Home Advice

A good fixer-upper home can save you money and become a tremendous source of pride, but choose the wrong one, and you’ll end up with a money pit that sucks in more work and cash than you ever imagined.

Foundation damage, worn-out wiring, hidden mold, and other expensive repair issues are common in older homes, but they’re not always obvious. Before you fall in love, spend some time checking for signs of renovation nightmares that could be lurking in your prospective dream home.

The Foundation is Faulty

A damaged foundation is a clear sign to proceed with caution. Check the foundation for cracks wider than 1/4 inch, especially those at a 45-degree angle to the wall. Look at the house from a distance to see if it leans or bulges in any way. Windows and exterior doors that stick are another sign of foundation trouble.

If you can, have an inspector come out to look at the place after it rains. This will help you find out if rainwater builds up around the foundation, which can lead to leaks over time.

The Basement is a Mess

Basements tend to betray a lack of upkeep before anywhere else in the house. Look for signs of water damage, such as cracks in the walls, water stains, patches of mold, and pooled water. Inspect the floor for heaving and cracks wider than 1/4 inch, which suggest the foundation might have issues.

Check for exposed wires and pipes that aren’t properly secured and insulated. These tell you the house wasn’t optimally maintained.

Concrete that’s honeycombed, meaning it’s pitted and crumbling, might be water-damaged or it might have been mixed or applied incorrectly, making it weaker. A powdery white coating known as efflorescence on concrete is a sure sign of moisture issues.

The Plumbing and Electrical are Out of Date

Replacing a plumbing or wiring system is a costly, time-consuming job and one of the most common problems that turn a house into a money pit.

Galvanized steel pipes aren’t a great sign. These tend to become clogged with sediment, reducing your water pressure. You can clean them, but you’ll need to repeat the process regularly. Ideally, the house’s entire plumbing system should be copper.

If the house was built somewhere between 1965 and 1973, have your inspector check for aluminum wiring. This is a fire hazard and should be replaced. Other signs of an out-dated electrical system are knob and tube wiring (fabric-covered wires connected to white knobs), a fuse box instead of a breaker panel, and a breaker panel with only four or six breakers.

The electrical panel should have a capacity of 150 to 200 amps, and the house should have 220-volt service. Anything less and you won’t be able to run the appliances and electronics common in a modern home.

The Roof is Deteriorating

A bad roof is a classic sign of a money pit. The cost to replace a worn-out roof starts at around $5,000 for a simple 3-tab shingle roof on an average-size home and can rise to $20,000 or more if you want premium materials, and your roof includes dormer windows, skylights or other complex features.

The roof itself isn’t the only thing you need to worry about, though. A deteriorating roof can let water leak into the attic, creating ideal conditions for rot and mold. If left too long, these issues can weaken the wood frame of the house and leave you with major renovation bills.

If the roof shows signs of damage, such as curled shingles or missing gutters, check the attic for water damage.

The Heating and Cooling Features are Lacking

If the home’s heating and cooling system is more than ten years old, chances are you’ll need to replace it soon. It might keep running for another five or ten years, but it will use more energy than a newer system, so either way, it will cost you money.

Also, consider the house’s energy efficiency. Many older homes were constructed with gaps to allow airflow. The modern, energy-efficient solution is to seal these gaps, which is a simple, low-cost job, and install a ventilation system, which is not so low-cost.

What’s more, if the house lacks insulation in the walls and floors, you’ll need to add some or put up with high heating and cooling bills.

The Rooms Smell Funny

It might seem perfectly understandable that an old house would have some funky smells lingering, but don’t write off unpleasant odors too quickly. The smell of sewage often means there’s a problem with the sewer line, septic tank or another part of the waste water disposal system.

Pet urine odor, in addition to being hard to get rid of, suggests there could be rot in the floors where the pets left their marks.

A musty smell means mold is growing somewhere. Rotting wood, particularly around the windows, warped flooring, and stained drywall also indicate moisture problems that can lead to mold growth. Because mold can be hidden inside walls and under floors, you’ll need an inspector to accurately assess the extent of the mold growth.

You Spot Signs of Pests

Insects and rodents can do a lot of damage to a house, but even extensive damage can remain hidden unless you know what you’re looking for. Ultimately, you’ll need to hire a professional to make sure the house is pest-free, but there are a few clear signs that trouble is lurking.

Buckling floorboards and loose floor tiles, pinholes in drywall, and wood that sounds hollow when you knock on it are all signs of a termite infestation. Little brown waste pellets and urine puddles inside cabinets and drawers mean mice or rats. Tiny holes and tunnels in wood suggest woodworms are at work.

The Grounds are Unkempt

If the grounds have been neglected, chances are the house has been, too. An overgrown garden, cracked or crumbling walls, deteriorating fences, and areas of collapsed paving all tell you that the property has been suffering from poor upkeep for several years at least.

