DIY: Safety Tips

Whether you are making home improvements that require a contractor or not, safety should always be a priority in everyone’s list. Anytime that you are dealing with tools it is important to keep the following things in mind: 

Protective Gear

Tools are made to cut through hard materials like steel and wood, our skin is made of something that is much more fragile than that. There are areas of our bodies, like that eye, that is even more flimsy than our skin. This is why we must protect them with googles and gloves. If you are working with things that produce fire like soldering materials you may want to invest in clothing that protects you from burns. 

Clean Workspace

You’ll want to make sure that the space that you are working on is clear of any obstacles that could potentially lead to an accident. More specifically don’t leave tools laying around, watch out for nails and things like furniture that you could trip on. When you’re done working, put everything away, this can prevent you or others who may wander into your area to hurt themselves. 

Ladders are one of the biggest reasons for an accident in a workspace. People often don’t clean up their workspace or they don’t secure the ladder properly causing accidents. Make sure that your ladder isn’t shaky and that it is on solid ground before starting getting on it. 

Abilities 

Do you know how to properly and safely work your power tools? Do you also know yourself well enough to know how much strength you’ll apply when using these tools? These are two questions that you need to ask yourself before you start any major DIY project. Knowing and respecting your power tools is extremely important, you need to know how much damage they can cause if not used properly. Also giving them routine maintenance is important, a tool that is not properly greased or that has loose parts can have catastrophic consequences. 

The strength applied to a tool can also cause unwanted mistakes, apply too much pressure or strength and a project can be ruined. You can also lose grip on a tool if you put in too much strength into it leading to a potential risk of injury for yourself and/or others. 

Capability

Out of all the previous reasons why there are accidents when working on DIY projects, this the one that causes the most issues. People tend to be over confident on their ability to execute a project. We’ve talked about before how it is important to know one’s boundaries when working on a home improvement project, so don’t bit more than you can chew. If you’re not confident on a project then don’t be scared to ask for help or hire a professional like New Earth.

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4 Reasons to Hire a Contractor Vs. DIY

We’ve all been in a situation where we have debated whether or not calling a contractor is worth it or not. Here are the top reason’s why you’d want to call a contractor versus trying to do something yourself… 

1. Discounts on materials

When your contractor purchases materials on your behalf, they probably already have ties with the stores they are getting them from and they can typically negotiate prices in bulk. This is something that they can easily do because you are not their only client and have to typically stock up on materials anyway. Also, a lot of the contractors have credit or membership cards from supply stores that automatically give them a certain percentage off, these are savings that eventually get passed onto you.

2. Smaller Margin of Error

There are certain projects like finishing a basement, building an outdoor deck, or installing new doors that can be easily accomplished if you are pretty handy. There are many other things that people think are easy like taking down a wall, installing a new ceiling fan or redoing a bathroom that may not actually as simple to redo as expected. Taking down a wall for example has complications like electrical wiring running through it, whether or not it is a wall that supports weight or plumbing that runs through it. A ceiling fan needs to be installed under the right support beams and needs to run the correct electrical connections to it. Redoing a bathroom can have complications both in plumbing and electrical. If you make any mistakes in these undertakings that appear DIY, without consulting an expert first, they can end up being very costly. Ask to see if your contractor provides a free consultation and you might be able to see whether or not your home improvement project is doable on your own.

3.Time Efficiency

A contractor will know exactly what needs to be done and how long it will take them. If you do your research you might find out how long it will take you to complete a project as an individual, however it is nearly impossible for you to plan on additional time for unexpected issues if the complication is out of your scope of knowledge. You can also hold a contractor accountable for how long it will take, if you start a project and become unmotivated then the project might never reach full completion.

4. Level of Complexity

A simple project that does not require much attention to detail is something that the majority of homeowners or renters can do. However if you take on a project that requires attention to several details and has a lot of parts then it might be best to leave it to the experts. When you hire a contractor to take on a big project like making an addition to your home, there’s many parts to that they’ll take care of for you: electrical, plumbing structural, etc. All of those things may be too much of an undertaking and provide risks that you may not want to take. If one piece is missing because you forgot it or didn’t know how to execute it correctly, your whole project may come to a halt or fail completely. 

Each home project is going to be unique and every individual will have different levels of experience. Call a contractor when it doubt to get advice and to figure out costs. If what you’re saving by doing it yourself is not much it may really be worth it to call an expert, especially if they are insured. 

For more tips and tricks for all your home needs visit:
NewEarthVA.com

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