If your house is old, it’s very likely that it has an unfinished basement, with cold, bare concrete and exposed studs, and its main purpose currently is to hold all the junk you don’t really use. This doesn’t need be the case anymore, as it’s possible to finish your basement and turn it into a warm inviting space, just like any other part of your house.

But before you go about transforming your basement into a livable space, it’s important to take into account the challenges you might face. To do this, you have to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have a moisture problem?

If your basement is damp or has visible pools of water all the time or periodically, you have to get the problem under control before you start finishing up the space. Failure to do so could result in more problems in future, such as a weakened foundation and mold.

2. Is your basement already connected to the main heating and cooling system?

If not, is it possible to tap into the existing system that is used to heat and cool the rest of the house? If this is not an option, will your budget allow for a new heating and cooling system? All these questions can be answered by a professional who specializes in installing heating and cooling units.

3. Will the renovation interfere with ducts and piping?

If there are any pipes that run below the ceiling level, they might need to be moved, especially if they interfere with ceiling height.

4. Is your ceiling high enough?

A quick check with your contractor or with the building department offices in your area, will reveal whether the ceiling of your basement is up to code. If you don’t have much headroom to begin with, using drywall might be the way to go as installing a suspended ceiling might diminish ceiling headroom.

5. Has your house been checked for radon?

Some geographical locations have high amounts of radon in the soil. Radon is a radioactive gas and because it’s odorless and colorless, it’s difficult to detect. If tests reveal a high level of radon, house inspectors will advise on measures to take to make the basement habitable.

Floods and fire can cause damage in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though floods do not consume property like fire does, damage resulting from flooding is just as bad, as most property usually cannot be salvaged after water damage. Additionally, flooding comes with a string of related problems such as mold and weakened foundations.

After floods or a house fire, it’s vital to start restoration immediately in order to prevent further property damage. The aim of restoration is to rebuild and eventually get settled back in. It’s advised to contract a professional to perform the restoration process as the structure of your house may have been weakened depending on the extent of the damage. Electrical hazards are also imminent, especially in cases of flooding.

As safety is the most important thing during disasters such as fires and floods, it’s important to remember the following list of do’s and don’ts, as doing so will keep you and your family safe until the inspection is done:

What you should do

1. Contact your insurance agent after a flood or house fire.
2. Hire a professional restorer to start cleaning, repairing and restoration. If your restoration company does not work with your insurer, make sure to coordinate their efforts so that you get the best settlement possible.
3. Turn off water pipes to prevent water damage as some pipes could have burnt off.
4. If you’ve been allowed back into the house, keep wet areas well ventilated by opening windows and turning on the air conditioner and heating.
5. If any valuables have been salvaged from the floods, keep them in a safe dry place.
6. Mop or sponge off any standing water.
7. Before using any water after a flood, get your water supply line inspected for contamination with drain backup.

What not to do

1. Do not go into your house after a fire or while your house is flooded. Roofs and floors can cave in if the structure of the house is damaged. You could also suffer electrocution from exposed electric wires.
2. Don’t try to do the cleanup yourself. Cleanup and restoration needs specialized skills and equipment.
3. Do not touch anything until the insurance company has made its assessment. Tampering with the house and its contents will negatively impact your settlement.
4. Do not turn on any electric supplies after a flood, until they have been inspected.
5. Don’t sleep in a room with wet carpets, floors or other items as this could expose you to respiratory illnesses.
6. Don’t use heat to dry off closed areas as this could result in mildew or expand the moisture damage.
7. Don’t use your vacuum cleaner to remove stagnant water.
8. Avoid handling wet carpets without professional help as this could cause shrinkage or further damage.

There are a lot of good things that can be said about a person who can do any handy work themselves, but when it comes to roofing jobs, it might not be worth it doing the job yourself. This is especially the case if you don’t have any experience doing roofing jobs simply because the risks that you have to take outweigh the rewards of doing the job yourself.

In any case, whether you think that you may be qualified enough to do the job or not, it may be worth asking a professional handyman for a quote to have them do the job. In most cases, you will find that it will be easier to get a professional to do the job perfectly once and for all.

Below are the main reasons why this may be true.

