Safety
Unfortunately there are millions of people who do not have the physical freedom to function in a standard home and kitchen. Special considerations need to be made when planning a kitchen design. Once again Susan Serra, CKD, from thekitchendesigner.org steps in to show us the way.
For those with special needs, a preliminary analysis of the household member(s) needs is critical. For situations in which modifications need to be made to the interior of a home, a joint meeting with all parties, including the contractor and an occupational therapist to the household member with special needs is advisable. A design professional with a CAPS designation (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) awarded by NAHB National Association of Home Builders is verification of completed course work in this area.
It is to everyone's benefit, and often a strong desire of a household member with special needs, to preserve the homeowner's independence for as long a period of time as possible. In a situation that includes wheelchair accessibility within a home, adequate space must be provided for wheelchairs to turn, particularly in a bathroom and kitchen, in areas of the home where a hallway and doorways intersect, and to plan for adequate, and smooth flooring materials and transitions inside and outside the home via ramps.
In Parts I and II of this series, we learned how to safely approach water damage and identify and stop the source. Now we will discuss preventing the spread of water damage and setting up effective drying systems for light water damage.
Step 4: Prevent Further Damage
Furnishings: Immediately relocate furnishings immersed in water or sitting on damp flooring. This is especially important for wood furnishings, or those that have a stain finish prone to bleeding. Nothing ruins carpet quicker than bleeding, wet furniture. Also, furnishings made from wood composite, like MDF, will swell quickly when exposed to water, and are impossible to dry to their original look and strength.
Wall Coverings: Once the furnishings is out of the way, inspect the walls. If water has wicked up the drywall or plaster, immediately remove baseboard and/or wainscoting or wall-coverings. Water gets trapped behind these items and creates a barrier to drying, not to mention a great spot for mold growth. (Speaking of mold, it begins to grow on porous surfaces after 48-72 hours of dampness. If you encounter mold, cease your demolition and hire an expert. This is especially critical if you have children, seniors or those with medical conditions in your home. Do not disturb the mold, as this releases spores into the air. More on this in a future post.) If no mold is encountered, I recommend leaving the drywall in place. It may be salvageable.
Flooring: Once furnishings are removed and wall-finishes are stripped to drywall, it is time to address the flooring. As a general rule, carpet and cushion (pad) damaged with Category I (see Part II of this series) water can be cleaned and salvaged. Carpet cushion damaged by Category II water needs to be disposed, but the carpet can be sanitized and salvaged. Flooring damaged by Category III water needs to be disposed of immediately and the slab or sub floor treated with an anti-microbial chemicals. Leave this to the experts. It takes proper training to safely remove flooring damaged to this extent.
Check out these fall cleaning tips from Consumer Reports.
Our favorites include:
Clean drapes, upholstery, carpeting, and floors. A canister vacuum is better equipped to clean drapes and upholstery, while an upright is better for deep-cleaning carpets. For your carpeting, use a carpet cleaner or schedule a professional cleaning.
Dispose of old paint and other hazardous products. Don't dispose of old paint, cleaners, solvents, pesticides, or other potentially dangerous products with the trash. Read our advice for proper disposal of paints and finishes and common household items.
My daughter loves throwing her pacifier around her room; not yet understanding that throwing her pacifier while in her crib makes said pacifier unavailable for the remainder of her nap. As a result, my wife and I hunt for pacifiers daily, finding them in all sorts of interesting locations. I secretly suspect pacifier-throwing is just my daughters clever way of watching us maneuver furniture and contort our bodies. "Perform for me, circus monkey", she thinks in her one-year-old head. And we do...
It was on one such pacifier recon missions that I noticed a slight bubble in the baseboard. That's odd, I thought. I felt the baseboard. It was a bit too soft. I pulled the crib out further. Uh-oh. No. It couldn't be. I just finished her room 6 months ago. Please, don't tell me. It... is... water... damage!
So what do you (or I) do when we find such a thing? This three-part series highlights steps to take when you notice water damage. Upon reading this series you will know how to safely identify and begin the remediation of water damage. Now, we all now restoration professionals that respond to such situations (or we should). But perhaps the damage is fairly minimal (at least at first glance), perhaps you are not really interested in forking over an emergency response charge or perhaps you are not the type to just sit by while your house is flooding. This series will increase your chance of effectively responding to water damage quickly and efficiently.
The wildfires burning in the Los Angeles National Forest just north of LA continue to rage and yesterday claimed the lives of two firefighters.
Two firefighters were killed when they drove off the side of a treacherous road in the Mt. Gleason area, south of Acton, around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bryant. They were later identified as Arnaldo Quinones, 35, of Palmdale and Tedmund Hall, 47, of San Bernardino County.
More than 12,500 homes are threatened and at least 6,000 are under mandatory evacuation. Currently the fire is only 5% contained as California is throwing everything they've got at it. These communities are currently being evacuated and/or are under high alert: Mount Wilson, La Canada Flintridge, Altadena, Glendale, La Crescenta, Acton and Pasadena.
Follow the latest wildfire news from the LA Times. They've also setup a Google map showing the fire, evacuation areas, and shelters.
Safety is a top concern when building stairs and it all starts with solid footing and a stable hand rail. We want to expand on our previous article for installing wood stair railing by providing some great resources for building solid stairs and repairing broken railings and wobbly newel posts.
Install Stair Treads and Railings
Build Kid-proof Stair Railing
Install a Stair Handrail [video]
Reclaimed Wood Staircase
Tighten a Loose Stair Rail
How to Fix a Stair Banister
Stair Safety Tips
Secure a Deck Railing Post
Anchor a Stair Railing
According to the website for WellnessLight KIDS, This is no ordinary light bulb. It sure isn't. Now that we are finally recognizing the dangers of indoor air pollution, it's time we seek solutions to eliminate these dangers and the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) from WellnessLight KIDS is a leap in the right direction.
This 25-watt CFL serves two purposes in your home and specifically a child's room. It claims to clean the air and provide a full-spectrum of light. Sounds like a tall order but apparently when the proper CFL is coated in naturally-derived nano-TiO2 photocatalytic it works with the power of light to create oxidizing agents and works as nature's own air cleaner and the high-quality, full-spectrum light which simulates the natural light of the sun and has been shown to improve school performance and enhance general health and overall well-being.
The news last week that Mike Tyson's daughter had been critically injured in an apparent home accident involving a treadmill was sad and any an unpleasant reminder that any child can be killed or hurt due to negligence or dangerous situations that most times can be avoided.
Baby-proofing a home is common sense but as the child grows so must the precautions.
We've mentioned this before but some house projects should be left to professionals. Be honest with yourself and what you are capable of. Sometimes its great to get in over your head and learn as you go, especially if time and money aren't necessarily an issue, but some house projects require skills to be done properly that seasoned pros have. We wouldn't call it throwing in the towel to get a licensed contractor to come in to do some work but often times its the smartest move as it saves you money on repairs down the road.
As we fire up our spring projects it's clear that we need to wipe the dust off some of our power tools and give them a once over to make sure they are in good operating condition which means they are safe to use and effective.
Here's a starting point for checking your tools for any damage or wear and how to recognize when they need repair. One of the most common issues are worn power cords which can be dangerous and should be fixed immediately, learn how to repair the cord yourself.
October 30, 2009 | Comments ()
