Fire Prevention Techniques & Home Remodeling Guide
Kids have fire drills at school, so why not have a fire-escape guide for adults at home? Here are a few essential tips and steps to practice during fire drills.
Prevention of Fire & Fire Drill
It is said that prevention is better than cure, never leave lit stove burners unattended. Ensure all candles are in proper containers and that they're not underneath or too close to anything flammable. Teach your children not to touch lighters, matches, candles, stoves, or the fireplace.
Get fire assessments conducted by qualified experts.
Install smoke detectors, by code, throughout your home and test them every six months. Set a reminder on your cell phone or calendar so to help you remember to check them regularly.
Everyone should agree on an accessible location; such as a particular tree, neighbor’s house or stop sign, that is at a safe distance away from your home. It will be easy for you all to meet up if a fire occurs.
A fire can happen anywhere. You should plan and practice to move out through multiple escape routes from all rooms. Familiarize your entire family, especially children and as they are the most vulnerable groups.
*Be sure to feel doors that are closed, either by lightly touching the handle or placing your hand on the door itself to check for warmth or heat, if there is warmth or heat, there is fire.
As you evacuate your home, stay low. Smoke rises, so staying low or even crawling if necessary can help ensure you make it safely out of your home.
A fire extinguisher can be a useful device in preventing a small fire from becoming a larger one. Everyone should be familiarized with the location, the best location are going to be either in the garage or the kitchen as this is where most fires start in homes. Every family member should be taught to effectively use fire extinguishers in your home.
If you cannot get out fast because of raging fire or, smoke is blocking an escape route, you'll want to yell for help. You can do this from an open window or call 911 if you have a phone nearby. Check any closed door for heat and if it is hot, do not open and head to a window.
Practice fire drills at home regularly. If you have young children, this should be reinforced multiple times every year. The activity also helps build a healthy bond.
Get The Right Work Done – With Quality Material
If you build a new home, the architect specifies products and finishes work. The builder must use only those particular specifications. But there are chances that the builder does a shoddy work.
For instance, the life of a 20-year roof is about 20 years, but only if it is applied correctly, and the attic has enough vents. Of course, there are also the options of installing a 25 year, 30 year, and even 50-year roofs. But the right application is crucial.
Similarly, a new siding job can cost several thousand dollars. It may look good, but is it doing the job intended? Many steps taken before the installation of new siding can increase the quality of the insulation. It can also eliminate water infiltration, and stop mold from forming behind the siding.
Choose the Latest Home Improvement Products
There is a constant stream of new products and applications in the home improvement industry. Not all are effective. However, some are revolutionary. Most contractors and homeowners are months, if not years, behind in knowing about these innovations.
If you chose to make a significant improvement that costs thousands of dollars, wouldn't you want the latest, most cost-effective products to be included?
Building Baltimore keeps abreast of the latest technologies in the contracting trades. These include:
Building Baltimore reviews all the latest submissions and selects the best one for you to choose. As you look through our product guide, remember to select your options, and specify these selections to your contractor, make those specifications part of the contract.
We can help with your next housing project.
Do You Need A Licensed Contractor?
A licensed contractor does more than just ensuring that the person you're dealing with isn't a fly-by-night operator. Licensed contractors help you with critical legal protections that genuinely could mean the difference between keeping and losing your home.
Here are a few potential problems associated with employing unlicensed contractors:
You are required to provide workers with workman's compensation insurance. If you do not offer this insurance, it is a violation of the law. You could be held responsible for paying them for the rest of their life should they get hurt.
Unlicensed individuals have no liability insurance. That means no protection of your investment from faulty materials or workmanship. Theft from the job site isn't covered, and a worker's carelessness that leads to injury or property damage could leave you holding a huge bill.
Unlicensed individuals leave you unprotected against a mechanic's lien. If the contractor you hired to do the work doesn't pay his suppliers, they can put a lien on your house. Individuals not licensed do not have bonding protection on their jobs through the state fund, which means you don't have this protection.
Get to know the exact parameters before signing a contract.
Difficulty Obtaining Permits
Unlicensed individuals can not apply for permits on the job you hired them for! Without a permit, you are breaking the law. There are hardly any protections you get if you employ unlicensed contractors. Your job will not be covered by your homeowner's insurance because insurance companies won't cover bootleg work.
You may encounter problems when you attempt to sell your house. Some counties may even require you to rework the job, costing you twice. The officials can also ask you to remove non-permitted structures.
Incorrect Coding
Building codes are there to ensure that the job perfect. The unlicensed individual probably doesn't even know what the codes are and is also less likely to follow them. If the codes aren't followed and the job isn't done correctly, there could be severe injuries to you or your family. It could result from using the incorrect materials or through faulty quality.
People often "poo-poo" building codes when it comes to "simple" projects like a deck or garage, but it is no laughing. When an improperly built garage or deck collapses, it leaves a family member buried under five or six hundred pounds of wood.
Safety Prevails Over Pricing
There are lots of reasons not to hire an unlicensed contractor but only one reason to, and that is price. We think the safety and well-being of our families are worth a little extra.
Get the best contactor at Building Baltimore to work on your house.
Renovate Right!
Renovation can be tedious, often involving a lot of ideation. Here are some things you should know before you consider particular improvements:
A permit is required, and it must have a sign with a seal of a registered engineer or architect. A certified letter must be sent to adjoining property owners if you intend to use the party walls. Existing electrical service may have to modify to allow the additional height required for the deck. The minimum requirements are to obtain conductor clearance that should be 36 inches horizontal and 8 feet vertical.
A permit is required, and it must be signed with a seal of a registered Engineer or Architect. This process can be costly and labor-intensive, ask for a completion date. Ensure that the work must be performed by a licensed contractor. Have a certificate of insurance in your hand before work begins.
Two permits are required, one for the operation and another for any scaffolding necessary. This is a particularly hazardous exercise using a highly caustic solution. All resultant debris and fluids used must be recovered and disposed of with certification from a qualified hauler of dangerous waste.
The certification must stay in your possession until you sell the house, as you are the responsible party, it is your waste.
Discover a dangerous situation involving acid wash.
Contact Environmental Services Division
David J Eick or Maurice S Conway