DIY renovating your property can be an amazing way to get the home of your dreams without the massive expense often incurred when hiring a range of professionals to do the work for you. But as well as being a cost-effective option, it gives you the ability to boost your knowledge and skills to build your repertoire and see what you’re truly capable of.
But, before you dive headfirst into your home renovation projects, it’s crucial to fully comprehend the potential risks involved. This understanding will not only keep you, your property and those around you safe, but also empower you to make informed decisions throughout your renovation journey. Below, you’ll find a few vital DIY safety tips to keep you from harm.
PPE
Personal protective equipment is essential for DIY. Whether it is goggles to protect your eyes when cutting wood or metal gloves for handling heavy loads, hard hats for dangerous areas or protective clothing, including masks for dusty or dirty work, you need to make sure that you and those working with you have the right protective equipment to prevent injuries or illnesses from occurring.
Know your limits
Indeed, DIY is about expanding your skills and learning to do more, but you also need to know when to stop or leave something well alone. Not knowing your limits can lead to serious accidents or even damage to your property. This means knowing when something is outside your capabilities or a job that you need to explicitly leave to the experts. It could be plumbing, gas work, asbestos removal, electrics or even roofing if your skills are not quite there yet. So, while you can learn a lot, and you should, the best lesson is knowing what DIY not to attempt and leave to the professionals.
Working at height
Working at height poses a greater risk to your health when carrying out DIY work. Even the pros will be taking precautions and using safety equipment when being elevated off the floor. Even if you’re just up a ladder, you need to know how to stay safe when working at heights.
From using scaffolding to carry out roof work or exterior wall work, i.e. removing or repairing render or painting jobs, to using mobile elevate equipment to reach internal high ceilings or using harnesses to see you in tricky spots such as painting the ceiling above a staircase. Safety is always the number one priority.
Structural integrity
The DIY shows and home renovation influencers can somewhat romanticise renovation work and make everyone think they can do it. But it’s not as simple as picking up a sledgehammer and destroying old kitchen cabinets or removing internal walls; you need to be aware of the structure of the property and what aspects are integral and supporting the building. Because if you don’t, you are risking the building and those within its walls. So before you do anything, know the difference between supporting walls and partition walls within the property to enable you to make better decisions and arrangements for any permanent adjustments you are going to make.