Putting sweat equity into a recent house that you purchased can make all the difference to your bottom line. Depending on the project, a contractor can cost thousands of dollars. Common pitfalls that house flippers run into when renovating a property is sticking to the original budget. One way to give yourself more of a financial cushion when renovating a house is to do some or all of the work yourself. While HGTV makes real estate look like rainbows and butterflies, if not. Things can happen while on the job. Renovating a house can be a huge and daunting project. Even the most experienced house flippers and homebuyers sometimes injure themselves while fixing things up. Today, we will review the most common injuries that can happen when renovating a house and how to avoid them.
Thrown-out back
Outside of flipping houses, a thrown-out back is one of the most common back injuries out there. When renovating a house, you are required to put your body in different and challenging positions. The more flexible you are, the less likely you are to get injured. Unfortunately, not all of us are born with naturally limber bodies. People that renovate houses oftentimes throw out their backs when lifting heavy objects. Typically, it is not always the weight that is the downfall. The awkward shapes and sizes of different objects can throw people off. They approach these objects in an awkward fashion and forget the basics. “Lift with your knees, not your back” goes out the window.
At some point, a home renovator will likely pick up something large and heavy, such as a toilet. sometimes, the object doesn’t need to be moved very far. Other times, you will need to carry a toilet up three flights of stairs. Now, do you see why throwing your back out is pretty easy to do when renovating a house? There are a few ways to avoid this common injury when house flipping. The goal is to be proactive. To start, stretch before you begin renovating the property. the looser that your body is, the less likely you are to throw your back out. If your back is already feeling stiff, visit your local chiropractor. Most home renovation projects are on a time crunch. To avoid turning stiffness into a full-blown injury, treat your body with chiropractic care.
Bruised fingers
Your fingers are some of the most vulnerable extremities on your body when flipping houses. Think about it. How close are you to hitting your finger each time you swing that hammer? Bruising a finger is one of the most common injuries that happens every day on home renovation job sites. No matter how many times you’ve swung a hammer in the past, if you are not paying attention, you might miss the nail. It can happen in a split second. Oftentimes, this event occurs when there is a lot going on around that person. Job sites get extremely busy. It’s easy to lose focus and accidentally bruise your finger with a hammer. If you bruise your finger badly, you may be out of commission for a few days. What are some things that you can do to avoid this from happening?
First off, wear gloves. Naturally, a glove softens the blow of any blunt object. Make sure that the gloves are not too loose, to avoid anything getting tangled. Gloves also help with avoiding blisters if you are planning on using a hammer consistently throughout the day. Another way to avoid bruising your fingers is to take things slow. Take a deep breath, and know that there is no rush. Go at a pace that makes you comfortable to avoid injuries in the future.
Pulled shoulder
Shoulders are extremely delicate areas of the body. This is especially true when moving objects around and over your head. Along with lifting heavy objects, a home renovation requires you to move things above your head and shift them around constantly. For example, you may be installing shelving or kitchen cabinets. Both of these items require you to hold things above your head for long periods of time. These motions make your shoulders extremely vulnerable. If you make the wrong move too fast, you can tweak or pull a ligament in your shoulder area.
To avoid injuring yourself in this part of your body, stretching is also key here. Start your day off slow and do not lift anything above your head that is too heavy until you are warmed up. You can warm up your arms by doing small exercises or stretches before getting started. An injured shoulder can be the end of your home renovation project. Do your best to warm up this part of your body before lifting things that are too heavy.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, injuries will continue to happen during home renovations. However, there is a lot that we can do to keep our bodies in shape, warmed up, and loose. Movement is key before putting our bodies in difficult positions and lifting heavy objects. Slow and steady wins the race. Although your home renovation project is likely on a sharp deadline, don’t forget to warm up slowly before going full speed ahead during your house flip.