Some features, such as swimming pools and decks, can pose a legal liability if they’re not up to code. If the house you’re considering has any major hardscaping features like these, make sure they were built with the proper permits and that you know what it will take to get them back into a safe condition.

You Don’t Like the Floorplan

A floorplan that doesn’t suit your preferences suggests renovating the house could end up costing you more than you expect. Altering a floorplan often involves moving load-bearing walls, which is a tricky and labor-intensive job. In addition to demolishing the old wall and building a new one, the contractor will also need to reinforce the foundation.

All this can easily make moving a wall the most expensive part of your remodeling project. If you’re considering buying a house and then changing the floorplan, first check if the floorplan you want is possible, then get an idea of how much it will cost.

The House is Vulnerable to Floods

A home by the river isn’t so romantic when the river ends up in your living room. Before you set your heart on a house near any body of water, check the location’s flood risk. Water levels can vary dramatically with the seasons and from year to year, so don’t rely on your own estimation.

For an accurate risk assessment, take a look at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Flood Maps or check with your state’s Department of Natural Resources, Department of Water Resources or equivalent.

A house that sits lower than the ground around it is also at risk for drainage problems and flooding. If you notice the house is set low, ask your realtor or the local Planning and Zoning Department about the site’s flood risk.

No matter how much you love the view or that charming breakfast nook, don’t let it distract you from the fundamentals of what makes a house a good financial investment. Keep your eyes open for signs neglect, deterioration or outdated building systems.

Before you make an offer, have the house professionally inspected and collect estimates for any major repairs it will need.

Viewing each house with a critical eye before you become emotionally invested is the key to finding a valuable, enjoyable fixer-upper instead of a disappointing money pit.

Leaks and moisture buildup can do serious damage to your home before you even realize there’s a problem. The damage doesn’t happen without some warning signs, though. Staying alert for the signs of home water damage helps you catch problems early so you can prevent further damage and protect your family from harmful mold and bacteria.

Where to Look for Water Damage

Knowing where and how water damage is likely to happen makes it easier to keep an eye out for developing problems and spot past problems that have been neglected. Some of the most common sources of water damage are:

• Leaky pipes in the walls, floors, and under cabinetry
• Leaky faucets that let water drip down the cabinets
• Damaged water-using appliances, such as the water heater, refrigerator, washing machine, and dish washer
• Cracks in the foundation, often caused by poor drainage around the foundation
• Damage to roofing, such as shingles, flashing, and gutters

Signs to Watch For

The evidence water damage leaves behind isn’t always obvious. It can range from a puddle on the floor to a mysterious musty odor caused by mold growing somewhere you can’t see.

Standing Water

The most obvious sign of a problem is a puddle of water anywhere it shouldn’t be. If it’s near an appliance, fixture or pipe, check there for damage first. That includes appliances and fixtures on the upper floor that could be causing water to leak through the ceiling and onto the floor below.

Remember, though, if the floor is uneven, water can flow and pool somewhere that isn’t immediately near the source.

If the water is coming from a leak in the roof, you can try to pinpoint the damage by inspecting the roof from the attic, but this isn’t always possible. Water can enter one part of the roof, then travel until it finds a weak spot to infiltrate. Having a professional inspect your roof is the most reliable way to start addressing the damage.

Visible Mold Growth

Mold thrives in damp conditions, so any time you find it growing, it means there’s excess moisture coming from somewhere. Household mold usually takes the form of flat blotches of black, grey, brown, orange or green, but a variety of textures and colors are possible.

If you find mold inside a cabinet, on the floor around the sink or toilet or growing in a line on a wall containing a pipe, chances are that fixture or pipe is either leaking or sweating excessively. Mold around the windows suggests a condensation problem, but it’s still worth checking for leaks.

On the other hand, mold growing in the cool, dark corners throughout your home, such as behind furniture, under rugs, and on the undersides of shelves, most likely means your indoor humidity is too high.

Funky Odors

Standing water and damp building material are rich breeding grounds for mold, bacteria, and rot. These issues typically happen with porous material, such as wood, drywall, and carpet. Often, the damage is hidden from view inside a wall or under the flooring.

You might not see any problems, but you’ll notice a musty, earthy smell similar to damp leaves in the fall or less commonly, a dirty sock smell. If a sewage line is leaking, you’ll smell sewage.

Cleaning the room, opening the windows, and using air fresheners won’t get rid of these smells permanently because you’re not eliminating the source. To clear the air, you’ll need to stop the leak or condensation issue, then remove or thoroughly clean the damaged material.

Not all mold gives off an odor, though, so a lack of bad smells doesn’t always mean your home is free from water damage.

