3 Potentially-Dangerous Home “Improvements” You Should Be Aware Of

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If you want to increase the value of your home, you may be thinking of making some home improvement additions. These could include an upper story for your garage, a renovated kitchen or bathroom, or attractive landscaping. Some additions may cause more harm than good. Here are three that you should be aware of and the remedies that go with them.

Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

When a house is listed for sale, new wall-to-wall carpeting may sound like a great selling point. You may have gone to a huge expense to install new carpeting in the hope it will increase the value of your home. This may be true for some people, but today, the dangers of wall-to-wall carpeting have become well known and thus many people look for wooden, tiled or painted non-slip flooring. Carpeting is manufactured with toxic chemicals that can cause allergic reactions in some, especially children. The carpet is also a catch-all for pathogens and allergens from pets and the bottoms of shoes.

Swimming Pool

Swimming pools are considered a great asset for any home. They provide exercise and recreation at any time of the year. However, if you are considering adding a swimming pool to your home there are some safety features you should consider. There are several common injuries that can happen at a pool. One of the most common is slipping and falling because the pool is not surrounded by non-slip flooring. If the pool does not have the proper safety features, it may not be considered an asset, especially for families with young children. A surrounding fence with a child-proof latch is the first thing to add; it is often required in areas with attractive nuisance regulations. You can even put alarms on the doors that lead to the pool area as well as on the gate and latches.

Basement Renovation

If your home has a basement and it is just going to waste as a dump-all location, you may be able to renovate it into a great family room or office. While you have addressed the moisture issues and used the right kind of flooring, you may not have thought of an exit plan. To be safe, you need more than one egress route. Adding an extra window or door at the early stages may solve the problem and save a life.

When considering an addition to your home, make sure that you think about whether it will add value to your home or not. This could be especially important to consider if you are planning on selling your house soon. Whatever you end up doing, make sure you keep safety factors in mind like the ones mentioned above to ensure your family’s safety in your home.