How to Ensure a New Home Is Safe and Ready for Move-In

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Advice for Home Extensions, Additions and Adaptations

Thanks for checking out my blog! My name's Olivia, and I'll be sharing my advice about construction and contractors here. When my husband and I first decided to move in together, we didn't fall in love with any of the homes on the market so we decided to build our own. We learned a lot about construction and contractors during that time, but our journey wasn't over yet. Over the years, we've had multiple changes made to our custom home, including extensions to accommodate new babies, adaptations for in-laws moving in and even an outbuilding studio for my son's music production endeavours. As you can imagine, I've had to do a lot of research on home building over the years, and now I'd love to pass that advice on to anyone else who needs it. Look around—I'm sure you'll find something useful.

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How to Ensure a New Home Is Safe and Ready for Move-In

31 August 2017
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


When you're ready to buy a home, you will typically have it inspected. This is to ensure it's built up to local codes and to find out about any damage to the framework, needed replacement to the electrical wiring, and so on.

However, a standard home inspection won't always cover every detail of a home's overall structure, and it won't check for every potential safety issue in and out of the home. To ensure your new home purchase is safe and ready for move-in, note a few added inspections you might schedule and some precautions you might want to take.

Have the property inspected for asbestos

Older homes especially may be more prone to having asbestos inside, as this material has been illegal to use as a construction material for many years. However, some materials that were used in home construction may have come from a disreputable supplier, so it's good to have any home inspected for asbestos.

You also need to consider if asbestos can be found in the ground around the home itself, as this substance actually occurs naturally, so it might also be located in the soil. Also, a nearby production facility or other such business may have had asbestos on their property, and the fibres could have become airborne and settled onto the property of your new home. Whatever the risk factors, have the entire home and property inspected for this material before purchasing.

If you do find asbestos, you need to call an asbestos removal company before moving in or purchasing the home.

Look for signs of past flooding

If a home ever suffered any type of flood, including from a natural disaster or from a burst plumbing pipe, this can mean damage to the foundation and framework and potential mould growth. While a home inspector might find signs of damage to the building materials, note that their inspection typically doesn't include looking for mould. If you notice any indications of past flooding, such as water lines around basement walls or a musty odour, have the home inspected for mould.

Check the air quality

If your new home does smell a little "odd," especially if the odour resembles chemicals of any sort, this can mean that it has poor air quality. Homes without proper ventilation can trap chemicals from nearby production plants, as well as cleaning solutions and products used inside the home. These can be very bothersome to anyone who lives in the home, and this can also mean that the home needs a new roof vent or other such feature to keep the air in the home clean.