Don’t Let Winter Delay Your Construction Project

John Lohan • Nov 23, 2022

Pre-engineered metal building construction can continue all year long to save you time and money.

We’re all familiar with the joke that Canada only has two seasons: winter and construction.

While this cliché is a classic for good reason, nothing can be further from the truth than when you’re building with steel. Unlike traditional building practices using wood, mast timber or brick and mortar, modern pre-engineering manufacturing using metal components means construction can continue all through the year, regardless of season.

Your business plans can’t take a break when winter arrives, or when you’re just launching or expanding and need to get going quickly. Why should those plans wait for spring? Your business doesn’t stop during the winter, neither should your construction.


Not All Building Materials Are Suitable for Winter Construction
Construction methods and techniques, including tools, technology and engineering systems, have evolved over the years. However, construction materials such as stone, wood and metal have stood the test of time. These three materials still form the bulk of resources used on the jobsite. Depending on the nature of the project, and climatic conditions, they offer certain advantages and disadvantages.

CONCRETE: 
Your structure is dependent on a strong, sturdy foundation regardless of which materials the rest of the building is going to be constructed from. Concrete remains the most reliable base for construction and handling weight loads. Concrete needs to form and dry under specific conditions. As concrete sets, its compressive strength increases over time, but only in warm, dry temperatures. For this reason, all the foundational work must be completed first, usually only up until the onset of winter, ideally before November. Once the base is finished and dry, it is ready for further construction, leaving your building materials as the foremost concern.

STEEL: 
Cold-formed metal is a key material for large-scale construction, either upwards or out. Its high strength-to-weight ratio, adaptability and affordability make it the most ideal building material for modern engineering. For building in wintertime and cold climates, steel’s galvanized and treated finishes prevent corrosion. Untreated iron buried in concrete will lose its tensile strength and oxide considerably. While this was once an issue with metal construction, it is no longer a concern for how or when your building can be erected. While Canadian winters have a reputation for bitter cold temperatures, modern cold-formed steel does not expand or contract like other materials. Nor does it absorb moisture leading to issues such as warping, splitting or cracking in the elements. Steel components do not require specific temperatures or conditions to set or cure. Your construction will proceed while other projects come to a standstill during sub-zero temperatures that can last four or five months.

Not only stronger and more resistant to the elements, steel’s inherent strength provides architects and engineers with greater flexibility for creative design, while providing enhanced weather protection. Steel components and pre-engineered panels are manufactured using computer molds and precision, laser-guided cutters that make the manufacturing process faster, easier and more accurate. Each part is designed with greater uniformity and understanding of how they will interact with each other in the finished building under all types of temperatures, conditions and stresses. You can be assured that steel delivers a stronger, durable and more resilient finished structure.

WOOD or TIMBER: 
As a building material, these porous surface can become susceptible to weathering (known as photocatalytic degradation) over time. The cell walls in wood dissolve and become softer making them less resistant to surface abrasion and wear and tear. Prolonged exposure to heat, cold, moisture and the constant contraction/expansion of seasonal breathing means joints loosen and need more care to maintain tight seals over the lifetime of the build. Weaker wood materials require more repair and painting to maintain their strength, increasing maintenance costs in terms of time, labour and money.

Save on Costs by Constructing in Wintertime
By using cold-formed steel, construction can happen year-round, resulting in initial and ongoing savings. Most pre-engineering takes place in factories offsite well ahead of installation at the jobsite. Components are manufactured, cut, hole-punched and assembled inside a controlled environment before being shipped to the jobsite for final erection. The manufacturing and construction method requires less labour to complete construction. Once the concrete foundation has been poured, Double Black Construction’s skilled team can frame and build out the roofing, walls and interior details even during the coldest months.

The exterior framing and roofing are completed first, leaving the interior buildout and interior design finishes to be managed by crews in comfort. This streamlined process means building with steel is generally 30% less than the price of traditional construction and takes about as third as long to complete. With such a short warm-weather building season for other construction methods, being able to continue activity over the winter adds greater flexibility into project planning. You’ll shave months off your final construction time and get the building into operation and earning revenue.

Order Your Building in Autumn or Early Winter So You Can Move in Springtime
Preparing a site for concrete foundation and subsequent construction should ideally happen in the during those ideal warm months, but Canada’s economy doesn’t stop at the onset of fall and winter. Your building can be scheduled sooner and finished earlier to stay ahead of the completion. Not only do you get the same quality finished steel building regardless of when the work is done, you save on costs by ordering earlier and working throughout the winter to prevent unnecessary downtime. It’s best to give two to three months in lead time depending on the size of the building to be constricted. Our team will work with you to create an optimal schedule for both your needs and those of the construction.

By completing your building in the winter when the rest of the construction industry has slowed down, you receive better pricing. Once spring arrives, your operation is already up to full capacity and running business as usual while other projects are just getting started. Pre-engineered steel buildings deliver the strength and durability you need and the flexibility to be building when you want. Your business doesn’t stop when the weather gets cold, and neither does our construction.

Visit our Contact Us page or speak with Johan Lohan directly at (833) 322-2722 and we’ll provide you with a free consultation and quote.


About the author:
John Lohan has over 15 years of experience designing, engineering and installing over 500 metal buildings for architects and clients across North America and the globe. He’s managed all aspects of steel building construction, including material logistics and managing local and foreign construction teams. John also has special expertise in concrete foundation and excavation. He can be contacted at Double Black Construction at (833) 322-2722, by email at john@DoubleBlackConstruction.com or on LinkedIn.

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