Two Steps to Take Before Renovating a House That Is in a State of Severe Disrepair
Posted on: 24 August 2018
If you are considering renovating a house that is in a state of severe disrepair, here are two important steps you will need to take before embarking upon your renovation project.
Get a building inspection report
Before initiating your renovation project, you should have the house inspected by a professional who specialises in building inspection work. The building inspection report that this professional will provide you with will serve several important purposes. Firstly, it will identify areas of the house that are structurally unsound.
This information could help to protect both you and other members of your renovation team from sustaining serious injuries whilst you are performing work inside the house, as you will know which areas are not safe to stand on (for example, if you know that the floor joists in the bathroom have rotted, you can avoid placing your full bodyweight on this particular floor and thus prevent it from collapsing).
Secondly, it will enable you to draw up a much more accurate budget, as the report will point out all of the building's major problems (many of which might go unnoticed by the average person) and thus ensure that you set aside enough money from the outset to tackle these issues. This, in turn, will reduce the likelihood of your project being financially derailed by the discovery of additional, costly damage midway through the renovation process.
Check for mould
Houses that have been left in a state of severe disrepair for many years are often very damp. This dampness can cause a whole host of problems, one of which is the growth of mould. If the house that you are about to renovate contains mould and you are not aware of this, you and the other individuals in your renovation team could end up disturbing the mould spores that are stuck to the walls, ceilings or floors in the building when you perform the renovation work. This, in turn, could result in you inhaling these spores and developing health problems (such as asthma and respiratory infections).
As such, it is important to check for mould at the start of the project. Look out for black or brown spots on the walls and ceilings, as well as an extremely musty odour in the rooms. If you do discover mould, make sure that you and your team members are equipped with respirators so that you do not inhale any spores whilst you work.
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