Expertise on the job: If you don’t have enough proficiency and knowledge on the best practices for roofing jobs, you may do the job in a substandard way. This will mean one of two things.

1. At best, you will either need to re-do the job sooner than later and maybe even hire a handyman to do the job for you in the right way later on.
2. Worse yet, you will risk doing further damage to your roof, which will cost you more than what you would have spent to get a handyman the first time around.

Guarantee to get the job done

If you hire a handyman to do your roofing job for you, you can rest assured that the job will be done according to budget and with no incidents that need to worry you.

Why? This is simply because a professional and reputable handyman is licensed, bonded and insured. This means that even if they get injured on the job or if the job is not completed for one reason or another, you can rest assured that you will be protected and that your roof will not be neglected in the middle of all the chaos, if any.

Effectiveness, efficiency and safety

Even if you can do the roofing job yourself, can you do it within a good timeframe? Probably not. This is because you may need to take your time to do the job right which will cost you time and probably money because you will sacrifice the productive time you can spend on other tasks that you can do better.

Hiring a professional roofing handyman is efficient and effective because the professional has experience and knowledge of the job and they therefore don’t need to dabble on the job.

Building a fence in your backyard can be an expensive project. Many homeowners choose to have a fence for privacy. Probably they use the walls to protect children and animals and mitigate the noise from the outside. Whatever the reason, there are ideas for inexpensive fencing using cement blocks. This is one of the cheapest fencing materials, and use them strategically can save you money on your fence.

Honeycomb

Staggering the blocks to create a honeycomb effect can leave your wall with aesthetic interest. By doing this, you will use fewer blocks to cover the yard (0.91 m). This style fits well with modern, mid-century houses. The spaces on the wall make the area look more clear than that of a solid concrete wall, Because of the openings, this wall works for older children because they cannot escape through the spaces that are 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm).

Large blocks

Design the wall with the largest blocks you can get. This will reduce the amount of blocks needed for the job. If you choose to hire someone to help you install the fence, using larger blocks will reduce the amount of hours needed to place them. The cost savings will depend on the availability and cost of blocks you chose. Check with your local retailer and compare prices to calculate how many blocks of each size are needed to build your wall.

Dry construction

If you are using your fence to block noise from a noisy road or railroad tracks, you can order the blocks to build your wall. This means that you will not use cement to bond the blocks, which will save you money. The wall must be in an area where they do not deteriorate and will not be near children or animals. Dry construction also takes less time to complete, saving money in labor.

Height

By building a wall 4 feet (120 cm) instead of 6 (180 cm) to 8 feet (240 cm), you can save money on blocks. You will use between 2 and 4 rows around the perimeter of your wall to shorten the height. Consider the needs of your wall being built. If there is no reason to reach 6 or 8 feet, then shorten your wall to shorten your expenses.

Arranging the furniture in your room can be a challenge, particularly if you work with large furniture in a small space. Ideally, your bedroom should be your sanctuary, and should be organized in a way that promotes the naturalness of the space and turn it into a pleasant oasis for you to retire at the end of the day. With just a few adjustments, any room can be transformed, even if you have no experience with design.

Instructions

1. Arrange the bed first. Typically, the bed is the center of the room and the point of focus. Ideally, your bed should be located on an interior wall, particularly in colder climates where the outside walls can be cooler. If the size of the bed does not allow that, try to center it between and below the windows.
2. Add nightstands. Even if you live alone, have two of these tables, one on each side of the bed, so you can center the design of the room and make it look balanced. Small lamps can be placed on tables to generate a little height to the area.
3. Your bathroom should be located near a closet. This will make it easier to get dressed in the morning. If you cannot do it in your room, the bathroom should ideally be located on the opposite side of the bedroom.
4. Walk around the room to assess the amount of space left and see if the room is balanced. If you have enough space to move, you can add some more objects, such as a TV or baskets for linens and pillows. If space is limited, add the minimum and essential furniture, and other areas of the home should be used for storage. Stand at the door and look around the room. Check if it is composed, or if it needs a final touch.
5. Add one more piece to emphasize and unite the entire organization of the room. Whether it is a favorite bedding, pillows or a special object that has meaning to you, put it in a prominent place in the room. This will help close the design.