Damaged Paint and Wallpaper

If a pipe in the wall is leaking or sweating, or condensation is forming due to poor insulation, moisture can build up inside the wall. When that moisture seeps through, it can cause paint and wallpaper to bubble and peel, and leave brownish or yellowish water stains behind.

Wall damage and stains that show up in a straight line, following the line of the pipe behind the wall, are clear signs something is wrong with the pipe.

Dampness, staining, and deterioration on the lower parts of your walls suggest condensation problems caused by poor sub-floor ventilation or leaks due to poor foundation drainage. More rarely, in older brick houses, it happens because the house’s damp-proof course (dampness barrier) has failed.

This kind of home water damage is tricky to diagnose, so contact a certified, experienced water damage specialist if you find signs of it.

Bubbling and peeling wallpaper on walls throughout your home is more likely to come from high indoor humidity.

Sagging Walls and Ceilings

A severe leak can soak part of a ceiling or wall with so much water that the extra weight causes the surface to sag or bulge. This is especially common in ceilings of rooms under chronically overflowing tubs and toilets. It usually affects a small area limited to the size of the leak source, but the damage will grow if neglected. Water damage like this is a safety hazard because the ceiling or wall is a risk for sudden collapse.

Damaged Flooring

Wherever water in your home comes from, gravity will eventually bring it to your floor. Once there, it can seep into the carpeting, wood flooring or even tile, then move on to the subflooring and joists. Because water damage to flooring is so common, it’s a good idea to inspect your floor if you think your home has moisture problems now or has had them in the past.

Some of the signs to look for are:

Stains – Lingering water can leave blotchy dark grey or brown stains on wood floors.

Warping and expansion – Dramatic changes in moisture levels can cause wood floorboards to warp, so they look misshapen, and gaps appear between them. If they absorb enough water, both wood and laminate floorboards can expand and turn up at the edges, leaving a raised seam between each board.

Buckling – Severely waterlogged wood flooring can completely detach from the subflooring and buckle into sharp peaks.  

Bubbling – The top protective layer and photographic layers of laminate flooring are vulnerable to water damage. If the flooring gets too wet, these layers can bubble like damp wallpaper.

Sagging – Wood flooring that’s suffered repeated or long-term water damage can start to rot. It will feel soft and spongy when you step on it, and eventually sag. With any type of flooring material, water can seep into the subflooring and cause sagging.

Cracking – Floor tiles can crack and sink if the subflooring beneath them becomes too badly water damaged to provide support.  

Home water damage is more than just unsightly. Ignore it, and it can spread, eventually rotting the wood structure of your home. The mold and bacteria buildup isn’t great for your health, either.

If you spot signs of water damage in your home, contact a certified water damage specialist. They can diagnose the problem, then offer guidance on how to solve it and repair the damage to prevent any further harm to your home or your health.

Moving into a senior living complex isn’t a change most people would relish, but it’s also far from inevitable. For many elderly adults, all that’s needed to maintain a familiar lifestyle in their own home are a few modifications to facilitate mobility and enhance safety.

Knowing your options will help you decide which modifications will benefit you or your elderly loved one the most.

The Goal of Home Modifications

When you’re planning upgrades and renovations to make a senior’s life easier, there are three main factors to keep in mind.

• Safety – Removing safety hazards should be your first priority. This includes anything that could cause falls, cuts and scrapes, and other injuries.
• Accessibility – The next goal is to ensure everything in the home is accessible. Is the resident able to get into all parts of the home, use the furniture, reach switches and plugs, and open doors, windows, and cabinets? Can they use every room the way it’s intended, such as doing laundry in the laundry room rather than using it for storage?
• Usability – Once the home is safe and can be used, look for ways to make it a more comfortable and convenient place to live. This might mean improvements such as replacing knobs with levers or installing pull-out shelves in the cupboards.

Throughout the House

Improving the flooring and lighting around the house will go a long way toward keeping an elderly resident safe. Adding storage to corral clutter helps, too.

Upgrade the Floors

Falls are one of the biggest safety threats to seniors, but the right type of flooring greatly reduces that risk. Thick or shaggy carpeting and carpeting that’s worn out should be replaced. Carpet with a nap of 1/4-inch or less is ideal for seniors who don’t use a wheelchair. For those who do, short-nap carpet isn’t a bad choice, but vinyl flooring, small tiles or hardwood are better. Area rugs are best avoided altogether, but if you use them, place them on slip-resistant mats and consider taping down the edges.

Remove any thresholds and make sure the flooring over transitions between rooms and between the house and the outdoors is as even as possible. At points where the floors themselves don’t align, put in a threshold ramp. To make staircases easier to manage, install hand rails on both sides. Choose rails sturdy enough to support a person’s full body weight.

Boost the Lighting

The impaired vision many older adults experience is another factor that puts them at risk for falls. Better lighting reduces that risk, but just putting in more bright lights isn’t the best approach.

