5 Tools to Consider When Building a Home
Building a home is one of the most important investments that you will ever make. Without a sound foundation, your house could be at risk of flooding and other natural disasters. A lot goes into building a home, from choosing the right location to shopping for materials. This article will discuss 5 tools that you should consider when planning to build a new home or remodel an existing one with a nassau ny roofer.
1. Hydrostatic Test Machine
A hydrostatic test pump is a must-have when building a home. A good quality pump will give you the peace of mind that your plumbing system has been installed. Also, it can handle water pressure up to 80 pounds per square inch.
This tool prevents expensive repairs caused by faulty installation or broken pipes from leaking. This often causes floods in basements, causing extensive damage. If there are any leaks present during this process, they will be detected before they become enormous problems down the road. It also ensures that all new appliances such as dishwashers, washers, or dryers work without putting an excess strain on your house’s infrastructure.
2. Radon Test Kit
When building a home, you should check for radon. Radon is an odorless and colorless gas that can build up in your house over time, leading to lung cancer. This risk increases when the basement has been finished or cracks in the foundation walls. It’s easy to test if this dangerous gas is present by using the do-it-yourself kit. It comprises a simple plastic bag containing an airtight vial with charcoal inside it, two small bottles of buffer solution, gloves, and detailed instructions on how to perform the test correctly. You will need about 15 minutes after receiving it before starting the test process (not including shipping). Once complete, mail back to the lab and wait for results (usually two weeks).
If the test result is positive, it’s time to call a specialist and have them come out to inspect your house. They will assess if cracks in walls or floors could let radon gas seep into your home. Also, recommend ways on how you can fix this issue before it becomes hazardous. Radon mitigation systems vary depending on where you live. Thus, check with state regulations and local building codes to find out what kind of system would work best for your particular situation?
3. Utility Knife
This will help you score materials, making cutting them much easier—for instance, scoring polyethylene foam insulation boards before snapping off pieces. Also, using its blade to score exterior grade plywood is used in place of OSB (oriented strand board). You can also use it instead of clippers to cut wire mesh and chicken wire. It’ll also help you score drywall before nailing it in place, mainly if it’s a thicker sheet that won’t bend easily.
4. A Cordless Drill
This is a tool, especially for jobs around the house where many screws or nails are involved. You can use them for drilling holes into wood, install wall anchors, install brick brackets and concrete. With its adjustable speed settings, this versatile little machine will change how you build forever.
5. Quality Tin Snips and Floor Plan Sketching Tool
When working with sheet goods, it’s always nice to have a pair of good-quality tin snips on hand. They’ll allow you to cut PVC pipes and conduit and drywall, sheathing material, roofing panels, etc., so there are many uses for them around the house. Tin snips aren’t cheap, but they should last your whole build if taken care of properly.
A floor plan sketching tool such as Sketch Up or Adobe Photoshop can help plan out where everything goes before you build it for real. Also, they allow you to visualize how your space will look when it’s finished. Hence, you can adjust things if necessary while they’re still easy to move around without too much hassle or expense.
Final Thought
Often, the difference between success and failure is having access to the right tools for the job at hand. Thus, you must know how best to use them to do what needs doing instead of fancy decorations taking up space on your workbench. A good knowledge base will help ensure any project you take on goes without too much effort involved either way. So it may be helpful to check out some tutorials online so you can get all the basics down beforehand, rather than trying things haphazardly as they come up during construction.