2 tips for preventing property damage when you're renovating your home

Posted on: 10 February 2019

If you're unused to using power tools, construction materials or access equipment (like ladders and scaffolding), there is a chance that you could damage your home whilst you are trying to renovate it. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind to prevent this from happening.

1. Identify the layout of the air conditioning system's ductwork before you begin

If you have a ducted air conditioning system, you should try to identify the layout of this system's ductwork before you start the renovation work. If you don't have this information to hand, you may need to contact the HVAC contractor who designed the layout and installed the system or obtain the original building plans (if the system was installed when the house was first built).

The reason for this is that if you don't know the exact location of the ducts behind your walls and underneath your floors, there is a chance that you will end up accidentally damaging them when you begin the renovation work. For example, if you need to drill some holes into a wall in order to hang up some new cabinets in the kitchen, you could end up drilling through one of the ducts. This hole in the ductwork could result in the cool air that the system generates being lost.

Similarly, if you need to use a circular saw to remove some old plaster, you could slice through the ductwork with this tool and end up with a non-functioning air conditioning system. As such, it is worth making the effort to obtain the layout of the ductwork prior to doing any renovation work.

2. Periodically check the condition of the protective sheeting on your floors 

Most people know that they need to cover up their floors with plastic sheeting before they start plastering or painting the walls of their home, as this helps to prevent any plaster or paint droplets from landing on and then staining their property's flooring. However, if you decide to take this precaution when decorating your home's walls, it is important not to just lay some sheeting on the floors and then move on to your renovation work.

Instead, you should regularly check the condition of the sheeting throughout the plastering and painting process. The reason for this is that whilst this type of plastic sheeting is quite durable, it could tear. If, for example, you drop a utility knife onto it or if you drag a ladder across it. If this happens and you don't notice the tear that has left the flooring underneath it exposed, any plaster or paint that you spill whilst you are working could end up landing on that patch of the floor.

As such, it is important to keep an eye on the condition of the sheeting and to patch up any holes you find before continuing with your work.

Share