Is Winter a Good Time for a Home Renovation Project?
Homeowners can get carried away with the holidays during the winter season. From outfitting the yard in ghoulish decoration for Halloween to planning elaborate feasts with family and friends for Thanksgiving to the chaos that can be the normal Christmas celebration. These can all get in the way of home renovations that we know we need to tackle, which begs the question: is winter a good time for home renovation projects?
The simple answer to the question in “yes,” and for a variety of reasons. Let’s start with the fact that contractors are usually less booked in the winter months, especially those that also do a lot of outside work. This means that their schedules are going to be more flexible and perhaps fall directly in line with the timeline you have planned for your renovations.
Another factor is cost. Manufacturers have a nasty habit of spiking prices come spring, which is why if you tackle your home renovation project in the winter, you’re going to save some money on everything from lumber to cabinets to windows and other commonly targeted products for renovations.
If your government agencies are busy with all the red tape associated with a bureaucracy, you know how backed up the permit office can get. However, during the winter, government agencies are generally less busy, which means when you go to pull your permits, you won’t have to suffer the long lines and the overworked employees.
Which projects should you tackle?
One of the most popular home renovations to jump on during the winter is interior painting. We tend to spend a lot more time inside our homes when the temperatures take a nosedive, which means we get more creative in our thinking about how we want our interiors to look.
Renovations don’t have to involve a ton of demolition to be effective in completely altering the look and feel of a room – things as simple as painting or adding crown molding can be exactly what your rooms require. Crown molding adds character to a home and make once boring rooms really pop with more personality.
Painting, for example, can be fairly inexpensive, and if you’re using the right type of paint, you don’t even have to worry about opening windows to let the paint fumes out.
Winter is also a perfect time to take a long hard look at your lighting and determine what a fixture update can do for you. Daylight is in short supply during the winter months, which means you’re going to have a lot of time to analyze your current lighting situation and come up with ideas on how to improve it. Fixture manufacturers are constantly working on new designs that fit the latest trends, and you can even work with a designer to help you narrow down the choices and find the perfect one for your interiors.
If you’re looking to get into something more extensive, replacing your flooring is also a popular remodel job for the winter months. Even a basement remodel gets a lot of interest from homeowners.
Setting a budget and time table
Prioritizing which project you want to tackle this winter will probably be heavily influenced by your budget. You need to also consider the timeline, because some projects can take longer than others. For example, if you’ve got the budget for a bedroom remodel, you have to consider that it could take a while, and you’ll have to make sure you have an area in the home that can double as a bedroom for you while the work is being completed.
As for setting your budget, be sure to include designer services, because bringing a professional designer in to the job takes all the guesswork out of the process. Furthermore, designers have extensive knowledge that allows them to see potential problem areas before they become a big deal. And, if your vision for your project isn’t 100 percent clear, they have many ideas they can throw at you to improve the look and feel of your project.
Design and build contractor
When you bring a design and build contractor in to assist you with your interior renovation project this winter, you’re getting everything you need for a successful outcome all in one package.
Communication can be an issue on the typical job site. The designers and the contractors, all from different organizations, can sometimes fail to work together in an efficient way. When you choose a design and build contractor, everyone is working on the same team, so there is never a communication issue to derail your project.
At New Concept 180, we have established ourselves as the go-to design and build contractor for your winter projects. Give us a call today and let’s talk about your vision for your renovated home. From a room you want to paint to a complete remodel of your basement – we have the crew to make your vision a reality.