Reliable Remodeler Blog » safety

How secure is your home?

woodrow — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:15:01 +0000

It’s my nature to surf the world of online home improvement blogs. There’s great information out there, including home improvement ideas if you’re rebuilding or going green. But I’ve yet to see a blog give any bandwidth to a discussion about home safety and security. Are we just numb to the same old ideas of [...]

How secure is your home? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Nail gun safety for homeowner-remodelers

woodrow — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:15:32 +0000

The most-famous motto for all contractors and DIY handymen/women is “measure twice, cut once”. I’d prefer to move the phrase, “work safe, work smart” to the top of the slogan list. A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cites 37,000 emergency room visits a year to treat catastrophic injuries caused by nail [...]

Nail gun safety for homeowner-remodelers is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Fall is time to practice fire safety

woodrow — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:34:17 +0000

This week The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released their annual plea for homeowners to inspect their residences for fire risks, make necessary safety improvements and prepare a family escape plan in the event of a fire. If you think this is a Pollyanna warning, you’re not [...]

Fall is time to practice fire safety is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Chemical sensitivity and home safety

woodrow — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:13:02 +0000

Slowly, it seems, homeowners and contractors are paying closer attention to the side effects of chemicals and building materials. The main culprits being addressed today are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that “off-gas” into the living area of homes. As more builders create air-tight, energy efficient homes, the effect of VOCs is compounded in that they [...]

Chemical sensitivity and home safety is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Preventing home improvement tool injuries

woodrow — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:49:14 +0000

The difference between completing a home improvement project with pride or ending up in an emergency room with a severed hand can be the variance of a single millimeter and a half-second of time. Motorized saws cut extremely well, and most don’t distinguish sheet metal from a forearm. Nail guns shoot right where they’re aimed, [...]

Preventing home improvement tool injuries is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Playhouses must follow a design for safety

woodrow — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:13:52 +0000

You can find some of the most interesting home improvement ideas by looking at the designs for children’s play houses. If we could consider safety when we improve the big house with the same concern for our little ones, imagine how few shortcuts we’d take or details we’d omit. Look around the Web. There are prefab [...]

Playhouses must follow a design for safety is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Living safe and protected in 2011

woodrow — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:22:07 +0000

The overall drop in 2010 home invasions and burglaries indicate that home security and alarm systems may be having a deterrent on criminal behavior. It’s too early in the year to tell whether the results reflect the impact of security tools and monitoring services. But with the deepening economic pain in the country, subsequent job layoffs [...]

Living safe and protected in 2011 is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Winter’s Coming: Get Your Pipes Wrapped!

woodrow — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:36:28 +0000

I write on this subject every fall, but at least one person reading this blog either knows someone–or is that someone–who neglected to prepare their pipes for winter and ended up with much more than a simple repair project on their hands. Burst pipes can create more than flooding or loss of winter water supply, [...]

Winter’s Coming: Get Your Pipes Wrapped! is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Home Renovation and Indoor Air Quality

woodrow — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:08:04 +0000

Whether you’re adding a room, installing new carpet, or painting, you’re putting yourself and family members in potential harm’s way if you don’t have a mitigation plan for off-gassing, dust, and other pollutants. Sealing up the room you’re remodeling to keep particulates from invading the rest of your home is a crucial step that too [...]

Home Renovation and Indoor Air Quality is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Winter Home Troubles Are Only a Storm Away

woodrow — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:43:57 +0000

Summer may seem a long time away from the grim, damaging effects of winter. But don’t let the long dry days of summer and the leaning shadows of autumn lull you to sleep. The storms are coming! As an Alabama home inspector recently remarked to Consumer Reports, “If there are 10 things that can go [...]

Winter Home Troubles Are Only a Storm Away is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Home Improvements for Pool Safety

woodrow — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:07:48 +0000

You’d be amazed at how many people roll their eyes when I mention pool safety. This year a close friend nearly lost his son to a pool accident. It’s no laughing matter and certainly should not be minimized. Many municipalities have requirements for pool barriers, fences, and alarms integrated into the code requirements for adding [...]

Home Improvements for Pool Safety is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Battling Black Mold and Renovations

woodrow — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:36:12 +0000

Black mold is a plague on health inside the home. It spreads like a grass fire and and can be responsible for respiratory illnesses, especially in children. Run rampant, black mold not only destroys your home from the inside out, it has the same affect on young people’s immune systems. Environmental Health Perspectives describes how mold [...]

Battling Black Mold and Renovations is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Bathrooms: Safety First

woodrow — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:02:01 +0000

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) estimates that 200,000 people are injured each year by bathroom falls, slips in the shower, or scalding. The NKBA suggests some straightforward guidelines that are easy for us all to follow. You may have to spend some money upgrading sections of the bathroom, but aren’t family members and [...]

Bathrooms: Safety First is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Lighting Up Your Kitchen

woodrow — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:03:34 +0000

From energy-saving bulbs to recessed fixtures to pendants, there are nearly limitless solutions for putting light where you need it most in the kitchen. Lighting can be decorative, completing a theme or décor, or it can be functional, brightening up workstations and cook centers in your kitchen. There are even ways you can combine elegance, [...]

Lighting Up Your Kitchen is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Celebrate with Care!

woodrow — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:42:17 +0000

It’s not a jolly statistic. The U.S. Fire Administration reports 200 Christmas tree fires a year resulting in more than 30 deaths and injuries—and $6 million in property damage. Worn lighting cords, dry needles and branches tossed into the bright holiday fireplace, and overloaded electrical sockets turn a festive scene into a disaster. It takes [...]

Celebrate with Care! is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.