No need to wait, don’t let the weather be a setback to your remodel process. Now is the time to start planning for your remodel and designing. Don’t wait until the Spring and Summer when you could start now!

In the past, and depending on the location, remodeling and construction companies had to close shop for the winter. Luckily this is no longer the case for the industry. With new products and technology, we are able to work all winter long.

Most trades can perform in all weather, but there are some restrictions. The main restriction we find is the daylight hours are shorter, meaning less time during the day to work. The crew will be wearing bulkier clothing so they might move a little bit slower than in the summer. We will also take additional measures to prevent broken pipes, ice damming and other water-infiltration problems. You might be thinking, “what about snow?” Well in reality, snow is easier to handle than rain! It’s much easier to tarp snow and is much more forgiving than rain.

If you’re someone who enjoys spending time in your backyard in the Spring in Summer, you might not want to wait until the Spring to build. People who typically start in the spring usually have a torn up yard all through the Summer. If you start in the Winter, you should be able to enjoy your yard all Summer long!

Another great thing about building in the winter is how quickly the work permits are approved. Because fewer people are building in the winter, there are less people applying for permits.

We are extremely lucky in Missouri to have these mild winters which allow us to work all year long. These past few months have been some of the busiest for us and we’re looking at many more projects coming soon! If you were planning to wait until the Spring, give us a call! You can start planning and designing now and get your build done quicker.

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I thought he was crazy!  I heard him say that same basic phrase at least a thousand times over the next 10 years and I still thought he was crazy.

It wasn’t until I went to work for him as a laborer that I really started to understand the importance of “keeping two steps ahead”.  He had me carry wall framing materials from the drop site onto the sub floor where the carpenters were going to build the outside walls of the house.  He took a red marker and drew lines on the floor and told me, “I want the wall studs right here and the plates right here. Put the sheathing right here and don’t let any of the lumber get outside these lines or I’ll make you do it again.  When you carry lumber in, stack it like I told you and when you go out for more, don’t go empty handed.  Grab some trash or debris and throw it in the dumpster.  You’ll note it’s right next to the lumber pile out there.”

I thought he was crazy!  All I was doing was stockpiling lumber for the carpenters.  What difference did it make if I stayed within his lines?

The next day, when the carpenters showed up, I got to help build those walls.  The foreman started laying them out and we started building them.  As we were working, it came to me that the subfloor was cleaned off so we weren’t stumbling over a bunch of junk that would slow us down. I also noticed my lumber pile wasn’t in the way of building any of the walls.  There was room to swing a hammer, raise them up and brace them off.  Not one stick of lumber had to be handled twice!

Maybe he wasn’t so crazy after all.

You see, his business depended on how well he managed his own time and how well the carpenters he employed managed their time.  He taught his men never to go anywhere empty handed and to make sure that every step they took was thought out far enough in advance that they wouldn’t work their way into a corner.  He would say to them, “Think first.  Think about the big picture, then think about the steps you need to get there.  If you do that, it will be right the first time, every time and you won’t have to work so hard.”

That is time management the old school way.

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