Breathe Easy During Your Remodeling Project

Are you beginning a remodeling project? Well, take a deep breath because your air is about to be affected in a major way.

Is this preventable? It can be, if you take action.

The most important time to act is before you begin your remodeling project, especially if you are staying in your home during the process. It is your job to make sure your contractor has your family and overall indoor air quality (IAQ) top of mind before workers start invading your home and creating a dust storm.

This is a vital concern for homeowners, especially if someone in your home has breathing difficulties, such as asthma or another chronic medical condition.

In the past, contractors used patchwork dust-control solutions that are ineffective at preventing hazardous dust from traveling throughout the home. Today, more contractors are remodeling smarter and cleaner by providing livable remodeling to their clients.

Here are three ways to ensure that your contractor understands your need for excellent IAQ and protecting your livability within your home:

Learn about the dangers of dust

Remember the last time you kicked up a lot of dust? Your eyes itched. Your throat burned. You might have even felt dizzy and fatigued. Those are common signs of indoor air pollution.

You need to understand exactly what your family and pets could be inhaling while a contractor builds your dream kitchen.

An example of harmful substances that might be uncovered during your remodel:

* Materials such as drywall, cement and sawdust

* Dangerous substances such as silica, asbestos and lead

* Mold and mildew

* Dirt and debris of many sizes, including ones you can’t even see

* Organic matter like rodent feces and dead bugs

If you have IAQ problems before a remodeling project, they could be magnified by 10 times if a dust management plan is not in place.

Also, remember that just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Smaller dust particles are the most hazardous. They are lighter, stay in the air longer and travel farther than larger particles.

Make a livability plan

As the protector of your household, you need to be armed and ready to ask your contractor some tough questions to make sure your family is safe throughout this long and hard process. Before you hire a contractor, make sure you relay the information you’ve learned about hazardous dust.

Create a checklist of discussion points for contractors that can be the basis for your livability plan. For example, what is the project timeline? What will be your temporary living arrangements if, for example, the contractor is working on the kitchen or bathroom?

And, most importantly, what is the contractor’s plan to control potentially hazardous dust from invading the rest of your home?

Find a “clean” contractor

Top contractors across the nation are using new tools and work processes to minimize the dust. Your contractor should have you covered, if you pick the right one.

One of the top new practices is to collect dust while it is still airborne. Collecting particulates in this manner is the most effective way to capture and virtually eliminate all types of worksite dust – up to 90 percent of airborne dust, to be exact.

The result? You can breathe easy. Your indoor air quality can even improve to better than normal levels.

 

Continue to check out @LaRocqueGroup on Facebook for tips on how to choose materials for your remodel or reach out to us to start your project. We can’t wait to hear from you!

To schedule an initial consultation, please call The LaRocque Group at 281-883-4828