January, as many know it in the Midwest, is the quintessential peak of winter – the ground is frozen, the days are short, and the temperatures are less than desirable making it seem, naturally, that new home construction would stop. Years ago, many builders would pause construction until spring if the roof was not on the home prior to the first snow fall; however, utilizing new building technologies, products, and efficient construction methods, we can continue construction on any home no matter the temperature.
Not at all! Prior to the proper excavation of the homesite itself, an excavator must first go through a process called frost ripping which is exactly what it sounds like – ripping the frost out of the ground. This is done by attaching a ripping hook to the excavator or back hoe (see below) to penetrate through the frozen ground until they reach the unfrozen ground. Once the frost is ripped, the frosted soil is then removed from the job site and, if needed, it is replaced with clean sand to avoid excessive settling during the build.
The key to building in the winter is to properly heat and ventilate the entire home including its exterior. To do this, we use various methods such as frost blankets, tenting, and properly ventilated heating generators to ensure the concrete can properly set and all building materials are protected from the elements. Creative Homes follows all necessary precautions and best practices to ensure each home is built using high quality building materials and experienced crews with proper building equipment.
All final grading of a homesite is done in the spring when the ground melts. Should you close in the winter, rest assured, all landscaping will be taken care of in the spring.
No - At Creative Homes, we believe our homeowners should be able to build the home of their dreams within their budget no matter the temperature.
Although winter does present its own set of challenges, it does not stop us from building in the winter. To us, rain is to mud as snow is to frost - a mere obstacle that can easily be overcome through the use of skilled tradesmen, and high quality product. Regardless of when your home is built, any weather will always be a risk factor in the timeline of your build, but by and large weather will not compromise the integrity of your home.
If you are thinking about building a home with Creative do it! The entire process and team has been outstanding. Everyone warns you about how awful building a house is, with Creative it has been nothing but a turn key easy process. Their team is best in class.
We really had a great home building experience with Creative. Our home was completed on schedule and they worked closely with us on every aspect of the project. Our site supervisor was incredible – he was catching things before we even noticed them and had them remedied quickly and to our standards. Overall, we would highly recommend Creative and would build with them again in the future.
Building a home with Creative is more than a process of building a house. Its the people you get to meet, work with and get to know along the way. And Creative knows the right people to have in the right position.
We absolutely loved our new home from the first time we saw it, and have felt the same ever since moving in! From start to finish the entire process working with Creative Homes was smooth sailing. We couldn't be happier with our house or our home buying experience!
