You can renovate your home at any time during the year, but some seasons present more challenges than others—winter being one of them. While there are definitely home renovation projects you can tackle during the winter months, it’s important to understand what challenges winter may present to contractors if you want to avoid any potential mistakes that could cost you time, energy, or money on your renovation project.
So what, exactly, are those mistakes?
A recent article from realtor.com outlined common home renovation mistakes homeowners make during the winter, including:
- Choosing the wrong project for the season. Some home renovation projects are fine to tackle in the winter. But others? Not so much. Before you move forward with a project, consider whether winter is the ideal time to start your renovation, and if there are any weather-related issues that could hold things up, consider postponing until spring. (For example, according to the article, you can’t pour concrete when it’s lower than 40 degrees—so if you’re considering a backyard renovation with a lot of concrete work, winter isn’t the right time to start the project.)
- Not taking winter weather into account. If you live in a colder area, winter weather can wreak havoc on your renovation project. While there is, of course, some work that can be done in cold weather, snow and ice can cause delays. For example, if the roads are too icy, your contractor may not be able to safely get to your home. Or, if they can get there, perhaps potential safety hazards like snow and ice might mean they can’t do certain aspects of the project in order to avoid injury.
- Forgetting holiday schedules. Even if the weather cooperates, there’s another factor to keep in mind when you want to tackle your home renovation during the winter— holiday schedules. Many contractors take off time for the holidays, and that can push back the completion of your renovation. And if you’re planning on hosting friends or family for the holidays, you may have to navigate around partially completed renovation work.