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Repairs are usually quite expensive. Therefore, I want to save money by any means, including choosing the right moment for alterations. Many jobs have seasonality, when the services of specialists and even materials can be cheaper. On the other hand, some manipulations require certain weather conditions. And you have to look not for the most budgetary, but for the optimal season.
Consider with experts the pros and cons of all seasons.
Summer
The summer months are quite popular with those planning to do renovations. The advantages are obvious. The maximum length of daylight allows you to start work earlier and finish later, if there is a goal to do everything as quickly as possible. At this time, many have planned vacations that can be devoted to repairs. And in general, in the summer it is psychologically more pleasant to do everything: the sun is shining, the grass is turning green, the mood is improving.
But there is a main disadvantage: the more people want to make repairs, the more expensive it will cost. Firstly, the cost of building materials has its own seasonality. If goods in large building hypermarkets are less subject to price fluctuations, then all sorts of doors or plastic windows from a small factory, the products of small stores may well rise in price. But the main thing is the price of services. Construction crews are in demand – so much so that they can afford to choose projects that are more interesting to them. Including in terms of payment. So it will be difficult to save here.
And there is also a non-obvious point regarding the associated costs. Namely: is it possible to live in an apartment during the renovation. If not, then you will probably have to take another one. But if you’re in a popular tourist city, short-term rental prices can jump significantly in the summer compared to the low season, warns Andrei Mozol, a real estate investor.
However, there are jobs that, despite the circumstances, it is better to plan for the summer.
Kirill Aksenov
The owner of the construction and finishing company “Aksenov Service” LLC.
If you need exterior decoration, then this is only in the summer. Warm, light. Construction and finishing materials are designed to work at positive temperatures. It is much easier and safer to transport and store them without loss of quality.
A similar opinion is shared by another expert – Mikhail Ukolov, a specialist in technical supervision in construction. He notes that the season is important for wet work on the street, whether it be building walls, concreting, masonry, plastering, puttying, painting. At low temperatures, water freezes. And it will be necessary to put at least a so-called greenhouse, a tent, which will increase the overall estimate.
However, a lot depends on the climate in your city. In a significant part of Russia in late spring and early autumn, the temperature is above zero without frost, so it is quite possible to move the repair a little.
Winter
In terms of economy, the winter months are the best for remodeling. Kirill Aksyonov believes that this is the most obvious plus of repairs in the cold season. Masters are not so loaded, prices for their services are slightly reduced, companies offer discounts and bonuses. Sellers of building materials are trying in every possible way to attract a buyer: there is a saving of funds.
Problems can arise with the transportation and storage of water-based materials, coordination of disconnection of risers to replace radiators.
Kirill Aksenov
As for thermal insulation, work is best done in winter. When it is cold outside, violations in the heat-insulating circuit are detected immediately. In the summer you can’t see them.
Spring and autumn
These seasons have a lot in common. At the end of spring and at the beginning of autumn, the daylight hours are still long, the air temperature is positive, so that you can carry out approximately the same work. But there is one thing but in terms of inviting specialists. They didn’t have many orders during the winter. Therefore, they go to the object with enthusiasm.
Autumn, on the contrary, follows the hot summer season. The brigades have worked as hard as possible to get more, and the forces begin to dry up. Some even take vacations – sometimes you need to rest.
However, the off-season is equally well suited for some jobs. Especially if you choose a time when the heating has already been turned off or has not yet been turned on.
Mikhail Ukolov
During the heating season, gluing wallpaper is very problematic, because with running batteries, wallpaper glue dries faster than it should. And the tops of the rolls can fall off the walls. On the other hand, you can not leave glued wallpaper in ventilated areas – they will also fall off. The same conditions must be observed when painting surfaces with acrylic paints.
From this point of view, conditions are suitable when there is no heating or it is not hot outside and there is no need to open windows. But here it is important not to miss the right moment. As Andrei Mozol notes, in the fall, when it is already colder and the heating has not yet been turned on, plaster, wallpaper and screed will take longer to dry, or you will have to take care of a heat gun.
Before the heating season, you should also not postpone the replacement of batteries. After all, it will not be easy to agree on their shutdown. In the off-season, it is also worth repairing balconies and loggias, changing windows, and installing air conditioners. As long as it is not very cold outside, there is no risk of damage to furniture and interior decoration due to exposure to outdoor temperatures.
Kirill Aksenov
In all honesty, it is worth recognizing that for most types of interior decoration work, seasonality does not matter. Even windows can be replaced in winter. The only inconvenience is that specialists will have to work faster.
According to Kirill Aksyonov, prices for roofing work will be the highest in autumn. Everyone wants to finish the roof before the rains. So it is advisable to do this in spring or summer.
What to remember
- In the summer, repairs are expensive. Construction services are especially rising in price.
- It is best to update the situation in winter. You can save on services, and sometimes on building materials. But this applies only to internal work. External at sub-zero temperatures will cost more.
- In spring and autumn, you can get bonuses from both seasons. True, we are hardly talking about the minimum price here. But if you want to do the maximum work and not go broke, you should pay attention to these seasons.
- It is most advantageous to do major repairs for a long time – to coincide with certain works for the season when materials and services of specialists are cheaper. This may not be the most convenient option. But if money is tight, not the worst.