Home Improvement Jobs that Will Keep Your Family Safe

Keeping your family safe is a top priority for any parent. We keep dangerous objects out of the reach of our children, put parental controls on the computer, and make sure parents are home when our kid goes to a friend’s house. To keep your family even safer, there are a few home improvement jobs that you can complete around the home. Doing these few jobs will make accidents and emergencies less likely. If you’ve been looking for some home improvement projects to try, and you want to focus on family safety, here are some things to add to your list.

Roof Repair

First, let’s start with the roof of your home. Your roof takes the brunt of most extreme weather conditions, making it essential that it stays in good shape. Issues with your roof could lead to small issues like a leaf in your ceiling, or much more major problems like a roof collapse. To keep this from happening, you should perform a regular roof inspection.

A great place to start is by examining the shingles. According to Guardian Roofing, a company that provides commercial roofing in Houston, “Broken or missing shingles are often caused by extreme weather conditions such as a heavy downpour, hailstorm, etc. and improper installation. These conditions cause the shingles to corrode, get blown off, or lose their grip.”

Perform a visual inspection of your roof and look for any signs of damage. If you’re not comfortable getting up on the roof yourself, hire a professional roof inspection service to do the job for you. Should you notice any signs of damage, get the issue taken care of sooner rather than later.

Foundation Repair

Another major structural component of your home to keep an eye on is your foundation. If cracks appear in your foundation it could lead to slanted floors, leaks into the lower levels of the home, or even a pest problem. Take some time to explore the foundation of your home and look for any cracks. If you see any, you’ll want to get them taken care of. Depending on the type and location of the crack, it could be a simple matter of filling it in to protect your home.

Chimney Cleaning

If your home has a chimney, and you use it, it’s important that you regularly clean it out. Burning wood creates a substance called creosote, which can build up on the inside of your chimney. This is a highly flammable and combustible substance, making it a danger to your home if you don’t regularly clean it out. A professional chimney cleaning service will be able to remove any creosote buildup, which in turn will not only make your home safer, but remove any unpleasant odors associated with it.

Trim Back Tree Branches

For those of you with trees in your yard, you should check to make sure branches aren’t getting too close to your home. You’ll want to do this for a few reasons. First, if a bad storm comes along, the branch could break off and fall onto your home. If the branch is big enough, this will cause some significant damage. Close tree branches can also fall onto electrical wires running into the house. Should this happen, you might not only lose power to your home, but run the risk of a fire starting. It’s a good idea to do quick inspection of the trees around your yard before the bad weather seasons. Look for any branches that are getting too close or trees that look like they’re dying.

Electrical Outlet Replacement

Bad electrical outlets are a danger to your home. If any of your outlets spark when you plug things in or if there is a burning smell, you’ll want to replace them right away. Bad electrical outlets could cause a fire or shock anyone who tries to plug something in. Replacing these outlets is pretty easy, so don’t put this home improvement task off for any longer. Our guide on electrical safety at home has more information.

Upgrade Your Home Security

Finally, you can add some things to your home specifically for home security. For example, you could install lights around your yard or in your driveway so you can see better at night. Or you could install some security cameras inside your home or at your front door. These days you can even get cameras that connect online, so you can monitor your home while you’re away. This guide will walk you through some great home security items you can add to your home.

Often we think of home improvement as making our homes look better. But if you have a family, it’s important that you also make the home safer. Hopefully the above list will give you some ideas for your next project and your family will be safer because of it.