Have you come to the conclusion that you’ve run out of time to get that perfect outdoor living space built this year? We’re here to tell you that it’s not too late to get it done this year and you may be better off if you do get it built this fall or winter. We’ve got 5 reasons to build your deck in the fall or winter.
Even though you may be ready to get the winter clothes out and start the annual hibernation process of staying indoors, we love the outdoors so much we keep right on working. Of course there’s the odd day where it just gets too cold to be outside and work but in general we do work year round.
The 5 Reasons To Build Your Deck in the Fall or Winter
Contractors Have More Time. Most contractors are have more work than they know what to do with in the summer. It generally takes longer to get on the schedule during the summer because contractors usually have a long wait list during this busy time. And if they don’t, you should probably wonder why they don’t have a long wait list. Instead of having to wait about 8 weeks to get your project built, you should probably be able to get it done in about 4 weeks during the fall and especially in the winter. Don’t be that person that waits until May to call a contractor and then has to live with their rickety old deck until the end of August.
You Get More Enjoyment Out Of Your Deck. This ties in with the first benefit. If your deck is built in the winter it’ll be ready to use the first nice day of the spring. You don’t have to wait weeks and weeks for that deck to be built.
Less Damage To Your Landscape And Lawn. This is especially true of the spring when everything is thawing out and their is a lot of water in the ground. Having work crews walking in the same areas of grass 8 hours a day for a week will leave a mark on your lawn. In the fall there is less moisture and the ground is more stable and in the winter it’s frozen which means even less damage.
Less Lumber Movement. Regardless of the type of material you are using for your deck boards, the framing or substructure will be built out of pressure treated lumber. Pressure treated lumber has around a 50% moisture content when it’s fresh and this means there is a lot of drying that is going to happen over the first few months of your deck. Summer months in southern Ontario tend to be relatively humid and this effects the time it takes for these boards to dry. Also in the summer months you have a hotter more direct sunlight that can really warp and twist the lumber as it dries. So in the fall and winter months when the humidity is much less these same boards will dry in a more even and controlled manner. There will be less splitting, cupping, twisting and checking.
Potential Cost Savings In Materials. Because there is a lower demand for decking material, especially the winter months, many suppliers will offer their contractors a bit of a price break to keep their inventory moving. We do caution that this is not always necessarily the case but it does happen.
5 Reasons To Build Your Deck In the Fall or Winter We could probably come up with more reasons for you why you should build in the fall or winter but 5 should do it for now. Always remember that just because you’re hibernating indoors during the cold months, we’re still willing to work outdoors in the snow.
