Is Fall a Good Time to Add on To My Home?
Owning a home is an incredible thing, but as your family grows, your home may need to also grow. For many homeowners, it is more feasible to add on to a home instead of purchasing or building a new one. Planning an add-on involves many factors, from picking a contractor and budget to figuring out exactly when you want to start your project.
Most people opt for summertime due to clear weather and longer days. However, there is something to be said for waiting until fall to begin working on adding to your home. Fall add-ons, offer several unique benefits over summertime renovations.
So, what makes fall the best time to add on to your home? Keep reading to learn why fall may be the best time for your next big project.
Weather Conditions
Working in the summer can be a bit of a drag. Long hot days, with afternoon showers, can translate into uncomfortable conditions for workers. These conditions can sometimes be so extreme that they become dangerous, causing their unique problems. When the weather is cooler, it’s easier for contractors to get things done with less time trying to cool off.
Fall has great weather for working in. It’s much cooler and often less humid, making it much easier to work through. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that when building an addition to your home, the timeline needs to have you at the dry-in phase before January. The dried-in phase means that the building shell has been completed to a point where wind, rain, and any other weather can be kept out.
Getting On The Books
Scheduling a major home to add on in the summer can be pretty tough. Good contractors typically have jam-packed summers, full of big projects. While you may get lucky with a contractor that has a project canceled, the likelihood of you getting things done on your timeline are low.
Because fall is usually much less busy than the summer season, there is a better chance that you can get on a contractor’s books when you are ready. Since high-quality subs are in less demand during the fall, you may also be able to get the best contractors in your market.
Fewer Distractions
Summer months are full of downtime, but not the kind you want when you are trying to complete an add-on to your home. Kids are off school, vacations abound, and distractions are aplenty. All of these things are competing with your mission to add to your home, making it hard to focus and get things done.
Lower Costs
Construction pricing follows the supply and demand model. During the summer, contractors are in much higher demand than in the fall. Because of this, they may offer discounts on the cost of a project. This allows homeowners to save some cash, or get more done than what they had originally planned.
In addition to contractors costing less, lumber prices typically drop in the fall after souring throughout the spring and summer. This is just one more reason to start your add-on in the fall.
Downsides To Building In The Fall
Building in the fall doesn’t necessarily work for everyone, as each project has its unique challenges. So there are some downsides. For one, if you are not able to finish any excavation, foundation work, or other exterior work by the time it gets cold, you are going to have to make special preparations for the bear of wintertime construction.
If the timeline crunch isn’t frustrating enough, fall days have much less daylight compared to summer days. This can impede your work time, which in turn prolongs construction and extends your loan. There are also more bad weather days in the fall which can also cause construction delays.
Prepare For Your Add On
Regardless of whether fall is the best time or not, having a good plan in place will make things much easier. It is important to know exactly what you want, and how you want things done before you begin your project. Preparing for delays and issues is key, and also knowing what is under the spot of your proposed add-on is imperative.
The last thing you need when adding on to your home is to cross an underground utility line. Even while public utilities are advised by the 811 services to find their service lines from “meter to main,” you’ll probably need more information to complete your work correctly.
You must be aware of what is below ground before starting any project, whether it be the installation of a fence,a full-fledge add-on, or any other project that requires you to break ground. Accidentally hitting a cable, wire, water main, or another underground object can lead to costly and time-consuming delays, possibly delaying your entire project.
SitRep Services offers cutting-edge ground-penetrating radar, concrete scanning, utility detecting, and ground fault locating services for residential and commercial projects within a three-hour radius of Atlanta, so you may dig with confidence. Contact us today to set up your service.
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