For most homeowners, building a new custom home is an enormous undertaking, and a major investment of time and money. It’s also incredibly exciting and rewarding! Most future homeowners spend months, if not years, dreaming up the different elements and characteristics of the structure that they'll call home for years – or even generations - to come.
Once you’ve settled on your design, found the ideal builder, and come up with a source of financing, the excitement and enthusiasm to get started can be close to unbearable.
However, if the bank approves your home construction loan at the beginning of January, it might make more sense to wait a few months before breaking ground on your new home.
Below, we offer a few suggestions on the best time to build a house.
Home Construction by Season
For many people, the best time to start building a house is as soon as the money is in your pocket and you’ve found a builder who can help your turn your dream home into reality. However, there are benefits and drawbacks to building in each season.
Summer
During the summer months, the temperature and weather might be ideal for home construction, but the summer months are also the most popular time for building. In many cases, construction teams may have several jobs going on at once, thus leading to less personalized and attentive service.
In some cases, you may not be able to find a contractor who has the time to begin your project during the peak time of summer.
Autumn
Waiting until the late months of August before starting to build a home can also cause you problems. Though the weather is better, and most contractors will have more free time, there is always the risk of not finishing the home before the harshest winter weather sets in.
Winter
Building a home over the winter months is often more expensive and can also come with several challenges. For example, frozen ground can make it much more difficult for excavating work, and the shorter days of winter also cut into the amount of work that can be done in a given day.
Spring
And that leaves us with the joyful months of spring. In general, the spring months are the best time to get started with your new home construction. During January and February, you and your construction team can finish with all the planning details that go into the pre-construction phase of the build. Once the weather warms up, many builders will have full teams of workers ready to get started working after several months off.
Spring Into Building Your Home
By beginning your build in the early months of spring, you’ll also be avoiding the summer rush. This may allow you to enjoy more personalized attention from your builder. In terms of ideal weather, the spring months have longer hours of daylight than in winter, and workers won't have to deal with the extreme temperatures of winter or summer.
This can lead to higher productivity levels, meaning that you may be able to move into your home more quickly by getting started in the spring.
Lastly, by starting your new home construction in the spring, you’ll have plenty of leeway if unexpected issues do come up. For example, if your builder is unable to source certain materials due to supply chain shortages, starting in early spring extends the ideal building season.
Start Planning Your Home in Any Season with Natale Builders
Natale Builders is a leading custom home builder that specializes in helping homeowners in Western New York plan and build a house that will be a home for a lifetime – and that means we know how to build in any season!
Our team of building professionals will work with you to get through all the planning and preparation phases so that breaking ground on your dream home construction happens at the best possible time for you.
We have over 50 years of experience in building custom homes, and we are also proud to be an industry leader in Energy Star and Green Build designs for homes and neighborhoods in Western New York.
Contact Natale Builders today to discuss seasonal construction, and to get started planning your custom home!
