Dive Brief:

• Coming off a wet stretch in the South and a spell of heavy snow in the Northeast makes a good time to look at how you plan for winter and getting done as much as you can.
• The best preparation is to prepare the client and yourself for a realistic schedule, acknowledging up front and building into the schedule how much the job could be delayed by weather.
• It's wise to hire trades subcontractors who are familiar with the climate where the work is and with what it takes to get their work done in that weather, and who knows when the work cannot be done right in some conditions.

Dive Insight:

The worst that can happen if you plan pessimistically for winter is that the weather will be better than expected and your client will see more work happening sooner than expected. Managing expectations is as important in weather planning as in the rest of the project. Safety is also part of winter planning, knowing that numbed fingers can drop things, chilly feet can stumble and surfaces can be slippery without looking like they are.