The construction industry is booming. Buildings are becoming more advanced, infrastructure is built bigger and quicker than ever and there are a hosts of specialty contractors ready to do whatever job is thrown their way. By all accounts, it’s a good time to be involved in construction, even for owners. As advanced as we’ve become, though, there’s still a force too strong for any project to truly overcome: the weather. No matter where you are in the world, there will be weather conditions unique to the area that must be adapted to for project success. Does weather affect construction? Let’s go through 10 ways your project could be impacted by Mother Nature.
10 Ways Weather Could Affect Your Construction Project
While we can’t control the weather (so we’re told…), we can certainly plan for it ahead of time. Let’s get into the many ways that weather affects construction. Some of these weather restrictions apply to all projects, while others are unique to specific geographic areas and seasons. Do any of these sound familiar? Click to jump to a section.
- Safety: Certain Extreme Weather Conditions Are Unsafe For Construction Due To Bodily Risk
- Concrete & Masonry Work Requires Specific Temperatures & Moisture Levels
- Heavy Rain Restricts Roofing & Other Exterior Work
- Excavation Requires Thawed Ground In Warmer Temperatures
- Painting, Waterproofing & Sealing Must Be Performed Above A Certain Temperature
- Landscaping Work Stops From Late Fall Through Early Spring Due To Seasonal Weather Restrictions
- Job Sites Can Flood During Periods Of Heavy Rain Or Melting Snow
- Interior Work Can Only Be Performed Once The Building Is Air & Water-Tight
- High Winds Can Wreak Havoc On Stored Materials, Temporary Protection & Scaffolding
- Moisture, Heat & A Lack Of Direct Sunlight Can Create Mold
Scroll below to read more about each!
1. Extreme Types Of Weather Affect Construction Workers’ Safety On The Job Site
Construction is a dangerous industry. It doesn’t matter where in the world a project is – there’s a high risk of personal injury or even death when compared with many other industries out there.
It comes as no surprise that worker safety is top priority. This includes not working when the weather affects normal operations.
Working outdoors below 25 deg. F or above 95 deg. F is pointless – everyone’s just trying to keep themselves from freezing or fainting.
When thunder storms roll in, the risk of electrocution is much higher when working at elevation, on scaffolding or close to metal.
Heavy rain and ice cause slip injuries. The number one cause of construction fatalities are falls – adding slippery work surface to the mix is just asking for trouble.
There are many other safety concerns to be aware of when considering hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, extreme heat/cold and all the other hazards out there. The common denominator? Stay safe and don’t work in extreme weather!
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2. Concrete & Masonry Work Have Temperature Restrictions
Concrete and masonry work requires that we mix water, sand, stone and/or minerals to create the final end product – concrete, mortar, etc. Obviously, this cannot happen in certain weather conditions.
Since water is such a major component of this work, freshly poured concrete can get ruined when subjected to heavy rain, unless it’s protected very well. Stored materials exposed to moisture such as cement, sand, etc. will be ruined if not stored properly.
There are ways to mitigate these factors to a certain extent. Additives can be placed in concrete to help it set in extreme cold or high heat. Water can be heated before being mixed into mortar. Materials can be protected. Brick laying can still be done in the rain to an extent, provided that the mixing is done in a dry location. These all must be planned for in advance for them to work!
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3. Heavy Rain Does Not Allow For Roofing & Other Exterior Work
Ask any roofer about the weather – they’ll be praying for dry, clear days as often as possible – otherwise they don’t get to work! The same goes for many other exterior contractors installing siding, etc.
A torn-up roof will leak like crazy during a storm unless it’s heavily protected. Many roofing projects – especially residential – are sequenced to allow for as little exposure to the elements as possible during the removal of old roofing. Not to mention, it’s incredibly unsafe to work on a pitched roof in the rain.
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Roofing products are also sensitive to moisture, too. Tar-based roofing products and liquid membranes need dry weather to cure. Underlayment fabrics can garner mold over time if they get wet.
Heavy rain affect construction material’s ability to properly cure or set up, as well as construction worker’s ability to work in general. Simply put, roofing and other exterior trades don’t mix well with rain!
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4. Excavation Requires Thawed Ground
Try walking through a construction site in the northern parts of the US during winter time – tire tracks will be frozen solid into the dirt, even if there’s no snow present.
Now imagine trying to excavate a foundation in that soil. While it can certainly be done during heavy equipment and ground-thawing methods – they’re quite costly.
Unless schedule and deadlines are so critical that excavation in the winter is unavoidable, it doesn’t make sense to sequence any foundation work until the ground thaws out. Excavating in the winter is like trying to paddle upstream – you may HAVE to in certain cases, but it’s largely not worth it.
