Building or Remodeling? (Things to Know, Do & Ask About Home Safety)

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nationwide provided me with information regarding its Nationwide Learning Center article.

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As you may remember, my husband and I are planning to sell our current home and downsize, hopefully this year.

I am SO excited to start this next new adventure. If all things fall into place correctly, we will get started down that road this summer.
However, no matter what we find, we will undoubtedly be remodeling/renovating or possibly even building.

While we did 99% of our DIY projects in this home, we would not take on that large of a project ourselves.
Small remodels yes, larger ones, no. And building from the ground up, no.

So when contacting a contractor there will be things we will look for.
And if you are in the process, there are things you should look for too.

Nationwide has a wonderful resource called the Learning Center.
Have you ever visited the Learning Center?
It’s a really helpful site with information and helpful articles about home, life, retirement, finances and more.

Since we’re talking about building and remodeling, I’m sharing a bit about an informative article they’ve written up for just that.
It’s called Home Remodeling Safety Considerations, which covers those things you need to look out for, things you need to do and questions you need to ask.

SAFETY RECORD

First, you’ll want to choose a contractor with a good safety record. Something you don’t just want to take your neighbor or friend’s word for.
Not only that, don’t take the contractor’s word for it either.
He may hand you a few referrals but it’s always best to follow up and check those out yourself.
One way is to check their previous code history.

RUN A CHECK

Check it out yourself.
The attorney general’s office in most states will keep a record of complaints that pertain to safety violations made while building.
That is a good starting point. Once you’ve done this, you’ll feel more confident in making an informed choice.

BE SPECIFIC

Having had a home built before, I know one of the most important things when building or remodeling is the contract.
Be specific and descriptive on the terms and expectations of each. With that specification, you’ll also want to be sure that your chosen contractor will be complying with insurance, state and local regulations. Spell it out completely, down to the very last detail.
I found this out when building, your interpretation of something, and theirs, are sometimes two totally different things.
It’s best to have it well discussed and planned from the get go.

PROOF OF INSURANCE 

This one is a no brainer. Ask for a copy of your contractor’s proof of liability insurance and his/her proof of insurance.
Don’t forget to check with your own insurance company to see what things may not be covered.
You might need to add on or create a rider policy to cover those extra things, if any, while under construction.

More information on all of these things can be found over on the Nationwide’s Learning Center >>> Home Remodeling Safety Considerations

Building a home, or even remodeling, is an exciting time but can be very stressful.
Ask me how I know? ;)
Keep it safe by following these guidelines, and those outlined in the article, and by keeping an open line of communication with your contractor.
Don’t take for granted any safety consideration that may arise or those outlined by your contractor.
Discuss with and find out the do’s and don’ts of the construction site and relay those with family members and friends who may want to visit.

I’m looking forward to our next adventure. Very much so!
But this was a very good reminder for me that it’s not all fun and games ….or just pretty paint and decor. ;)

This was super helpful and I’ll surely be using this as a guide when we start down our next path.
I hope it was helpful to you too!

xo

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6 Comments

  1. Finding a good contractor is of great importance. I always recommend asking family and friends for recommendations, check online reviews and check their status with the BBB. I then will interview and get quotes from a few before deciding. Great information, thanks for sharing!

  2. These are great tips and advice!! It’s so important to get a great contractor! We had a bad experience with one and it caused so many problems with our project and so much stress.

  3. Thank you that’s so helpful. I’ll be checking all these tips out here in the UK as I definitely think they’re international tips to implement! ❤

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