Construction and the Seasons... What You Should Build, and When...

Contrary to popular belief, summer and spring are not the only times available for construction on your family’s home. In fact, there are ways to leverage the tendencies of different seasons to make your construction project easier, timelier, and even more budget friendly.

As a general rule, contractors and subcontractors are busier in the spring and summer months because the weather is better and clients are working with budgets they’ve received from income tax returns. It’s a good measure to plan any necessary repairs that ensure the safety of your home during the summer, like deck damage repair, in the fall or winter so the planning and work is getting done when contractors and subcontractors can allot more time and resources to your project.

The questions remains, which construction projects are most suitable for which seasons?

Winter: While winter tends to be best for strictly interior remodel jobs like painting and flooring, there are some benefits to pouring concrete and digging foundations when the weather is a bit colder, and the air a bit drier. Part of the contractor’s job is to maintain the safety of their builders, and they should be forthright with you if they believe weather for outside construction will be a safety issue.

Spring: Keeping in mind that spring and summer are some of the busiest seasons for contractors and builders and scheduling accordingly, spring is an awesome time to work on many outdoor construction projects. If a deck remodel or addition is planned, spring is a great place to start as the ground has started to soften and if everything is completed in a timely manner, you’ll have some precious summer time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Summer: While summer is a fantastic time to create or finish up a lot of outdoor construction projects, keep in mind that the sweltering heat makes it tricky to perform things like attic rooms and rooms with little ventilation or air conditioning. As far as indoor projects, summer may be a good time to do a bathroom or kitchen remodel.

Fall: Fall is a great time to do any last minute winterization projects on your home. Keep in mind, however, that the holidays are impending and this can mean two things: contractors are scrambling to finish up pre-holiday projects for other clients, or you will need to provide your contractor a stricter deadline to ensure your projects are done and your home is ready to host family by the time holidays start to roll around.