Five Winter-Friendly Exterior Projects

Winter may not typically be thought of as prime time for remodeling, but these projects are in demand all year round.

Winter may not always be the first season that comes to people’s minds when they are thinking of revamping the exterior of their homes. However, the winter season can provide a great opportunity for homeowners to improve their homes and for professional contractors to stay busy all year long.

As a professional remodeler, a lot of your clients actually may prefer to do business during the winter months. Why? Well, from the client’s point of view there are a lot of benefits to booking a contractor to renovate during the winter months. These benefits include:

• Contractors tend to be more available and have more flexible schedules during the winter.
• Contractors' prices tend to spike during the spring and summer months due to more demand.
• Government agencies tend to approve permits faster during the winter.
• Clients have more time at home to oversee projects due to holiday schedules at work.
• Clients want to have the home looking as good as possible for in-laws and other family coming in for the holidays.

Start Small
Large projects may overwhelm your clients at first, so make suggestions for small improvements that can make a big impact. Things like cleaning up and staging the outside furniture so it is beautiful and functional or adding a small covered seating area your clients can sit under and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa may be ideal for this situation.

Remodeling the Pathways
A crack in the pavement or a loose paving stone mixed with snow and ice is a recipe for disaster. Your clients need smooth and sturdy pathways leading to and from their home to safely get through the winter.

Your client could decide they just want you to lay down a fresh coat of cement or asphalt. Or, they could decide they want to remodel the pathways completely with decorative paving stones. It is even possible your client would like a pathway to be created that wasn’t there before. While you may have to give extra care to concrete depending on the winter temperatures, working outside in the winter is often safer and more pleasant than working under the 90 degree sun of summer.

No matter what the situation is, pathways are a great winter project because they not only provide a safe place to walk, but also add curb appeal to the home and welcome guests that are sure to be arriving for the holidays.

Give the Siding a Fresh Coat of Paint
The late fall to early winter season is the perfect time for your clients to have the siding on their homes cleaned and freshened up with a new coat of paint. A mild weekend is an ideal time for you to power-wash your client’s siding.

The power-washing will remove any flaking paint with ease and give you a clean surface to work with. Then all you have to do is give it a fresh coat of paint to have it looking as good as new. Don’t forget to ask your client if they would like some color added to the door and window trims while you are painting.

Insulate the Front Door
Talk to your clients about insulating their front doors. When an entry door is not insulated, a lot of heat is lost through the door. This means a homeowner is essentially paying for a never-ending attempt to keep the area around the entry warm. Encourage your clients to bring their utility bills down by insulating the entry door or doors on their home.

Ideally, you shouldn’t stop at a door when winterizing a home. Winterize the windows and check the insulation of the home to make sure the structure will keep everyone warm during the brisk winter months.

Revamp the Mud Room
One of the biggest complaints for homeowners during the winter months is the mess the weather makes inside of their home. From wet, snowy boots to leaves and twigs – a lot of winter debris tends to make its way into a house.

A mud room is an entryway ideal for taking off wet jackets and muddy shoes before stepping into the rest of the clean home. A client could want a mud room added to their home, they could want a current mud room expanded, or they could just want the mud room revamped to be more functional.

For a seasoned professional remodeler, winter can be the best season to work in the industry. Some clients will track you down to get work done before the coldest temperatures set in. Other clients will contact you mid-season because remodeling during the winter works better for their budget and schedule. No matter how it works out, winter may end up being your new favorite season.