3 Reasons Winter is the Best Time to Start Your Construction Project
As many a gardener knows, winter is the time to plan what your gardens will become when the weather turns warm. Seed catalogs arrive right after the first of the year, giving gardeners the chance to dream, plan, revise the plan and order the seeds to be ready to plant the flowers and vegetables as soon as spring has sprung.
You may not think winter is also the best time to start your residential or commercial construction project. After all, you surmise, you can’t break ground while the ground is frozen. With that mindset, many people wait until spring to begin the process of updating, renovating or building new, and builders are flooded with calls from people who have been thinking about their projects all winter long. Now that the weather has warmed, they are ready to build!
However, if you wait until spring to call your builder, the actual construction of your project may not even begin until fall. To begin construction in the spring, there are three solid reasons you should contact your builder during the dead of winter.
1. Planning Takes Time
No matter whether your dream is to build new or renovate your existing space, there’s a lot that needs to be done before the building begins. The planning stage, which includes building design, pricing proposal, loan requirements, permits, and some selections can take up to 3 months, depending on the complexity of the project. Even if you have your final architectural plans ready when you first contact your builder, you’ll need to plan on 4 to 8 weeks to get an accurate pricing proposal in hand to make sure the builder can complete the project to your specifications and within your budget.
Once pricing has been agreed upon and contracts signed, building permits must be granted and site work performed. At the same time, decisions must be made and supplies ordered for every detail from flooring to cabinets to appliances to tile and plumbing fixtures. Clearly, the more planning you can do during the winter months, the sooner you will be able to actually begin construction in the spring.
2. Planning Can Go Faster in Winter
Building or renovating a commercial building or a custom home is likely to be the largest and most complicated project you will ever tackle. It will require a lot of thought – you don’t want to rush it. Finding the time to concentrate on the necessary details is simply easier in the winter. When it’s cold outside and getting dark early in the day, you’ll most likely have more downtime to devote to planning your project and making the decisions you need to make.
On the other hand, winter generally means your builder will have fewer ongoing projects to track and manage. He or she will have more time to devote to your pricing proposal and working with you to get permits granted and supplies ordered. Working together, you and your builder will most likely plan faster and more smoothly to get everything in place and ready to go.
3. The Sooner You Start the Sooner Your Dreams Will Come to Life
Too often clients think their project can be completed more quickly than is actually possible; they think there is no downside to waiting to start. They don’t realize the time it takes to apply for permits, loan approvals, soil tests, and sewer and water connections.
Use the following guidelines to start planning now and be able to begin your construction project as soon as possible.
- Think your project through. Take the time to identify your must-haves vs. your nice-to-haves and determine your maximum budget.
- Do your homework. Know what your builder needs from you to get started.
- Allow time for the unavoidable paperwork. Architectural and engineering drawings, building permits, and site plans all take time.
- Be realistic. Quality construction takes time, so don’t rush it.
Contact Scholl Construction today to start for your custom construction project. We’re here to help.
