The two main reasons people buy a home that has been empty for a while are to fix it up and flip it, or to renovate it into their long-term home. If you’ve just bought a fixer-upper, there are some important preparations to make before you can even think about moving in. Here are some guidelines to help you.
Get an Inspection
A home inspection is essential because it will tell you if the house has any structural weaknesses or problems with the mechanical and electrical systems. The inspector will check everything from the roof to the floor, the windows, doors and walls. He or she will also examine any major appliances as well as the heating and air system. Although an inspector has a trained eye, he or she will not be able to detect unseen problems, such as mold, pest problems or asbestos. If you are concerned about these issues, you will need to have specialist evaluations.
Waste Removal
When you’re renovating an old house, one thing you can be sure of is that you’re going to produce a lot of rubbish. Whether you’re remodeling a kitchen or replacing shingles on the roof there’s going to be rubbish to remove and often you end up with more than you expect. Before you know it you are overwhelmed with old roofing, old plaster, plumbing pipes and old fixtures and they’re all cluttering up your space. So how can you dispose of all this waste material affordably and responsibly? Here are three ways you can rid yourself of renovation waste.
Donate Re-usable Items
Just because you can’t use the materials anymore does not mean someone else won’t be able to. If you’re replacing kitchen appliances, toilets, bathtubs and sinks and the ones you are taking out are in working order, donate them to a charity, such as the Salvation Army or Life Line. Habitat for Humanity will take usable building materials as well as appliances. If you have decided to donate, make sure to remove the items carefully to avoid damage.
Recycle your Waste
Australian households produce one and a half tonnes of waste per person every year. Around 40 percent of this rubbish is a result of demolition and reconstruction. What many people don’t realize is that 60 percent of this construction waste can be reused or recycled. Once you’ve donated anything reusable, the next thing to do is to pick out any recyclable materials, such as glass, carpet, steel, aluminum, timber, bricks, concrete and pavers.
Hire a Professional
One of the easiest ways to dispose of your renovation waste is to hire a professional waste removal company. This is an ideal solution, because a reputable company will remove all your waste, including small demolition waste, garden waste, and appliances. They will recycle as much as possible and dispose of the rest of your waste safely and responsibly. If you’re in Sydney, this company offers affordable rubbish removal quotes.
Pest Control
When it comes to pest control, many homeowners think it’s best to deal with it themselves rather than hire a professional pest control company. Although DIY pest control may be cheaper at the outset, it could end up costing a lot more in the long term. A professional can quickly assess the type of pests you have in your home and eliminate them in one or two treatments. If you try to handle the situation yourself you risk the increased cost of purchasing more and more pest control products and the continued damage to your home.
Before you move into your newly renovated home, there are a few more things you need to do. Check that all the outlets work and label the switches in the breaker box, this will come in handy if you blow a fuse later. If you haven’t decided on window treatments, put up some temporary blinds to give your family some privacy. Run your dishwasher and washing machine and check all your drains to make sure there are no leaks. Change all the locks on your exterior doors and have spare keys made. Clean the house from top to bottom. It’s so much easier to do before your furniture arrives. Once you’ve got all that sorted you can get ready to settle into your new home knowing that everything is in working order.
Matt, the owner of Dirt Cheap Rubbish Removal has worked hard to build up a successful waste removal business over more than a decade. His aim is to make it super easy for people to dispose of unwanted items and household junk, with just a phone call. His business serves the greater Sydney area.