Instead, aim to create uniform, glare-free ambient lighting using a combination of hanging lights, wall sconces, and recessed lighting. Add task lighting fixtures to brighten the spaces where the resident does their meal preparation, works on their hobbies or takes care of personal hygiene.

Place lights within easy reach of the bed, sofa, chairs, and anywhere else someone might fall asleep. Install in-floor lighting in hallways and staircases and make sure it can be turned on and off at both ends or put the lights on a motion sensor. Replacing standard light switches with illuminated ones is another affordable, but very handy upgrade.

Improve the Doorways

The doorway in the average home can be as narrow as 28 inches, which isn’t easy to navigate when you’re using a cane or walker, much less a wheelchair. Widening doorways to 36 inches, as specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), makes each room far more accessible. Replace round doorknobs with levered door handles, which are easier to use for those with arthritis or otherwise weakened hands.

Make the Stairs Accessible

If the home’s entrance features a staircase, putting in a ramp will make coming and going a lot easier. The type of ramp matters, though. For wheelchair ramps, the ADA suggests a slope of 1:12, meaning the ramp should rise only 1 inch for every inch of length. So if the staircase is 48 inches high, you’ll need a ramp that’s 48 inches long. The surface must be slip resistant, so your options include rubber, carborundum grit, steep mesh, and broom-finish concrete.

For an older adult with limited mobility, an interior staircase can threaten to make half the house completely inaccessible. With a stair lift, they can regain access to their whole home. Modern wheelchair lifts can be installed even in relatively narrow and curved residential staircases. For seniors who use a cane, walker or just have trouble managing stairs, a chair lift can help. This lift looks like an ordinary easy chair attached to a rail. The user simply sits down, presses a button and rides smoothly up or down the staircase.

Control the Clutter

The need to navigate around excess furniture, boxes of holiday decorations, and stacks of old newspapers poses a serious fall risk, but one that’s completely avoidable. When de-cluttering, your goal should be to create a clear path to every part of the house. It’s especially important to keep the path to light switches clear.

Remove any furniture that’s rarely used or at least put it in an out of the way corner. Even decor items, such as potted plants, statues, and floor lights can impede movement, so use them sparingly if at all.

To store infrequently used items, install a low open shelving unit or a storage unit with pull out drawers that will keep things within reach, but out of the way. Ideally, most of the shelves or drawers should be around waist level.

Increase Security

Because senior citizens are more vulnerable to home invasions, a monitored home security system is a wise investment for any home where an elderly person lives alone. These systems are monitored by a professional service at all times. If the system senses a problem, it alerts the monitoring company, which then contacts the appropriate authorities. This way the resident won’t have to worry about making the call themselves.

Additional security devices can make life safer and more convenient. A biometric lock on the front door makes it harder for criminals to enter and eliminates the need for the resident to fumble around with keys. A video doorbell lets the resident see and talk with a visitor before opening the door.

If your loved one needs a little extra attention, installing an activity monitoring system will let you keep an eye on them from wherever you are. This type of system provides video monitoring as well as information about the use of appliances, doors, and other home features to help you spot behavioral changes that might signal a developing medical issue.

In the Bathroom

Slippery floors and lack of stability support make the bathroom a real hassle for a senior with mobility issues, but home modifications can turn these problems into a non-issue. Textured, slip-resistant tile or vinyl flooring reduces the risk of falls and won’t create a tripping hazard the way bathmats do. For good traction in the bathroom, install flooring with a dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) of 0.6 or higher.

A wall sconce on each side of the mirror provides good lighting without the glare of an overhead light. A nightlight ensures the homeowner can see well but won’t be blinded on a late-night trip to the bathroom.

Replacing a traditional bathtub with a walk-in bathtub or walk-in shower makes bathing easier, more comfortable, and much safer. If a replacement isn’t in the budget, though, adding a transfer bench can help. This bench extends across the bathtub and out over the edge so an older adult can simply sit down and scoot over into the tub without the need to step over the tub or shower edge to get in.

In the bathtub or shower and on the sink, replace the faucet knobs with levers. A touchless (motion-sensor) faucet on the sink is another option. If anti-scald devices aren’t already installed, put some in. Install a movable shower head that’s easy to reach and use for someone sitting on a transfer bench. Grab bars (safety rails) also make the bathroom safer. Install these in two locations in the tub or shower and around the toilet.

Consider upgrading the toilet to a “comfort height” (17- to 19-inch) model, which many older adults find easier to use than the standard 15-inch-high toilet.

In the Kitchen

Cooking the meals you want when you want them is one of the major benefits of independent living, and kitchen modifications make it possible even for seniors with disabilities.

Slip-resistant flooring helps ensure spills don’t cause falls. Under-counter lighting lets the resident better see what they’re doing when preparing food, which reduces the risk of cuts and burns.

