Last week we talked about what to do to create a healthy home from the start when building. It’s great to get a jump on making sure that your home is created with things to keep your home healthy. But, what if you are buying an older home or wanting to update your existing home?
Even in a brand new house, there are some things that we want to accomplish in terms of renovations. Some projects were held off to keep the mortgage down. Most of these projects are no very invasive, but some will require some dust and grit. Some of the things that we are thinking about are finishing the basement, adding a fence, adding some recessed lights in the family room, expanding or adding more interest to the front porch, adding shutters to the windows on the sides of the house to match the front and lots and lots of painting!
Home renovations can create quite a mess! I have only experienced a couple of small renovation projects, but it was enough to make me see the things that I need to plan for next time. The basement project is probably one of the first things that we will tackle. There are many, many things that will go into this project. And doing so just make impact the rest of our home. And, since there will be workman there anyway, we may want to think about having them do a couple of the other projects that we have in mind. Some contractors may offer a deal on multiple projects booked at the same time.
Here are a Few Things to Think About When Planning a Healthy Home Renovation Project:
Revamp or Expand Your Home HVAC System
As mentioned in my basement renovation post, we realized when talking about the potential finishing project that we will need more vents and returns run to the part of my basement where my husband’s music studio will be located. This may be true of other parts of your home as well. And, as long as they are tearing apart your HVAC anyway this would be a good time to get everything checked out, tuned up, and upgraded if needed. You can take this opportunity to add an air purifier, humidifier, dehumidifier, or more based on your needs.
Repair Any Chipping Paint
Although lead paint is no longer a concern in newer homes, if you have a really old home it may still be an issue. If your home was built before 1978 chances are that it contains lead paint. However, lead paint can be safely scraped and encapsulated by professionals. And as long as all of the paint chips are contained correctly there should not be any worries. However, you may want to keep your family away while the work is being done.
Cover Your Vents and Then Get Them Cleaned
As mentioned before, even new houses can have things end up in the vents. And old houses can have even more! Years of dust, dirt, remnants of building materials, and toys (true story) might be in your vents. And during the renovation, you want to minimize the amount of stuff that ends up in your vents. You can either cover them with plastic or pick up several of the magnetic covers sold in your home improvement store to get the job done.
And once the renovation project is over, it’s a good idea to get the vents cleaned… just in case.
Rid the House of Dust
I admit that I sometimes forget to dust everywhere that I should. We have a tall armoire in our bedroom where the TV sits. I’m only 5’3″ so I cannot see over the top of it. My husband often comments that the top is dusty. But, I never think about it since I cannot see up there! Out of sight.. out of mind! For spring cleaning plan to dust everywhere that you can, especially those places that you usually forget about. This is especially important after a home renovation. There will be a ton of dust!
Check Your Property for Strange Plants and Weeds
Back when I had a dog at my old house, we had a tear down a strange looking bush in our yard. Princess (the dog) was eating the crab apple type fruit on the tree and getting sick. We were not a huge fan of the bush anyway, so we destroyed it and replaced with it a retaining wall planter box full of annuals.
In my current house, the lot that we chose is surrounded by greenery and shrubs on 2 sides. The privacy is the main reason that we chose this lot. However, the beauty could come at a price. Luckily, after going through one full spring and summer in the house everything seems good with my family so far. But, that may not always be the case. Depending on your families allergies you may find that certain plants on your property may cause a reaction. If this is the case, you want to safely get rid of them. It’s no fun being in your yard if you are sneezing or itchy the whole time.
For more tips on creating a healthy home check out the Aprilaire Healthy Home 101 Blueprint site.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Aprilaire. All opinions are my own.
