Injury-Preventing Stretches For Your Next Construction Project

When working on a new home renovation project, it can be tempting to jump into the construction phase as soon as planning wraps up. However, it’s important to take a moment to focus on your health and safety before diving into physically demanding work. 

Construction projects of any size come with the risk of injury. In fact, manual laborers frequently experience musculoskeletal injuries on and off the job, and heavy lifting and overexertion are common culprits. Fortunately, stretching is one of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent these types of injuries. 

4 Benefits of Stretching

Stretching before, during and after a construction or renovation project can benefit your mind and body in multiple ways. No matter what type of project you’re taking part in, stretching can deliver the following benefits: 

1. Improves flexibility: Regularly stretching can improve muscle flexibility over time, reducing the risk of muscle strains and tears while lifting heavy objects. 

2. Increases range of motion: Stretching can help improve and maintain range of motion in your joints, making them less prone to permanent injury.  

3. Builds muscle tone: Some stretches, like shoulder circles and side bends, can help build muscle tone and reduce muscle strain. 

4. Can improve overall mood and boost focus: Taking a break to stretch during long construction or renovation projects can improve your mood and help you focus when you get back to work. 

How to Stretch Successfully 

Stretching is a great way to prevent injuries and keep your body healthy. However, improper stretching can reduce the benefits and even cause pain if you aren’t careful. To ensure that you are getting the most out of your stretching routine, try out the following tips: 

• Breathe steadily while you stretch. 

• Stretch slowly and avoid overextension. 

• Get into a regular stretching routine. 

• Stop or modify your routine if it causes pain. 

Whether you are planning your first home renovation project or have worked in construction for years, taking the time to stretch during your next project can prevent injuries and keep you feeling your best. If you are looking for a new stretching routine, see the infographic below for eight injury-preventing stretches for manual laborers. 

4 Ways You Can Make Your Move Quicker and More Efficient

Moving is a tiring situation for anyone. Finding the best ways to make the process faster and easier is always welcome. Here are four top tips to help you make your move go better.

Make Checklists

Create deadlines for everything you need to do before the move. Start two months before your moving day to give yourself plenty of time to get everything done without overwhelming everyone. You can create lists for each room to help everyone make sure the boxes get labeled and nothing goes unnoticed. Create a two-month list, a one-month list, and then one for each week. Finally, make a checklist for each day of the final week of packing. Add in a few rewards for jobs well done.

Pack up Seasonal Items Early

Some of the easiest things to get in the box are clothes that you will not need for the next three to six months. Next, work on holiday items or special things you only use for certain occasions. Anything you can do without for six to eight weeks will be fine to put away in advance. Packing these things early lets you have the time to organize and label everything to make sure it ends up in the right place after the move.

Hire Some Help

If you do not have family or friends who can help, then you can always call professional movers. Many companies offer a variety of services from providing materials to packing and delivering your belongings to your new place. Ask your company if the items you are having moved will be protected and covered in case of accidents.

Plan Meals and Snacks in Advance

One of the most important things you can do to save money and time during your move is to plan out how you and the family will eat while everything is a mess. Finding the plates is not easy after a long move. Purchasing disposable dishes and planning to order pizza on moving day is a great idea. Healthier options include a trip to the salad bar or going to a restaurant, but many will not feel like dressing up after carrying all those boxes.

A good cooler with plenty of refreshing drinks will come in handy. Keeping a bag of snacks like trail mix, cereal bars, nuts, and fruit in the moving van will save meltdowns when everyone is cranky and ready to drop. Be sure to keep wet rags or baby wipes close for easy cleanups.

Why You Should Consider Adding a Sunroom to Your Home

Imagine unwinding after a long day of work in a sun-filled space with your loved ones. Or maybe you’d rather start your day off sipping coffee and catching up on your favorite podcast before the buzz and activity of the day begins. 

The perfect place to do both is in a sunroom. Not only does this space boast multiple health benefits, but it offers a versatile space in your home for entertaining and spending time with the people who matter most. 

If you’re still on the fence about creating a sunroom in your home, we’ve rounded up a few benefits you may not have thought of. 

Increase Your Home’s Value

Any time you add on to your home, you’re increasing not only your square footage, but the overall value of your home. Not to mention, a sunroom is seen by many buyers to be an added luxury where they can spend hours with their loved ones soaking up some vitamin D. 

More Living and Entertaining Space

If you’re a big fan of entertaining, a sunroom provides a year-round space that can be used for anything from Thanksgiving overflow to a space to store the food for a backyard gathering. You could also use this space to store unused decorations throughout the year to make the most of this added space.

A Versatile Room

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life can change and sometimes our homes have to adapt to a new normal. A sunroom is the perfect room for the unexpected. Whether you need to set up a new at-home classroom for your little ones, are housing guests for longer than expected or need a new playroom for your growing family, there’s no shortage of uses when it comes to your sunroom. 

