New year is traditionally the time for starting afresh with lifestyle changes and bearing this in mind it gives a great opportunity to give your home a fresh start too!
1.
Clear the clutter
Whether you decide to get rid of clutter because you have been influenced by Marie Kondo or whether it’s because you want a bit more space in your home, getting rid of extra ‘things’ does help to improve ventilation in your property. Moving furniture away from the wall can also prevent build-up of mould caused by condensation.
If you do have excessive amounts of mould when you move furniture it is worth arranging for a survey by one of our ventilation experts to see whether you need to look at installing extract fans in your kitchen or bathroom or a PIV (Positive Input Ventilation) unit to aid ventilation throughout the property.
2.
Redecoration
January discounts can encourage people to decorate for the New Year. If you discover moisture at the bottom of your wall or spot cracks above the lintels in your property its worth arranging for a qualified Surveyor to attend and see whether you have issues with rising damp or need a helical repair, (eg using the Helifix system). Unfortunately, simply papering or painting over the issues won’t make them go away, so it’s worth getting expert advice on what you can do to fix them before you decorate!
3.
Utilising Space
Maybe the New Year has inspired you to convert your basement into a gym or a home office, but you are worried about the moisture levels in the subterranean space. A qualified CSSW Surveyor can help you to look at solutions to raised moisture levels so you can consider basement conversion.
Similarly, if you are looking at converting a loft space but on closer inspection discover frass suggesting that you may have an infestation of wood boring insects a CSRT Surveyor can give advice on what remedial works need to be carried out so you can move forward with your loft conversion.
