Important Home Renovation Services You Didn't Know You Needed

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After the initial phase of excitement, home renovations can quickly become a little overwhelming. There’s simply so much that will need to be done, and knowing who you can get help from isn’t always clear. To make it a bit easier, we’ve compiled some of the most important home renovation services to consider that you might not have thought about yet. 

Asbestos testing

If the house that you’re working on was built between 1930-1980 or had any work done on it during that time period, then there’s a strong chance that it could be contaminated with asbestos-containing materials. 

As you’ll no doubt be aware, inhaling asbestos particles massively increases your chances of getting cancer - it absolutely isn’t something that you want to play around with. 

There are a range of companies out there such as Asbestos-Sampling.com that facilitate convenient and safe testing services. It’s imperative that you use one to keep everyone involved safe during and after the renovation.

Energy audit

Houses in England have some of the worst energy efficiency ratings in the developed world. As a result, if you’re planning on doing any significant work to the property it's definitely worth having an energy audit carried out. 

They’ll be able to thoroughly inspect the insulation and ventilation in your building, the heating technologies, and a range of other variables. Based on this inspection, they’ll be able to make suggestions on changes that you could make that will make your home more efficient.

Not only will this make it more comfortable to live in, but it’ll also save you money on your heating bills and should add value to the property when and if you decide to sell it.

Have you considered Engineered Wood Flooring?

The images are all of the newly installed engineered wood floors at Ashburnham Place where I live

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Growing up as a child in the seventies and eighties everyone I knew had a carpeted house, in fact, most had a shagpile in at least one room. As I grew older trends started to change, carpets got cheaper but the quality also seriously declined and it seems that due to that, and the worries about keeping them clean, as well as the rise of allergies that many people moved to a hardwood floor, more in line with what our European and American brothers were doing.

Vinyl flooring or lino was a cost-effective and easy choice for quite a while, especially in bathrooms and kitchens were traditional wood flooring was unsuitable due to the amount of moisture and potential water spills. However, as home design moved on and houses became more slick and modern, a vinyl-covered floor didn't really cut it. Thankfully we've seen the rise of the engineered wood floor over the last few decades and today it is accepted as a really good choice for flooring that looks fantastic and just like real wood (as of course, it is real wood) and is long-lasting and durable.

What is engineered wood flooring?

It is a number of layers of veneers, which are thin slices of different real woods put together and sandwiched under pressure with a high-quality glue. The top layer is the highest quality wood, giving the beautiful final appearance. Make sure you do your homework when choosing your engineered wood floor as not all engineered wood flooring is the same, it can come in a range of thicknesses from 14mm - 20mm and depending on the footfall and where the floor is placed will help you decide what is best. Ask for boards that have at least a 4-6mm top layer, to help protect from damage over time.