Lower cabinets and other storage areas are not only easier to use, but also a lot safer than standing on tip-toe to reach something. For wheelchair users, lower countertops and cabinets are a must. Even for elderly adults without disabilities, counters that can be used while seated make meal prep more enjoyable.

Consider the appliances, too. Place the microwave and toaster on separate stands at waist height instead of at the back of the counters. Make sure the stove controls are easy to see and handle, and the refrigerator shelves are easy to reach.

Well-planned home modifications let elderly adults enjoy their golden years in comfort and safety, and with the satisfaction of full independence. To make planning and budgeting easier, start with improvements any senior would benefit from, such as safer flooring and better lighting. Then move on to adaptations that meet the resident’s specific individual needs, such as installing a stair lift.

If you’re considering renovating an older home, asbestos is one of the most insidious dangers you’ll need to look out for. Cheap, durable, fire-resistant, and an excellent insulator, asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that was commonly used in homes from the late 18th century all the way to the mid-1970s.

As early as the 1920s, however, evidence began to mount that showed inhaling asbestos fibers causes scarring in the lungs. Since then, this fiber has been conclusively linked to several types of cancer. Identifying and correctly handling any asbestos in your home is a must to protect your health before you start even a minor repair job.

How To Know if Asbestos is Lurking in Your Home

Definitively identifying asbestos requires help from a qualified professional, but you can still estimate how likely your home is to contain asbestos and where it might be.

The first clue is your home’s age. Between the late 1960s and 1989, a number of government regulations were instituted that effectively prohibited the use of asbestos in most residential building materials. Any house built before 1990 could have asbestos, and those built in the 1960s are at the greatest risk. If your house was built after 1973, there’s a chance it could contain asbestos, but it’s less likely.

The second indication is the type of materials used throughout your home. Thanks to its many useful properties, asbestos was incorporated into a wide variety of building material including, but not limited to:

• Roof felt, decking sheets, and shingles
• Gutters
• Vermiculite insulation
• Acoustic tiles
• Textured (popcorn) ceilings and walls
• Gypsum board
• Window putty
• Pipe insulation
• Wiring insulation
• Outlets and switches
• Flooring felt
• Vinyl tiles and linoleum
• Fireplace hearth pads

If any of these materials were installed in your home before 1990, they could contain asbestos. Disturbing these materials can release harmful amounts of asbestos, so you’ll need an asbestos assessment before any home improvements such as upgrading your attic insulation, replacing your popcorn ceiling or tearing out old vinyl flooring.

Pinpointing Your Asbestos Problem

There are two types of asbestos-containing materials you’ll need to watch for:

Friable – This material crumbles easily and includes vermiculite insulation, low-density fiberboard, and underlay for vinyl flooring.

Non-friable – In this type of material, the asbestos is sealed in and won’t break down easily. This group includes cement products, such as corrugated sheeting, and vinyl floor tiles.

Before you inspect any area you think might be harboring friable asbestos, wear disposable protective clothing that fully covers your skin and hair, safety goggles, and a respirator. You won’t notice any immediate effects if you skip the protection, but you’ll be putting your future health at risk.

You’re most likely to find friable asbestos in your attic insulation and pipe insulation. The most common source is vermiculite insulation, which looks like grayish-brown pebbles of around 1/4-inch across. Another is asbestos pipe insulation. Corrugated asbestos pipe insulation resembles corrugated cardboard, while asbestos magnesia block insulation looks like crumbly white stone.

If you find these or any other potentially asbestos-containing material that’s begun to deteriorate, don’t disturb it. Call a professional for guidance.

To determine if a material in your home contains asbestos, you’ll need to send samples to a facility certified to perform testing through Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) or Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains an online database of qualified Asbestos Fiber Analysis facilities.

You can collect samples to send in yourself following proper safety procedures, but you’ll be safer hiring a contractor certified to handle asbestos.

Clearing Asbestos Out of Your Home

Once you know where the asbestos in your home is, a qualified professional can advise you on what your next step should be. There are two ways to handle asbestos.

Encapsulation – Asbestos isn’t harmful unless it’s exposed to air, so you won’t necessarily have to remove non-friable material that’s in good condition. Instead, you can have this material sealed with an encapsulant to hold in the asbestos. Even minor damage, such as a tear in pipe insulation, can be repaired and encapsulated.  You won’t be able to drill, saw or otherwise alter this material because doing so will release asbestos.

Abatement – This involves completely removing the material containing asbestos.

Depending on your local regulations, you might be allowed to remove small amounts of asbestos-containing material yourself. If you decide to take on this job, take strict precautions to protect yourself and avoid contaminating your home.

