Using Cooler Months to Plan Your House Exterior Ideas
By: Rachel
Depending on the climate where you live, you might be at the mercy of the seasons when it comes to updating your exterior. If you’re waiting for spring or summer to renovate, don’t wait until then to make a plan! The cooler months are a great time to focus on choosing paint colors and design elements. After all, you don’t need good weather for planning. Let us help you get a digital rendering that manifests your ideas. Below you’ll find some of the key reasons why you might want to think about using cooler months to plan your house exterior ideas!
Have you been thinking about updating your home’s exterior but aren’t sure where to begin? Let us help! Fill out our quick questionnaire so we can get to know your design style and goals. Our expert designers will create a design plan that will make refreshing your exterior seamless.
#1 // Easier to Schedule with Contractors
Homeowners often choose to schedule renovations during summer and spring. Taking advantage of cooler months to execute your house exterior ideas or updates can make scheduling easier. Contractors’ schedules are typically booked solid during spring and summer. Some contractors even increase their pricing during busier times. Waiting for the slow season can take the pressure off scheduling on both ends.
#2 // Plan Ahead
If you have house exterior ideas that you want to bring to life during fall or winter and you live in a climate with snow, be sure to take pictures of your home before snow falls. Seeing your home surrounded by snow for months can be helpful for choosing the right color palette. However, having photos of your home without snow allows you to visualize how your exterior updates will transition across seasons. Refreshing your home’s exterior is a big step, and it helps to plan ahead!
#3 // More Time to Focus
Many homeowners spend spring and summer working in their yards. Landscaping and gardening can be both meticulous and time consuming. Between planting, watering, fertilizing, and pulling weeds, there isn’t a lot of time left to focus on other projects. Waiting for cooler months to plan your house exterior ideas to can allow you more time to focus.
Plus, landscaping can sometimes be a hindrance for contractors. For example, if you are having your deck redone and have plantings in that area of your yard, your landscaping might be compromised. Some projects are better left for cooler months when possible to avoid damaging plants and flowers.
#4 // Potential Discounts on Materials
Executing your house exterior ideas can be expensive. The price of building materials can fluctuate quite a bit. Sometimes during the off-season, discounts are offered, making it a great time to purchase! Even if you aren’t planning on carrying out updates or renovations during the cooler months, you can buy the materials to get a better price and store them until you are ready to use them. Some stores might even allow for a preorder option.
#5 // More Consistent Weather
For many climates, spring and summer are notoriously rainy. When focusing on exterior house ideas, making them come to life often depends on the weather. Contractors can’t do things like paint your exterior, put a new roof on, or pour concrete in the rain. There is often less frequent rain in cooler months, which can result in less delays, making it easier to get your exterior refreshed.
#6 // First Dibs on the New Year’s Products
With each new year comes new models of building products. Although these models are marketed for the new year coming in, they are typically first available in the fall or winter. Booking your contractor early and ordering materials during the cooler months can present unique opportunities to take advantage of the new products coming in before other homeowners and contractors get the chance.
#7 // Expanded Temperature Limits for Paint
An important thing to keep in mind when painting your exterior is temperature. Although the ideal temperature for exterior painting is 77ºF, temperature limits have expanded to allow for painting during cooler months as well. Benjamin Moore recommends a temperature range between 35ºF to 100ºF. Painting when the temperature is too hot can cause wrinkling, blistering, and peeling. And if the temperature is too cold, paint might not bond properly. It is also important to paint during times of lower humidity. Exterior painting during times of higher humidity can prevent proper drying.
Even if you don’t choose to paint during cooler months, it’s still a great time to plan what color palette you want to go with. You can get a contractor scheduled and work with our designers to get a digital rendering so you’re fully prepared when it comes time to actually paint!
Time to Get Planning!
Don’t wait until it’s time to renovate to make a plan. Be proactive! Take advantage of the cooler months to plan your exterior house ideas. Not only will it be easier to schedule your project with a contractor or contractors, you’ll also have more time to focus on getting the details right before the work begins.
Our expert designers are here to help you accomplish all of your exterior design goals. Using your insights into your design style and dreams, we suggest plans to refresh and replenish your home’s curb appeal. Get started on making your exterior dreams a reality today.
Subscribe for more content like this!