When it comes to deciding how much homeowners insurance to purchase, much of it is dependent on the size of your house, how it is used, what features it has, and how much it would cost to rebuild it to the current state if disaster struck. What home insurance does not do, is take into account the impact a renovation can have on the value of the home and the insurability. For instance, adding an extra bedroom can increase the value of the home but now there is more square footage to insure and a more expensive house that must be rebuilt if the worst happens. On the flip side, while a pool may be a must-have luxury for your family it also puts you at greater risk of being sued if there is an injury or death because of the pool by a third party. Consequently, whenever you make a major change to your home it is a good idea to check your insurance to validate that it will cover the new additions. Generally speaking, you’ll want to do one of three things when renovating your home for insurance. First, increase the replacement dwelling coverage to the expected value of your home after the renovation is complete. Second, increase liability coverage when the construction is being done to protect yourself from being liable if a construction worker injures themselves on the job without insurance. Third, once the work is done, consider increasing your liability coverage – particularly if you are adding a potential safety concern like a pool.
At ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX, we are your local experts for everything home insurance. Whether you are buying your first home or planning a costly addition give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