Prepare the area – Seal off your work area with 200um plastic sheets (builder’s plastic). Remember to seal the HVAC vents and light wells, too. Secure the plastic with duct tape. Remove any soft furnishing, clothes, and children’s toys. If you’ll be working outdoors, lay plastic sheeting on the ground under your work area.

Wear protective gear – Wear disposable coveralls with a hood, along with a hat or other hair cover, gloves, rubber boots, safety goggles, and a P100 (asbestos-rated) respirator. No part of your body should remain exposed.

Remove the material with care – Use a spray pump to dampen the material you’ll be removing to hold down dust. Use only manual tools. Power tools can release asbestos fibers. Collect the material in a heavy plastic bag and seal the bag while you’re still in the work area. Take it outside and, after clean-up, haul it to a facility that accepts asbestos.

Clean up thoroughly – Mop and damp dust the area with disposable cleaning tools. If you vacuum, use only a vacuum equipped with attachments that can handle asbestos dust. It’s safe to wipe down rubber boots, but ideally, your other work clothes should be thrown out with the asbestos-containing materials. By trying to wash them, you risk contaminating the rest of your house. When you’re finished, take a shower to remove any asbestos that reached your hair or skin.

How the Pros Do It

Removing more than around 100 sq. ft. of material is a job best left to the professionals. Incorrect handling of this much building material can spread asbestos fibers not just around your house, but even over to your neighbors’ homes.

The average remodeling contractor isn’t trained or properly equipped for safe asbestos removal, so you’ll need to call in licensed and certified residential asbestos abatement contractors.

Your contractors will start the job by using builder’s plastic to completely seal off the area where they’ll be working to prevent asbestos fibers from escaping. They might also put up barricade tape and warning signs to keep people out.

With that done, they’ll set up a negative air machine equipped with a HEPA filter, essentially a large fan, to draw air out of the work area. This creates negative pressure that holds back any asbestos fibers that become airborne, so they don’t spread to other rooms.

Wearing protective clothing and respirators, the contractors will enter the sealed-off area and wet down the asbestos-containing material with amended water (water with an added surfactant) to reduce the risk of asbestos fibers becoming airborne.

After this, they’ll tear out the asbestos-containing material and place it into sturdy bags, which are then sealed and loaded into a truck or container destined for a qualified disposal facility. Once the material is gone from your home, your contractors will vacuum and wipe down the work area, then apply an encapsulant to seal the area so no lingering asbestos fibers can enter your air.

Depending on local regulations, you might still have to call in an independent company to test the area and give you the final all-clear to go ahead with your renovation work.

Asbestos exposure is a real risk if you live a home built before 1990. Not only can renovations and remodeling work expose you to this harmful mineral fiber, but so can deteriorating flooring and other materials. By finding out where the asbestos is and taking steps to manage it, though, you can enjoy your older home in safety and good health.

Creating a luxurious environment in your home is more about skillful design than about splashing out on high-end furniture and decor. With a little planning and creativity, you can give your home an air of stylish elegance that looks like it came straight out of a magazine without the luxury price tag.

Take Care of the Little Things

Attention to detail is one of the truest signs of a thoughtfully designed luxury home, but those details don’t have to be expensive.

Upgrade Your Plumbing Fixtures

They may be small, but the faucets are among the first things that catch your eye when you walk into a kitchen or bathroom. Worn or dated fixtures tend to make everything around them look shabbier, too. Upgrading an old faucet to a model with a sleek, modern design will bring an air of affluence to the whole room.

Before you start shopping around for a new faucet, make sure you know your existing faucet’s configuration. You’ll need a model that fits in the old faucet’s place.

Unless you’re planning to replace the sink and faucet together, choose a faucet material that works with your current sink and the room’s overall style. In a rustic farmhouse kitchen, copper with an antiqued finish is a perfect fit. For a modern kitchen, a shiny chrome faucet is a better pick.

Accentuate Your Crown Molding

Crown molding doesn’t cost much, but it can give any room a finished appearance and a distinctive flair, especially when you take the time to dress it up a little. For existing molding, a fresh coat of paint may be all you need.

White is a classic choice, but a darker tone that works with the room’s color palette can create a more modern, sophisticated air. Just don’t go too dark or bold, or you’ll draw attention away from the room’s focal point.

If you’re considering installing new molding, keep the room’s overall style in mind. A modern, minimalist room may be better off without molding or with very narrow molding.

Then consider the room’s size. Thick, heavily embellished molding helps bring down high ceilings to create a cozier feel, but it can overwhelm a small room. In a larger room suited to something more elaborate, create a custom look by layering two or three pieces of molding.

Re-Charge Your Lighting

More than any other feature, lighting is what sets the mood of a room. A room with inadequate lighting is not only less comfortable to be in, but also feels dull and run-down.

If a room lacks light, bringing in a new table or floor lamp is the quickest and most budget-friendly way to improve the situation. A lamp in a trendy material, such as brass or concrete, can instantly bring the room up to date.

