- MARK YOUR CALENDAR. Once your home has been substantially completed, you may have moved in, and the Contractor is almost done completing the tasks on the final punch list, an important clock begins to tick. Take note of the date of ‘substantial completion’. This date marks the beginning of the 12 month ‘correction period’. Your Contractor is legally responsible to repair and/or replace any new part of your home which is defective or was not installed according to the approved construction documents. Individual building materials and mechanical systems carry their own manufacturers warranties which often extend beyond the correction period. Get familiar with these built-in protections and warranties, and add those to your calendar as well, just in case.
- ASSEMBLE A NUCLEUS OF RESOURCES. Gather important documentation related to your construction project all in one place. Load copies of digital resources onto portable media, and include them with the printed plans and documentation. Find a clean and dry place such as the attic to store them safely. Be sure to include:
- The approved architectural and structural drawings
- The building permit
- The certificate of occupancy
- Operations and maintenance manuals for mechanical equipment
- Warranties for installed equipment and materials (see item #1)
- ATTIC STOCK INVENTORY (whether it is in the attic or not). Now is a good time to make sure you have small quantities of paint on hand, so that maintenance and touch ups will be simple and easy. A pint size quantity of each shade and sheen are all you need. Label the containers and place them, along with extra door and cabinet hardware, window screens, HVAC filters, and other ‘attic stock’, in a clean dry place until they are needed. Maintaining an inventory of these items, preferably in digital format that is easy to find and update, will make you thank yourself later. While you are at it, an inventory of the nucleus makes sense too. (see item #2)
- UPDATE YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN. If you had an emergency plan in your ‘old house’, it should be reviewed and updated. Your new smoke alarms are hard wired with battery back up, good! Your home has been seismically updated, great! The glass in your new windows is tempered or shatter proof, splendid! Some other safety measures to include in your family emergency plan:
- Talk through and practice what to do, and where to go in an earthquake.
- Practice how to shut off utilities such as electricity, gas and water (Adults only!).
- Strap all furniture taller than your waist to the wall with safety anchors.
- Dedicate a shelf, drawer, or corner of a closet for emergency supplies:
- Flashlights with replacement batteries
- Long burn candles and matches for power outages
- First aid kit, stocked and checked as needed
- Fire extinguisher
- Cash, in small bills
- Use deep storage to stock at least 1 week’s water, food, pet food, toilet paper, (don’t forget essentials like coffee and wine!), rotate and replace regularly.
- Store all medications in lockable cabinet.
- DREAM ABOUT YOUR NEXT PROJECT. Once you are ready to start making your next project a reality, whether it’s Invisible Infill™, a chicken coop or a brand new home, think of PostFab.
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