Contemplating building an outdoor living area or installing a new pool? If so, you may be wondering exactly which season is best to get the project started in terms of saving money, available resources and other factors. As longtime pool builders and outdoor construction experts, we have some suggestions to help you determine the right time to build.
Why Building in Fall or Winter is Best
Building a pool when it’s still cold outside may seem counterintuitive, but it can be a smart decision.
As you may have guessed, the busy season for pool builders and landscape design firms such as Outdoor Elements is during the warmer months. When the trees start budding, flowers start blooming and moms start worrying about what they are going to do with the kids all summer long, they start calling for help. While the influx of business is awesome for landscape designers and pool builders, it can cause frustration for consumers who want their beautiful new outdoor living area and pool to be ready to enjoy RIGHT NOW.
As pool builders do their best to service the abundance of warm-weather customers, the law of supply and demand naturally plays out. Sales staff availability is at a premium, job-start wait times increase, and homeowners long to swim and enjoy their new outdoor living areas as they are completed. Adding to their impatience, many homeowners don’t take into account the amount of time that actually goes into the pool-building process even before the excavator arrives to start digging the hole that will soon become their new pool. On average, it takes between 45-60 days to finalize a design and obtain permits, etc. before a builder can even start the job.
On the flip-side, landscape design firms and pool builders naturally have less business when it’s cooler outside. Because we are less hectic, we can move the process along more rapidly. Since the entire pool and outdoor construction industry is slower during the cooler months, products are often more readily available, city inspectors are less busy and permitting offices have a bit more time on their hands. Additionally, there is more flexibility in sales’ staff schedules, job-start wait times are significantly shorter, and in many cases, the overall build-time could be shorter because the builder has more labor and resources at its disposal as demand is generally down industry-wide.
Not only could overall construction times be shorter, but trees and plants are also typically dormant during the colder months. This reduces transplant shock during planting and increases the likelihood of thriving.
Finally, because of a combination of the above-mentioned factors, the price of your swimming pool or outdoor living project might even be slightly lower in price during off-peak building times. Nice perk.
Why Building in Spring isn’t so bad either
Don’t be daunted by the fact that you missed out on building a pool during the winter. Spring is still an excellent time to build.
The obvious biggest advantage of building when it’s warmer outside is that you don’t have to wait to use your new pool or outdoor space. This is a huge selling point for many families who just can’t stand to be taunted by the beautiful new pool sitting in the backyard, unused, while it’s too chilly to swim. Contrary to that, we do live in Houston where the average temperature doesn’t get below 60 degrees much of the year. So… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Additionally, many customers still haven’t started the building process in early spring and pool builders’ busy seasons are just coming into full swing. Sales staff will be a bit busier than they are in cooler months, but will still be more than willing to help, labor and resources will be plentiful and pool builders such as Outdoor Elements often offer special spring discounts and pricing incentives.
How You’ll Know it was Right
When you jump into your new pool or use your new outdoor kitchen you will be happy with whatever decision you made regarding when to build it. The bottom line is, there is no wrong time to build – especially in the temperate climate of Houston. Just get things rolling so your pool is ready before it gets really hot – which is almost always around here!