This is one of the first questions our customers ask after they decide upon their outdoor project. After all, once you’ve decided that you’re going to give the green light on your project, you will be anxious to have it done right away so you and your family can begin enjoying it as quickly as possible.
This is what we tell all of our clients. The reason we can’t promise a particular deadline is primarily because of Mother Nature. What we can promise you is that after we start your project, we will be at your house every business day until the project is complete. If Mother Nature won’t let us work one day, we will be back on the next business day and will let you know what to expect.
Screened in porch design by Archadeck of Kansas City
Although no respectable contractor can give absolutes, due to mitigating factors such as weather, here are a couple of things you should keep in mind. Good porch, patio, and deck builders will have a waiting list throughout the year but even longer in the spring when building is heaviest. The sooner you get your project in, the sooner your project can be started.
Covered patio by Archadeck of Kansas City
If you plan on building in the fall, the waitlist will not be as long so your project can get started much earlier. Even if you are planning on having your project built in the spring, read here about why it makes a lot of sense to sign in the previous fall or winter.
Is there a formula for determining how long it should take? Believe it or not, the same project in the same place can take 2-3 weeks with one builder and 3-4 months with another builder. Here are some reasons why.
Lots of moving parts
Building porches, decks, and outdoor rooms requires a number of people to complete the job including the builder, roofers and electricians just to name a few. In addition to having more people working on the project, there are also more building inspections as most areas require multiple inspections on a roofed porch.
Experience counts
Each of the parts of the design-and-build process is dependent on other parts. A slowdown in one part will throw off the dates for other parts of the process. Further, if the next step requires the use of a subcontractor, that subcontractor might not be available on a date other than initially communicated.
Materials
There are a wide variety of building products which necessitate multiple deliveries from multiple places. An experienced contractor will order in a way that the right building materials are ready at the job at the right time.
Relationships
A reputable builder will have strong established relationships with strong subcontractors. Electrical is a great example. All rooms require electrical and in almost every case, they require a licensed electrician. If the builder doesn’t have an excellent electrician and an excellent relationship with that electrician, that can really drag out the process. If the builder uses a lesser experienced electrician, that can cause further delays with failed inspections.
Let’s be honest. It’s as easy to be wary of contractors as it is to be wary of car repair men. The reason we are wary is we often don’t have enough knowledge about what they’re doing to determine if they’ve charged us the right amount or if they’re taking a reasonable amount of time to do the project or even if they’ve sold us something we don’t need. We don’t know if pouring concrete for footings should take 2 hours or two days. We don’t know if installing a railing should take 1 day or 1 week.
A bad contractor will tell you what you want to hear. A good contractor will answer all of your questions by giving you the information you need to feel comfortable with what you are getting for your money as well as feel comfortable with how long it should take.
A high quality porch or deck project can be built in 2-3 weeks after the building contract is signed and permitting is complete, depending on weather conditions, lead times, and current building backlog if built by an experienced outdoor living builder. A general rule of thumb is the most professional person and the most experienced is often the quickest. In addition to hiring an experienced builder, it’s also important to hire a builder experienced at building your particular type of project. For example, there is no roof design that we haven’t already completed in the past.
If you plan on living on your new porch, deck, or patio this spring, now is the time to act! Putting off your project longer will only waste precious time you could be living in your new space this year. Give us a call for a free consultation at (913) 704-6240. We look forward to working with you to design the perfect new outdoor living space for your home!
