Hosting guests can be a little stressful. You want your home to be in tip top shape, especially with the holidays coming up and when the in-laws are taking up residence in your guest room. Here\’s a few last minute checks to make to keep everyone happy and safe!
1. Check smoke alarm batteries (ideally smoke alarms in each bedroom). Any alarms older then 10 years should be replaced.
2. Add a Carbon Monoxide alarm on each level of your home. Add Smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms per NFPA.org recommendations.
3. Check handrails for graspability (i.e. can you securely and easily hold onto it) and check to see handrails are secured to deck or wall.
4. Peek in your attic from the entrance on a rainy or snowy day. Look and listen for leaks. On a snowy day you may see droplets of moisture on the north side of the attic, often a sign of poor air movement. Rainy days will be better indicators of any leaks. Feel free to send over any photos of your findings, and I’m happy to assist. Also. you should wear a respirator to prevent breathing in any insulation.
Experts only, safety first!
You should only enter the attic if you are very familiar with where to safely stand otherwise you can fall through the ceiling.
5. Next, when looking in the attic, try turning on the bathroom vents, ideally you shouldn\’t see a tremendous amount of insulation floating around or hear a significant amount of air movement. This is often a sign of vent ducts being disconnected in the attic.
