In much of North America the winters are brutal and can last from October to April. So when people think kitchen remodeling, or any type of home renovations for that matter, they naturally try and book the contractor for the warm weather months. The thinking seems to be that, because the weather is warm, it will facilitate all aspects of the project. But is that actually the case? Or is it just an example of an understandable warm weather bias in our thinking? Below we’re going to look at why remodeling your kitchen in the winter might be the best decision you make this year.
The Case for Wintertime Home Remodeling
We’re using the example of kitchen renovations simply because they’re a type of home remodeling project everyone is familiar with. But the argument we’re going to make could just as easily apply to any indoor home remodeling project. That said, here are 5 good reasons remodeling your kitchen in the wintertime makes sense:
- Contractor availability – Ever try to schedule a contractor to do home renovations in July? If you have you know what you’ll typically hear from the contractor is something like this: “July 11? Let me check my schedule. Hmmm… I’m actually booked solid that week. Does Sept 27th work for you?” Okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But not much. The point is everyone wants to do their home renovations in the summer so the best contractors are booked solid months in advance. Not so in the winter. You’ll be able to get the contractor you want on the days you want.
- Cost – The law of supply and demand states that the more in-demand a thing is the higher the cost. Therefore it follows that when contractors have dozens of people jockeying for their services during the summer they can pretty much name their price. The flip side of that is that during the winter, when no one is beating a path to the contractor’s door, the advantage is yours and you should be able to enjoy significant savings.
- Your home is more accessible – During the summer months the kids are home from school, the neighbor’s kids are home from school, friends, family and neighbors are showing up out of the blue and you’re hosting barbeques, pool parties and more. Tearing apart the kitchen at that time of year is a major disruption. During a wintertime the kids are back in school, the barbeque is stowed away in the basement, friends, family and neighbors are ensconced in their homes trying to stay warm and pool parties are just a fond memory. It’s without a doubt the best time to take a big portion of the house out of commission.
- Fight off the winter blues – One of the worst aspects of winter is being cooped up for months at time in the house. It’s enough to give you a serious case of the blues. Scheduling a home remodeling project for the wintertime gives you something to engage with indoors while the outdoors is largely inaccessible. So instead of sitting around the kitchen on those dreary January evenings staring out the window at the dirty snow wondering why you don’t live in the Caribbean you have something to occupy your mind and engage your imagination.
- When the weather turns you’re ready – While everyone else’s house is overrun with contractors during the summer you’ll be up and running and styling your new kitchen. Expect plenty of renovation refugees from all over the neighborhood. They’ll be flooding into your newly remodeled kitchen, marveling at what you accomplished during the winter and wondering out loud why they didn’t do the same thing.
The Bottom Line
Contrary to popular belief the winter is often the best time to schedule home renovations. You can get the contractor you want when you want them. Those same contractors will be willing to do the work for less than they would in the summertime when they’re fighting off customers. There are fewer people around the house to potentially interfere with the work. And you’ll have something to occupy your mind during those endless winter nights. So what are you waiting for? The winter time only comes once a year. Make the most of it!
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