Home Building Through the Winter Months
Unexpected benefits of building in the winter.
It’s all about timing. It may seem counterintuitive, but winter weather doesn’t have to get in the way of your building plans. In fact, with careful project management, there can be advantages to building during the winter months.
It starts with excellent communication and careful planning between the homeowner, the builder, and sub-contractors. To be able to work throughout the winter, the building needs to start in September so that framing is complete before the snow flies, which in Idaho usually means December. It’s also crucial to get materials on site and having a plan to keep them protected.
Yes, there can be some increased costs based on snow removal and heating, which generally runs around $5000. However, since the demand for supplies and labor drop during the winter months, you can sometimes realize a savings on those costs, which will help offset the increase.
Planning is everything. For example, in the valley, we have more sunny days than not. If we’re roofing and know snow is coming, we cover the plywood with reinforced plastic. As soon as the storm passes, the roofers can peel back the section they need for the day and get right to work!
Safety issues are another critical component of winter building. Keeping the job site clear from snow and ice is vital, and if hazardous conditions occur, it’s essential to communicate with everyone on the site. Heaters are heavily policed and only used if they are necessary.
Building during inclement weather has unintended benefits. For example, in cold climates, we can see where snow and water start to gather and be sure we take appropriate steps to mitigate that. Rain and snow can also help compact newly laid gravel, which is especially helpful for concrete work.
As builders, working throughout the winter has many advantages; we’re able to get ahead of the summer schedule, keep our teams working steadily, and sometimes we have more negotiating power on labor and materials. Permits are often easier to get during this time of year since there is less volume for review committees to process.
As a homeowner, the best benefit of building through the winter is that you can move in and enjoy the summer in your new home!