If a new lamp won’t cut it, it’s time to re-think the room’s lighting plan in terms of ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. By attending to all three correctly, you’ll create layers of light that give the room a well-planned look as well as make it more livable.

Your choice of light fixtures also has an effect on the room’s ambiance. A striking chandelier creates a sense of classic sophistication, while minimalist pendant lights in clean geometric forms give a room a stylish, up-to-date look.

Make an Outsized Impact

Some of the cheapest upgrades you can give your home have the biggest impact on its look and feel. You won’t need a big budget for them, but you will need to invest time in planning.

Create an Accent Wall

An accent wall is a single, stand-out wall designed to act as the room’s focal point. A wall like this is cheap to create, but it can dramatically alter the room’s appearance, so it’s not something to undertake lightly.

Choosing the right wall and color is critical. Usually, the best wall is the one behind the current focal point of the room, such as the bed, sofa or fireplace. Ideally, the wall should have no doors or windows.

Select a color that’s among the darkest tones in the room’s color palette. Avoid using the most common color in the room, though, or you’ll end up with an overload of that shade.

While painting is the obvious approach to creating an accent wall, don’t overlook wall paper, wood, and tile. Wood, in particular, lends a luxury feel to any room.

Restore Your Floor

Your hard-working floors are all too easy to take for granted. Because the floor covers so much space, though, its appearance is critical to the overall feel of the room. Bare wood floors are an eternal classic in luxury homes, and they’re decidedly in vogue these days. If yours is looking a little downtrodden, opt to re-finish instead of hiding it with area rugs.

If you want to get rid of your worn-out carpeting, but the floor beneath can’t be restored affordably, look to paint. It’s a laborious process, but painting a wood floor can hide scratches, gouges, stains, and other damage to create a more uniform, well-maintained appearance befitting a luxury home.

For something a little less labor-intensive, consider self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles. Budget friendly and easy to install, these tiles come in a wide variety of designs, including wood and stone patterns for an opulent look on the cheap.

De-Clutter Your Entryway

In a busy home, the entryway can quickly fill up with coats, shoes, bags, and other odds and ends, creating chaos that’s anything but luxurious. With the right storage furniture and accessories, you can corral the mess and make a better first impression on your guests.

The calm, orderly look of your entryway will lend an air of class and elegance to your home all by itself, so you don’t need expensive furniture. You can even make your own out of plywood or pallets.

The more versatile your furniture, the better. A storage bench, set of wall-mounted cubbies, free-standing coat tree or some wall hooks, and an umbrella stand is often all you need.

If you want to get creative, try shelving with baskets to act as drawers or wall-mounted containers. Then add a finishing touch in the form of a family message center or a small gallery wall.

Enhance Your Entrance

As far as first impressions go, the outside of your home is just as important as the inside. Because your door is the natural focus of anyone coming to your home, improvements here do a lot to help set the mood.

If your current door has seen better days, replace it to improve both the appearance and the security of your home. To get a high-end look on a budget, consider a steel door with an exterior designed to mimic wood grain. For an existing door, installing millwork is one of the surest ways to create a upper-class image.

Then add safety and accent lighting, and luxury finishing touches such as illuminated bronze address numbers. Well-chosen greenery helps, too. Try framing the door in matching topiaries or other eye-catching potted plants.

Much of an upscale home’s atmosphere of luxury comes from careful planning and attention to detail. With a little resourcefulness, you’ll find simple, affordable renovations are enough to get the look and feel you want without the expense of high-end materials, furniture, and accessories.

Your home should be a sanctuary where your health and safety are protected, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Even if you’ve been conscientious about keeping your home clean and well maintained, it’s still possible to overlook issues that put your health at risk.

To complicate matters, many of the symptoms caused by indoor pollutants and other household health threats mimic a lingering cold or simple fatigue. Because of this, it’s important to know what health risks can occur in your house so you can prevent them or correct them if they do show up.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are microscopic insects found in even the cleanest homes. They live in soft furnishings, bedding, and carpeting, and feed on dead skin particles shed by people and pets. Because they thrive in warm, humid environments, your bed is an ideal spot for these bugs.

Not everyone is sensitive to dust mites, but for those who are, a buildup of mites leads to symptoms similar to hay fever such as sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and a cough. If you have asthma, you might also notice wheezing and an increase in asthma attacks.

While it’s impossible to get rid of dust mites entirely, there’s a lot you can do to keep the population down. Change your bedding once a week and wash it at 140 degrees. Then put it through your dryer’s spin cycle until it’s completely dry to kill off any lingering mites.

Use anti-allergy covers on your mattress and pillows to create a barrier between you and the mites. Dust weekly with a microfiber duster and keep clutter to a minimum. If possible, get rid of your carpets and stick with hardwood or tile floors instead.

