Guide On How To Protect Your Home During Construction

Renovating the home can be as simple as repainting the exterior and interior or as complex as adding structures i.e. adding onto the existing home. Big projects like this, turn your home into a construction site and with it the requirements to meet health and safety requirements.

Plus there are other factors the homeowner needs to consider to keep your home secure, and protected from damage during the construction. Even with the best intentions, major construction works have a negative impact on the buildings and environment.

Here is a go-to guide on what steps you should take to eliminate the risk of any damage occurring to your property.

Wrap Your Window Treatments

While it may not be apparent before the construction project, windows are a big footprint so they will take a pounding with dirt and dust. Any window openings that you have in the home should be covered in plastic. This job will take some time but it will be worth it. If you’re going down the DIY route, you need to know that if your windows have window treatments they can be fragile.

Not only can parts of the treatment be damaged and also disappear, but the fabric can rip and get dirty. What’s more, replacing damaged treatments can cost a fortune, so being careful and take your time to do the wrapping well. Also, aim to keep dust to a minimum with wood chip or stones.

Lay Down A Wood Chip Path

When your builders are required to do work inside your home i.e. you’re remodeling your kitchen, adding a bathroom, they will bring the outside indoors. Therefore protect your flooring by laying down a wood chip path or you can use stones too.

The aim of adding this additional surface at the entrance or entry points is to stop mud, dirt, and other materials from being transferred to the inside. Add a brush mat too, so your builders know to use it to take off excess dirt from their boots before they step into your home. When your wood chip path gets muddy, all you need to do is add more chip or stones.

Protect Corners With Cardboard

Construction projects require a wide range of building materials and tools, which can be hard on finished walls. No matter how careful your builders are when working, it’s likely that there will be some damage to walls. Corners are particularly vulnerable.

While fixing wall dingers is straightforward, fixing a bent corner bead can be much more difficult, therefore, protecting corners with cardboard is a perfect preventative measure.

Shield Floors From Scratches And Dents

It’s important that you take time to shield your floors during a construction project. While carpeted floors can be protected from stains and snags with a drop cloth, safeguarding hard flooring is not as straightforward. Things like a hammer being knocked off a ladder can cause dents in wood flooring, so to add a layer of protection, you may want to consider using strips of rosin paper that can act as a good defense against spills and scratches.

Drive Away Dust

Dust during a construction project is inevitable, however, what you may not realize is there are dangerous dust particles like asbestos and silicon (more mentioned further on) that you don’t want in your lungs.

You may want to consider purchasing or building a Trimaco dust containment system which is used to provide complete protection and safety against dangerous dust particles such as airborne dust, silica dust, combustible dust and more.

Summary

Wrapping window treatments, laying down a wood chip path, protecting the corners of your home with cardboard, as well as using a dust contamination system are just a few measures that you can take to ensure your home stays protected and safe during a construction project.

There are more healthy and safety requirements for construction sites even at residential homes, so be sure to do your homework so your property is set up for success. You’ll want to make sure your builders are looked after so they complete your project on time. Remember time is money, the longer the job takes the more it costs.