There are many things to consider before you start your home DIY project; your safety being the main one. These home renovation safety tips will get you thinking about simple things you must consider when undertaking your next home improvement; from why protective footwear is a must all the way through to when you need to seek professional advice. Over the past 10+ years, we’ve undertaken many home improvement projects, from full renovations to redecorating rooms, with many tips picked up over the way!
Invest in protective footwear
How do safety boots enhance safety during DIY at home? It’s simple, whether you’re doing work on your home or out in the garden, there are plenty of risks to your feet, from stepping on sharp objects such as broken glass, bricks or nails, or accidentally dropping heavier items on your toes. A good pair of safety boots for home improvement projects from a reputable provider of workwear such as Strauss will minimise the risk to your feet, helping to prevent injuries and any potential downtime caused by those injuries.
What features make safety boots ideal for DIY home projects? Protective footwear, or safety boots, means protection for your toes and your mid-sole area, the main areas where you may be likely to get injuries when undertaking DIY tasks. They also ensure good grip, an absolute must if working on uneven surfaces or climbing ladders, as well as often offering protection from the elements on a site, or in the garden, thanks to waterproofing.
The right workwear can not only protect you, it can also make it easier when doing manual work, thanks to the use of materials designed to be put to the test in manual situations. Strauss offer, amongst other things, work products such as jackets, trousers and work shoes as well as protective equipment. Their website shows the full range of their offering, including the ability to find the right safety boots for you, and compare them against other pieces of protective footwear in their range, meaning you can be sure to find the best footwear for your home improvement needs.
Check your equipment
Before you start any DIY or home improvement project, check your equipment to make sure that it’s in good condition and has been well maintained. Safety is paramount, whether working inside your home or in the garden so using safe equipment is a must. This includes checking any ladders to ensure that they’re still in good condition, checking any power tools for any obvious faults, and ensuring that your electrical equipment, such as extension cables, are undamaged.
It’s natural for equipment to degrade over time, whether it’s through general wear and tear during usage, or because it hasn’t been properly maintained. A quick check over means that not only can you minimise safety issues when using, you can also save time from finding out issues mid-task (it’s always at the worst possible moment!). If you’re concerned about anything or unsure, it’s worth either getting your items serviced or replacing where necessary.
Set a realistic budget
You may wonder why budgeting properly for your home renovation would appear on a safety tips post. Often when we’re looking to save money or to reduce spend during home improvement projects, it can be tempting to look at cutting corners. This could be anything from not buying the proper safety equipment, all the way through to using cheaper labour or trying to do tasks yourself which should only be undertaken by qualified professionals.
By budgeting your home DIY project properly at the start, you can build in allowances for when you’ll need to pay tradesmen, or ensuring that you’ve bought yourself safety boots to wear throughout, meaning that your renovation work is likely to be a lot safer throughout. Remember that whilst it can be tempting to try to save money throughout, you can end up costing yourselves more by cutting corners and then having to pay again to repair, replace or fix issues cause by over-enthusiastic DIY work in your home or garden.
Speak to the professionals
If you’re doing anything that goes beyond surface level renovation, then it’s always worth having a chat with the professionals. We’re all about taking on DIY home renovation projects in this household, but there are certain aspects where you’ll always want to get some advice and/or support from those who are properly qualified, to ensure that your home is safe both during and after the work is completed.
But who? If your work requires moving or touching electrics then a qualified electrician will need to come in order to assess the work and sign off that it’s then completed safely. This is something you’ll require if you sell your home in future (plus, no-one wants dodgy wiring on their hands do they?!). We’d also recommend similar with the plumber for any pipework. Boiler and heating systems also require sign off prior to any completion, and the issues that leaky or faulty pipework or electrical work can cause, just isn’t worth it.
What about bigger projects? If you’re considering home renovation projects that require structural changes, then you’ll want to consult a builder or in certain cases a structural engineer. When your property was built, it would have been built to specific standards and the work signed off along the way, this means that when you buy it, you should be able to be confident that structurally, the house is sound. The last thing you would want to do is risk structural damage (and your safety) by removing a wall or moving a doorway, without ensuring that you’d compensated for this with the right replacement concrete or steel work to maintain the structural integrity of your house. If in any doubt, ask!
We hope these home renovation safety tips help you get your DIY project off to a flying start. Remember that whatever work you’re looking to do, it’s always worth doing it safely!
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