Throughout the pandemic home improvement projects have gone through through the roof.
Take the Levyn's for example, the couple added a new deck to their back yard.
"You want where you live, if you have to work there and if you have young children, you want it to be as lovely as it possible can be," Allison Levyn said.
They're not alone. Google searchers for home improvement work is up.
Charlie Wendland is the Head of Claims at Branch Insurance. He said even though there was a record number of renovations, not as many were updating their home insurance.
"It may just be because people are unaware that they need to do that," Wendland said. "They figure insurance— set it and forget it. But the problem is insurance needs to evolve over time."
It's important for
He agreed it's important for anyone and everyone who maybe did a home improvement project is also updating their insurance, too. That means giving a call to your insurance provider.
"You want to take a look at your home policy to make sure that you have adequate coverage in the event, and hopefully, you never have to deal with it," Wendland said. "But in the event something were to happen to those brand new appliances you bought or things like that, to replace those items."
And that leads into another important tip: remember to document everything.
"It doesn't take more than 10 minutes, like I said, to walk around your house with your cell phone, take the video narrated, talk about what's in your house when you bought those items," Wendland said. "Because that way your insurance company will have that in the event they need it to process your claim and make your claim go much faster."
While home improvements can range from building an backyard deck to installing a new front door, there are some projects you'll want to notify your insurance company about as soon as possible.
"Upgrades in your kitchen, cabinets, countertops [are] definitely something to alert your insurance company to," Wendland said. He added swimming pools, backyard fences and other additions to the list.
"Call your insurance company, let them know."