If you’re thinking about a new patio, you might be wondering about the best time of year to install a patio. Is there a certain time of year to install hardscaping or can it be done year-round?
We understand that people often wait for warm weather to begin outdoor projects like patios and other hardscaping. Part of the reason for this is that these projects fall off their radar in the winter. If you’re spending a lot of time indoors, naturally, you may not be thinking much about being outside.
But oftentimes, if you wait until the spring to schedule a hardscaping project, like a patio, then your landscaper may already be very booked up. That can be problematic if you were hoping to have your patio finished in time for a specific event like a graduation party or a bridal shower.
For those reasons, you might be interested in if you can install a patio in winter.
We’re here to answer your questions and help set you up for success. We understand that your future outdoor living space is important to you and you want to make all the right choices.
Can a Landscaper Install Hardscaping in Winter?
The short answer is that yes, we can tackle a hardscape project in winter in Northern Virginia.
However, it’s important to be clear that winter projects can take longer for several reasons. Any time that you are starting a large-scale hardscaping project, we believe it’s important to have a good understanding of what will be involved.
Here are some reasons why hardscaping in winter in Virginia can take longer.
- Increased moisture from rainfall and the freeze/thaw cycle. It can take longer for a job site to dry after rain in the winter versus rain in the summer.
- Landscapers often don’t work below freezing temperatures, which we do sometimes reach here in Northern Virginia. In fact, every year we seem to hit around a two-week period of time where temperatures stay at freezing, which can halt production during this time. Some products used in hardscaping do require the temperature to be in the upper 40s.
- It gets dark earlier which makes for a shorter day.
- It can get cold earlier in the day and mornings often involve prolonged cold for a few hours (sometimes leading to a later start time).
The bottom line? While we do work year-round, and we definitely do hardscaping in winter, it’s important to remember that this is an ever-changing environment. After all, we don’t live in Florida.
Should I Forget About Having a Patio Installed in Winter?
Of course, we by no means want to discourage you from getting a hardscaping project underway. In fact, we would encourage just the opposite. It’s never too early to start planning your patio design.
What a lot of homeowners often don’t realize is that there is a lot involved in a landscaping project prior to the actual “build” part.
For this reason, it makes a tremendous amount of success to start getting a project underway during the winter. When you’re talking about a project as large and important as an outdoor living area, there are important design steps leading up to it that can be time-consuming.
For instance, here are the steps that we take during the patio design and planning phases.
Initial Landscape Design Consultation
The landscape design process starts with an initial consultation. During that time we will discuss some of your thoughts and ideas for the project and possibly even discuss a ballpark idea of the budget. We’ll look at any photos that you have of projects you like and we’ll show you projects that we’ve done so that you can start to narrow down what you want.
Follow-Up Meeting (Conceptual Design)
After that initial meeting, we’ll also plan a follow-up meeting in which we’ll share the conceptual design.
During this meeting, we’ll explain some of the reasons behind the landscape design. Everything has a place for a reason in a landscape design. A lot of thought goes into not only how the finished product will look - but also how it will function. It is during this meeting that we’ll really hone in on the specifics of your project.
Final Meeting (Final Design)
Then, we’ll move into the final design where we’ve narrowed down exactly what you want.
During this final phase, we’ll sit down with you to discuss the finalized landscape design.
At this stage, we will have fine-tuned everything and have true costs available. We’ll talk about hard numbers and what your budget will allow. If there’s more you want to do than you can afford at once, we can break your project into stages in which we can plan to complete it in two or three different phases.
The major point to make here is that all of this happens prior to building the patio or hardscape.
The off-season is actually an excellent time to take care of these meetings. On top of the design meetings, there are often details and necessities, such as pulling permits. Getting the process started as early as possible can help ensure all of this is taken care of in a timely fashion.
Plus, oftentimes, we can (and do) get started with hardscaping in winter. Since our winters can be relatively mild and we have workable days, we can often start these projects prior to spring.
Getting Ready to Create an Outdoor Living Area You’ll Love
While we know that our landscape design process is involved, we think that when it comes to a space as important as your outdoor living area, you should accept nothing less. At the end of the day, this will become a space where you make memories with your family and where you spend more time outside.
All of this is an exciting undertaking—assuming that you’re working with the kind of company that really is thinking of everything.
Unfortunately, not all companies take this process as seriously as we do. In fact, some landscaping companies don’t even utilize professional landscape design. They must just sketch up a rough rendering.
But if you want to feel confident that your new patio or outdoor living area is going to be completed right, then it’s vital that you make a wise choice amongst landscape designers. They’ll make sure that all the proper steps are taken and that you end up with the finished project of your dreams.
Are you ready to get started on the patio of your dreams at your Haymarket, Gainesville, or Round Hill, VA home? If so, talk to an expert, choose a solution that rocks, and get ready to see your dreams begin to take shape!