Pollen Buildup

If you have seasonal allergies, you already know pollen isn’t something you want in your home. Even so, more pollen could be sneaking in than you realize. Worse yet, because your home is an enclosed environment, pollen can build up to even higher levels than outdoors.

To keep pollen out, avoid opening windows in the early morning and after it rains. Pollen counts are highest at these times. If you want to freshen your air without cooling, run your air conditioner on the “fan only” setting. This circulates your air through the A/C air filter, which removes airborne pollen. To trap as much pollen as possible, chose a filter with a MERV of around 10 or 11.

Wipe your feet before coming in and remove your outerwear in the entryway to avoid bringing in pollen. Vacuum weekly with a HEPA filter vacuum. Because pollen clings to your hair, either wash your hair daily or wrap it before going to bed to keep pollen off your pillow.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are relatively common in hot, humid climates, but they should never be ignored due to the health threats they present. People with allergies and asthma are at particular risk of worsened symptoms thanks to the allergens in roach saliva and body parts. Roaches also spread bacteria, including salmonella.

To discourage these insects, take out the trash frequently, wash the dishes after every meal, and never let food debris linger on your counters or floors. Roaches are attracted to water, so repair leaky pipes or faucets that might be allowing water to pool somewhere. Keep food in tightly sealed containers.

If you’ve seen even one roach, you have an infestation. Roach glue strips, gel bait, and roach hotels can get rid of minor infestations, but if the bugs keep showing up, invest in an exterminator.

Mold

Mold does more than discolor your walls and ceilings. The spores it releases end up in your respiratory tract, where they can worsen asthma and allergy symptoms.

Those with allergies to mold experience wheezing, watery eyes, and skin rashes. Even in otherwise healthy people, mold exposure increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections. Not surprisingly, mold is a factor in sick building syndrome.

Look for patches of mold on the corners of your bathroom and kitchen ceilings, behind furniture and under rugs, under shelves, and inside cabinets. Also, check inside the accessible parts of your air ducts.

If you find mold growth, your home is either too humid or lacks ventilation. Take steps to reduce your indoor humidity, such as using your bathroom and kitchen vent fans correctly, covering pans when you cook, and taking shorter, cooler showers. If airflow is a problem, talk with a specialist about improving your home’s ventilation.

Carbon Monoxide

Any appliance that burns fuel, including natural gas, propane or wood, produces carbon monoxide (CO) gas as a by-product of fuel burning.

Normally, this colorless, odorless gas is vented outdoors, but if an appliance malfunctions, the gas can leak into your home. Because exposure to carbon monoxide is potentially deadly, it’s critical to have properly placed carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home.

Sometimes, however, a malfunctioning appliance leaks small amounts of CO that the detectors don’t pick up, but that is still enough to affect your health. This low-level CO exposure causes symptoms such as frequent headaches, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Because these warning signs are so similar to flu symptoms, they’re easy to overlook.

If you feel better when you’re out of the house and worse at home, one of your appliances could be to blame. A carbon monoxide leak is an issue best left to a professional.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals emitted as gases from a wide range of materials. The group includes formaldehyde, benzene, acetone, and toluene. They can be found in many household products including carpets, upholstery fabrics, paint, and varnishes as well as cleaning chemicals, air fresheners, cosmetics, and dryer sheets.

Too much of these chemicals in your indoor air can leave you with irritation to your eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. To minimize your exposure to VOCs, use natural cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda and avoid scented products.

When you plan home improvements, look for low-VOC paints, carpet, and flooring. When possible, let new upholstered furniture air out outdoors in dry, sunny weather for a day after you bring it home.

Good ventilation is equally important. Opening the windows helps, but for a more efficient way to improve your home’s airflow, consider having a whole-house ventilation system installed.

Fiberglass and cotton-polyester furnace filters can’t trap VOCs. If you want to remove these chemicals from your air, you need an air cleaner designed to absorb gaseous pollutants. These typically contain activated-carbon filters.

Uneven Temperatures

When your heating and cooling system can’t maintain a consistent temperature throughout your home, your body is forced to constantly adjust to the temperature as you move from room to room.

While this isn’t a major threat to your health, it does place stress on your body, weakening your immune system and making you more vulnerable to colds and flu. Extreme temperature changes can even exacerbate heart and respiratory conditions.

Older HVAC systems are prone to issues that cause wide temperature swings and create hot and cold spots around the house. If your system is more than 10 years old, look into upgrading to a newer model that uses a variable speed motor to ensure more consistent temperatures.

Most of the issues that threaten your health at home are relatively simple to correct or, ideally, prevent. Clean weekly to keep dust and pollen at bay, keep your appliances and plumbing well maintained, and ensure sufficient ventilation, and you stand a good chance of preventing the most common ways your home could make you sick.