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5. Painting, Waterproofing & Sealing Must Be Performed Above A Certain Temperature
Many products in the waterproofing, painting and caulking trades are highly sensitive to the environment.
Many of these products cannot be installed unless it’s a dry day over 40 deg. F but not too hot. They’re also sensitive to humidity, dew and any other type of moisture. The majority of materials must be stored in a dry, stable environment with not too much humidity.
Some industrial coatings need a controlled environment to set in the first place. Many painting projects happen within a temporary enclosure that’s temperature- and humidity-controlled.
These trades are booming from late-spring to mid-fall but are basically nonexistent during the rest of the year, unless they’re indoors.
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6. Landscaping Work Stops From Late Fall Through Early Spring
Speaking of work that only happens for half a year – the landscaping industry is heavily affected by weather.
In the northern states, there’s no landscaping work to do during the late fall, winter and early spring other than the occasional odd job. The soil is frozen, soaked or snow covered, making it near impossible to do a lot of work.
Landscaping is not affected as much in warmer states, but many plants and shrubs don’t require maintenance all year. Dryness is a major factory too, especially in the southwest.
For these reasons, landscaping is one of the most seasonal types of work on this list!
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7. Job Sites Can Flood During Periods Of Heavy Rain Or Melting Snow
If you’ve ever been involved with a home construction project, you’ve undoubtedly dealt with a flooded basement. On a residential project, this can be a pain that requires a high quality pump and a fan to dry out.
Now scale that up to a large commercial project. Trenches, foundations and open spaces can become absolutely swamped after a rain storm or snow melt. This invites all sorts of issues that come with flooding, mud and runoff – collapsed trenches (if not protected), ruined materials, stuck equipment, limited work access and a huge, nasty mess to top it all off.
In short, flooding is a huge pain in the a** when it comes to construction!
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8. Interior Work Can Only Be Performed Once The Building Is Air & Water-Tight
One major milestone on commercial construction projects is when a building is officially air- and water-tight. These two factors are what make an interior space ‘finishable’, if that’s even a word.
It makes sense – we won’t be painting sheetrock when outdoor heat/cold, humidity and moisture are present. Come to think of it, we won’t even be hanging sheetrock at all until these milestones are reached!
If we can’t even hang sheetrock, then tiles, hardwood floors, carpeting, cabinets and other finishes are a no-go.
What does it take to become air and water-tight? To start, the walls and roof of the building must not allow any water to enter the interior. This doesn’t mean that roofs and facades must be finished completely, but it does require that the facade and roof are waterproofed at a minimum. Windows and doors must be installed and their openings sealed.
If water and/or outdoor air can enter a building and ruin the interior finished, the interior of the building is not able to be finished yet.
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9. High Winds Can Wreak Havoc On Stored Materials, Temporary Protection & Scaffolding
I didn’t truly understand just how strong wind can be until I began working in construction. I’ve been involved in projects where an entire six-lane bridge is closed due to high winds. I’ve worked on high rise buildings where the wind is significantly stronger 40 stories over the sidewalk than it is on the ground.
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I’ve also seen huge sheets of scaffold wrapping fly off in the breeze like it’s a piece of garbage blowing by. The same goes for sheets of plywood, temporary fencing and other materials.
When high winds are in store, it’s best to allocate some resources to batten down the hatches and secure materials!
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10. Moisture, Heat & A Lack Of Direct Sunlight Can Create Mold
Last on our list of ways weather affects construction is….mold.
Mold is a fungus that needs a few key ingredients to fully flourish – moisture, heat and darkness. While it seems like this is an unlikely occurrence, it’s actually quite common.
On the exterior of buildings and structures, many sections won’t ever receive direct sunlight thanks to shadows and obstructions. That doesn’t mean it won’t get hot there, though. Add some consistent rain over an extended period and mold is likely to develop. This is why you’ll see mold or algae growth on many bricks, stones, wood and other siding.
Interiors are even more dangerous in terms of mold, since it often occurs out of sight…at first. Moisture that gets in between studs/rafters, behind sheetrock or wallpaper and underneath floors can be the perfect catalyst for mold growth, especially during hot and humid months. This is true in buildings under construction and for fully-finished places.
Whether it’s caused by a leak, rain or standing water, mold is a sneaky side effect of weather in construction.
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Does Weather Affect Construction? In Conclusion
Circling back to our original question of “Does weather affect construction?”, you can see that weather plays a significant role in a project’s overall operation. Luckily, we can plan for the majority of these weather-related factors on our projects in the future, or at least be prepared to dog ourselves out and keep going. I hope this article has been helpful – thanks for reading.
