Winter is coming!

How do you ensure your builds stay on schedule despite inclement weather over winter?

Firm: Crosbie Construction Ltd
Principal:  Mark Crosbie
Location:  Invercargill
Staff: 3-5

The most important thing to do in order to ensure our builds stay on track is to maintain good communication with our subcontractors.

The ideal scenario would be to ensure that jobs are closed in before the winter, but this doesn’t always go according to plan.

Forward-planning is essential. Being organised as best as possible enables me to plan for different scenarios and ensure all of our projects are progressing well.

Winters in Southland can be quite wet and harsh, so we just have to get on with the job in all weather conditions.

We are quite tough down here and as one of my old bosses used to say, it’s ‘character building’. Employees are given warm jackets to help keep them warm and healthy (and prevent any complaints!).

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Firm: Dunlop Builders Ltd
Principal: Bryce Dunlop
Location: Wanaka
Staff: 12

We’re fortunate in Wanaka because we don’t get a lot of rain, but there’s generally a six-week period when it gets really cold.

It slows down productivity, because you just can’t move as quickly as you normally can. We make sure we have proper smoko rooms on site to help the guys stay warm.

We also get severe frost, so ice is a continuous problem over the winter. It can make doing certain tasks dangerous, so sometimes we just have to bide our time and wait for it to thaw.

The other main issue we need to plan for is that, because it’s colder, it takes longer for materials to dry properly. Where we might normally allow stoppers two weeks to complete a job in summer, over winter you’re normally looking at three weeks minimum.

In terms of management, it’s difficult to make jobs fall into place exactly as you’d like them to, but where we can we’ll reschedule projects to suit the climate. I also try to make sure we have a mix of inside and outside jobs on, so that if the weather is really bad we can still work on something.

Communicating well with clients is really important –I just explain clearly why we’re working the way we are and how that could slow things down.

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Firm: GF Builders
Principal: Gary Fowell
Location: Whakatane
Staff: 16

Probably the most important thing we do is to wrap all our jobs over winter. It takes the weather out of the equation and means we can just get on with the job.

While it might be a big up-front cost, it’s worth it because you don’t lose time on your builds. Even if it’s raining outside, the wrapping means we can have painters come in and do their job.

It’s also good where liability is concerned, as timber dries much better and the building is less likely to be affected by shrinkage and other issues over its lifetime. I think it’ll become more common practice in the future, as homeowners will demand it to ensure they’re getting a good build over winter.

The other big thing to consider is getting your subcontractors booked up in advance, as it can slow a job down if you leave it to the last minute. Communicating with all of your different subcontractors throughout a job is also important, as it helps ensure they stay on track.

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Email your answer with your full name, contact phone number, company name, number of full-time staff and the city or town in which you’re based to editor@pmundersconstruction.co.nz. All responses must be submitted by 25 June 2016. The answers to this question will be published in Under Construction August 2016.