Renovation – There is a season for every job

We talk about seasonal projects regularly in our blog. You only have to watch any episode of Grand Designs to see the problems of trying to weatherproof a building in November or install a flat roof in 30 degrees summer heat.

Renovation work can be a different case to other maintenance. It is often planned further in advance making it possible to arrange materials and contractors, making sure they are all on site when required. Every year we seem surprised when it snows in January, but by and large the British weather is mild enough which makes it easier to find ways of working around any unexpected weather. However, with the British weather being a bit unreliable at times, even if you’ve planned to start work outside to coincide with the warmer, drier weather, you may need to have a plan B just in case it rains all year.

What aspects of your renovation project should you think about in specific seasons?

• Groundworks- You might say automatically that this is a summer job, but you may want to think about it in colder weather. When it comes to clearing the site, this is made much easier in colder seasons when most of the vegetation has died. Digging foundation or drainage trenches can also be helped by the cooler weather as the trench walls will be more stable, thanks to the stiffness that the frost offers them during the winter months.
• Timber- Both structural timber and doors and windows absorb moisture. This shouldn’t cause too many problems though as they will dry out once the building is weather tight. Wood will of course dry out more slowly in colder, damper weather though.
• Availability- Holidays while an all year-round phenomenon these days are more likely to occur in the summer. If you are on a fixed timescale to get renovation works done you may need to allow for this when planning your schedule.

One good way of minimising the impact of trying to tie up numerous different aspects of the project is to work with a Multi Trades service provider. This will give you access to functions such as surveying, and a back office used to coordinating purchasing of materials and having the different trades on site when they are needed. A Multi Trade provider will also be able to advise on timescales and work with you to project manage your renovations, taking a lot of the stress out of planning and controlling a potentially major scheme.  

So, while there is a season for every job, there is also a job for every season, and someone to help you manage the work. If you would like Express Property Service to assist with planning your renovations, please get in touch.

Categorised in: Property maintenance

This post was written by Express Property Services