Expert: Dan Griffin - 11/18/2009

Question
Hi Dan,

I'm sorry to bug you again, but I never got your first answer to my question, because I had mistyped my e-mail address (I put hotmail because I used to have a hotmail address and I got confused).

So all I got was your answer to the same question the second time I posted it (with my correct e-mail address), when you said you had already answered this question for me. But I never got the real answer because of my totally inept brain typing in an e-mail address that doesn't exist, so that answer is floating somewhere out there in the ether.

I'm really sorry.  Is there any way you could copy your first answer and send it to me again, this time to my correct e-mail address (I'm sure I typed it right this time)?

My sincere apologies,
Annalisa

Answer
This is a duplicate of my answer.  I hope this one comes through.


Annalisa, I'm glad you're thinking the entire process through.  Buildings are built during the winter months every where in the world.  One of the prime concerns from my point of view is the toll taken on the workmen more than the materials.  I guess we just have a different perspective.  Very few houses are ever built without being rained in/on wet from top to bottom.  The trades and materials that need heat and dry don't happen until the roof is on and the windows are in.  Those trades also use some form of temporary heat or get the permanent heater running as soon as possible.  You would prefer that they use their heaters - NOT yours.

Concrete parking lots and exposed concrete buildings make it through the winter every year.  If you decide you don't want work done during the winter it won't hurt the building and will actually allow the footings to settle in.  Your concrete is already cracked and continues to have the same potential for more cracking whether you build or not.  The exception to that is if the basement walls are not backfilled and you get large quantities of water or mud freezing, it has the potential to swell and damage the concerete by pressure on the walls.  Builders usually won't backfill walls untill the floor is installed to help hold the top of the walls.

If it were my decision, I would build.  Ask your builder to take extra care waterproofing and backfilling the walls as soon as possible to get rain water away from the building (believe me, he wants this too.  Ask that he not cover up walls or floors until they have had plenty of time to dry out if they have gotten wet in rain or snow to prevent the possibility of causing mold problems.  Remember, these guys make their living.doing this and they want things as clean and dry for themselves as possible.  You don't tell me exactly where you are, but most winters have many good building days unless you're in the northern tier of the US.  If they get off to a good start, you should be in the dry before winter really hits.  Good luck.