It’s easy to forget about your outdoor living spaces during the winter. As we lose daylight, we lose motivation to tackle big projects. Hot cocoa and a book feels like the best way to make it through the season.
What many don’t realize is that the winter months are the BEST time to start thinking about your sunroom or patio enclosure. If you start planning your project now, you will beat the springtime rush on outdoor projects and be able to enjoy the results.
Cost-Effective
Planning your sunroom or patio enclosure during the winter will allow you to save money in the long run. During the winter off-season, building manufacturers offer specials and promotions on their products and materials. As homeowners renovate or remodel homes, an activity that peaks during the summer, it is more difficult to find a good deal on items like windows, doors, flooring, and tile. In the off-season, sourcing materials is much easier. In many cases, you can work with a reputable sunroom installation contractor at reduced rates, and receive more focus and more concentration on the project at hand simply because they have less on their plate.
Convenient Scheduling
Seamless communication between you and your consultant will take time. Building an outdoor enclosure begins with a detailed design consultation that assesses the site, collaborates with the homeowner, and results in the finalized project design. While some homeowners are ready to purchase right away, others need multiple sessions to hone in and develop the project that’s right for them.
The “down time” in the winter allows your consultant to be even more accessible than normal, because they are not being inundated with the day to day tasks that appear when it is warmer outside and their business is in full-swing. This leaves extra time for making design revisions as necessary and time to select all of the materials you would like to implement into your plan. There are many material combinations you can make for your space, so talking with your designer will be a huge benefit to find exactly what will work for your outdoor enclosure.
Finalizing your project during the winter will put you ahead of the game in regards to the company’s building schedule. There is often a substantial lead time between signing a contract and the start of construction. Getting a jump start can be the difference of weeks, if not months. Having your design and materials solidified before the winter thaw will assure proper placement on the construction schedule. Being able to entertain during the summer months, rather than being under construction won’t go unappreciated!
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Avoid Spring Increase
Spring through fall is the busiest time of year for most contractors. Manufacturers realize this and understand the cyclical nature of remodeling, so they often introduce new product lines and increase their prices just before the warmer seasons arrive. You will also see many new products released in conjunction with the start of spring trade shows. By committing to a project over the winter, you can lock in the year’s price and avoid any yearly or seasonal increase.
Easy Permitting
If you have ever experienced a project where you needed building permits to begin the process, you know that it takes quite a while to be granted permits. It is often a month’s wait or more to be issued a permit to begin a project, but they are often necessary and, in those cases, ground cannot be broken without them. Applying for permits during colder months, or nearing spring will expedite the process because the permit office is not being flooded with applications. The slower months also allow time to be sure that all appropriate paperwork has been filled out, turned in and approved.
At Maryland Sunrooms, We build Lifestyles…One Room at a Time.
Julie Shetter is the Marketing Director at Maryland Sunrooms. She has over a decade of experience in the home improvement and sunroom industry.