Now that you’re inspired to think about how to incorporate a sunroom into your own home, now’s the time to start envisioning what it may look like. Our friends at Angi Consumer have created five moodboards to spark your imagination. Whether you want to create a plant-filled oasis or a colorful sunny escape, there’s a sunroom idea for every personality and style. 

---

---

---

---

Inspection vs Appraisal: What’s the Difference?

The process of buying a new home can be stressful, to say the least. There are plenty of boxes to tick and red tape to wade through, besides the actual stress of picking out your next home. 

Unfortunately, all of your time and energy can easily and quickly be wasted if you don’t do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line. Not every property is all it seems. Horror stories of unwitting buyers investing in properties with all kinds of issues lurk in the back of our minds. 

Thus, a sensible buyer should get a property fully checked out, and a good seller would also make sure everything is in order before putting their home on the market. This means a home inspection. Or do we mean home appraisal? 

Home inspections and home appraisals are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, but these are two very different procedures. So, what does it really mean to get a home appraised and/or inspected? And how will it benefit you? Let’s find out.

Inspection vs Appraisal: What’s the Difference?

Simply put, a home inspection focuses on the condition of your home. A home appraisal assesses the value of your home. One can certainly affect the other, but at the end of the day, they are very different procedures. 

Both procedures should be carried out by licensed professionals. They also both dive deep into the condition and value of your home. It’s a good idea for a seller to get their home checked out before putting it on the market, and a buyer would certainly want to investigate their prospective new property before buying.

What is a Home Inspection? 

A home inspection is carried out to determine if there are any issues with the home before a buyer makes the big leap. While this is definitely an important part of the buying process, an inspection won’t necessarily affect the property’s value as drastically as an appraisal can. Of course, this might depend on what issues the inspection flags up. 

A home inspection takes roughly around three to four hours, and the inspector will be physically checking some elements. While there are some variations, a home inspector will check the basics of a home including: 

• Roof quality 

• Plumbing 

• Appliances 

• Foundation 

• Mold/Mildew/Damp

• Drainage

Depending on the type of property you’re looking at, an inspector may investigate more. Your real estate agent might even recommend a good home inspector, which is why you might want to use local agents. During my interview with Kimo Quance, a local real estate agent in San Diego, states that, “A clear understanding of the mindset of home buyers and sellers, and a thorough understanding of the regional marketplace is of the utmost importance. And we try to make this process as seamless as possible by referring where we can for home inspectors and similar services.”

It’s also worth your while mentioning any issues or concerns you may have before your inspector does their work. This is because some issues may be missed since a home inspector might not cover every single possible issue. If you have concerns about the roof, bring it up. If you are worried about the insulation of the windows, mention this. 

At the end of the inspection, you’ll get a written report on what the inspector has found. If there are more serious concerns, such as lead paint or pests, the inspector might recommend another, more specialized checkup.

Why Should You Get a Home Inspection? 

A property might look good on the outside, but there could be hidden issues. For example, there might be serious plumbing issues that will take a lot of time and money to fix. Closing a contract without an inspection could leave an unwitting buyer with costly problems that were there before they bought the home but are now their sole responsibility. 

You might feel that disclosure laws mean that a seller has to tell you about any issues. That’s true, although laws vary from state to state. However, there’s always the possibility that the seller genuinely doesn’t know about the issues, or that the problems haven’t been fixed correctly. 

What is a Home Appraisal?

An appraisal focuses on the value of the property as a whole, rather than its condition. A licensed appraiser evaluates your home and estimates its value. 

To begin with, the appraiser goes through your home, lightly inspecting the inside. Since this inspection is designed to work out the property’s value, not assess the strength of its plumbing, the condition of your house doesn’t weigh as heavily as with a home inspection. 

The appraiser also considers the location, finishes, and surroundings. Then they’ll look into other properties sold in the area, similar to yours. They collect as much relevant information as possible, to give your property the fairest price. Finally, you’ll receive a report on the appraiser’s findings. 

Why Should You Get a Home Appraisal? 

If you’re borrowing money to buy your home - as many do - the lender might insist on an appraisal. If that’s the case, you need the appraisal to be accurate and not too low. A low appraisal can endanger your prospective loan. 

Some local real estate agents strive to help with this part of the process as much as they can. 

How Will You Benefit? 

Buying a new home can be stressful - and exciting. The temptation could be to rush into things and miss out on ticking important boxes. However, there are plenty of benefits to consider for both appraisals and inspections: 

• An appraisal could secure you a loan to buy your home. 

• Home inspections can save you from expensive bills further down the line. 

• Both appraisers and inspectors are qualified professionals and are impartial third parties.

• Inspections and appraisals could give you an opportunity to haggle. If you feel like you’re overpaying and an appraisal or inspection flags an issue, you might have the leverage to get a better price. 

All in all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The hope is that your inspection and appraisal comes back just fine, and you land your dream home with minimal bumps in the road. If not, at least, you didn’t waste your time or money. These processes further allow you to find and settle into your new home with peace of mind and without fear of having to put tons of money into your home right off the bat.