Building a Home in the Winter
One of the many questions we get as an Ontario Homebuilder is whether or not construction continues through the winter.
The answer is YES, it does. While construction continues to progress, there are some challenges and extra preparation required to building a home through the colder months in order to ensure safety and progress. Here is a list of some of the obstacles our site teams are working around.
On top of working through high winds, extreme cold and slippery or wet surfaces, our team of highly skilled individuals are continuously adapting to daily challenges due to winter weather conditions.
Here is a list of some of the obstacles our teams are working around;
1. Snow Removal – Snow poses a challenge to our site teams as it can create a blockade for carrying supplies and for vehicles to pass through. Our Site teams are constantly arranging for snow plows and coordinating snow removal before they can get to certain jobs and tasks on site.
2. Safety – As safety is always at the forefront of what we do, we are constantly aware of snow and ice and how it can create both slipping and tripping hazards. Our site teams do a great job at ensuring snow is properly removed, packed down and salted as necessary before any crews get on the scene to eliminate any concerns. This also involves shifting entry and exit paths into the homes to ensure a safe and flat walkway is cleared.
3. Heat – While materials often need to be a certain temperature to work with, our teams will often heat the homes and other tarped areas with propane in order to ensure the construction will progress and quality is met. This requires propane tank set up, installation of large tarps and ensuring areas get heated to the correct temperatures.
4. Driving Conditions – When driving conditions are poor and safety is compromised due to weather, many crews have a hard time getting to site, this poses a staffing issue and can sometimes affect timelines.
5. Exterior Painting – In order to paint any portion of the exterior of the house, the outdoor temperature needs to meet a certain threshold and needs to remain there for several days in order for the paint to properly dry and set. This means that any exterior painting will need to be put on hold and completed in Spring. (ie – exterior doors, garage doors or window trim)
6. Sod & Paving – Paving and sod is something else that cannot be put in until the spring as the ground needs to be fully thawed before that is possible. If you’re closing date is set for the winter, your paving and sod may not be completed until the late Spring.