As we come to the later months of summer, we are starting to book projects with start dates in November and December. Sometimes, when homeowners hear that we are proposing a winter installation, they start to wonder if they should proceed in the winter or just put off their project until the spring.
In this article you’ll read about some of the advantages of a winter installation, and we’ll debunk a few myths along the way!
The Advantages of Siding in the Winter
Even though most people think of an exterior renovation as a summertime project, we install new siding for our customers all year round! Believe it or not, there are actually some advantages to completing your siding renovation in the winter months:
Advantage 1 – Easier on the yard
If you’ve got a green thumb and work hard on your garden all spring and summer, booking your project for the winter might be a perfect fit. Since the ground will be frozen solid, your plants and lawn will have no idea we are even there. Plus, you don’t lose any of your valuable gardening time during the installation!
Advantage 2 – Maximize your patio time
If you schedule us for a wintertime project, you don’t have to worry about us taking two to four weeks away from your deck and patio season! (Unless you are one of those hardy Edmontonians that is firing up the BBQ and sipping an ice-cold beer on the deck in the middle of February.) Installation in the winter means that we work at a time of year when you aren’t even outside enough to notice, and when the snow melts you have a brand-new exterior to enjoy!
Advantage 3 – Weather
Wait, winter weather is an advantage? It sure can be! Think of it this way: when the temperature outside is between -5 to -15 Celsius, the only thing that can stop our work is extreme windchill. The same storm system that unleashes a torrential downpour in May or June drops harmless snowflakes in December and January. On average, we experience the same number of weather-related delays in the winter months as we do in the spring and summer.
Winter Siding - Frequently Asked Questions
As a professional siding contractor in Edmonton, Canada, we are no strangers to cold weather. But, for many of our customers, it seems like there are more questions than answers when it comes to siding installations in the winter. Here are some of the most common ones!
Can you install James Hardie siding in the winter?
Yes you can! With just a few small changes, all Hardie siding products are suitable for cold-weather installation. As long as you can get the air compressor to start, you can install Hardie board. There’s even a James Hardie approved caulking product that cures in temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit)!
Here’s a full James Hardie siding renovation that we completed during the winter. There were some cold days on that project!
Can you install vinyl siding in the winter?
Absolutely! It’s true that vinyl siding is a little tougher to work with when temperatures are below freezing, but for experienced installers cold-weather vinyl siding installation is not a problem.
Does a winter siding project take longer to install?
Yes, but probably not as long as you might think. An installation that would take us 10 workdays in the summer might take 11 or 12 in the winter. The days are pretty short in Edmonton towards the end of the year, so it limits how early the crew can start and how late they can finish. Here's a small wintertime project that we finished in just two days!
Will removing the siding make my house colder?
Not usually. Most siding products by themselves have a very small insulation value. You may notice that your home is slightly cooler while we are removing and replacing your housewrap or building paper, but that will only be for the day. And if you are considering adding a layer of exterior insulation to your walls, working in the winter will let you enjoy a warmer home within just a few days! (Here’s an example of a vinyl siding and insulation project we completed in January of 2020).
Are there any downsides to winter siding installations?
Of course, working in the wintertime isn’t perfect. Here are the biggest challenges we face in cold weather:
Cleanup: If we get hit with a big snowfall in the middle of a project, there’s a good chance that some smaller pieces of debris may get buried. We always do our best to clean up everything after we are finished, but in case we miss something due to a snowfall, our customers can call us back when the snow falls for another thorough cleanup.
Painting/touch ups: In some cases, larger touch ups might have to wait until the spring. If we need to wait to perform some touch ups for your home, we’ll work out a large payment hold back to make sure that you are comfortable waiting until proper paint weather for full completion.
Slippery surfaces: Safety on any jobsite is extremely important, and slippery sidewalks and decks are a hazard for our crews. We may need to lay down sand or an ice-melt for traction, but we’ll always check with the customer first.
Cold: Of course, the biggest challenge is the temperature! It sure does get cold in the winter here in Edmonton.
So, if we offer you a winter start date for your project, don’t worry! We work year-round on fantastic projects. The end result will be the same no matter when you book a Blue Jay Exterior Renovation: a fantastic new exterior, and your complete satisfaction with the process!