbestos fibers airborne and possibly inhaled.
What do you need to do if your home has asbestos?
If inspectors find out that there’s a significant amount of asbestos inside your home, you may need to stall your renovation plans and hire a professional asbestos contractor to remove all asbestos-laden materials safely. Homeowners in some states are required by the EPA to make sure that they hire a fully-trained and accredited asbestos contractor especially if they live in an old apartment complex.
When hiring a professional asbestos abatement provider, you should check their background and experience for the job. You may want to ask a particular provider to show proof of accreditation to give you an idea that they will perform a good job of removing asbestos from your home.
When planning a home renovation, it’s ideal to work with experts to identify the hazards as you start your project. if your home is old and built at a specific time when asbestos was part of construction materials, you needto contact the professionals who could help you start your renovation plans.
