The construction and finishing of the house is a substantial financial investment. The end of the construction season can be used to plan other activities in the coming year. You have to remember to secure the construction site during the winter properly. Modern technological applications allow, however, to continue some construction and renovation works even in the winter. Is it worth taking such action? We already explain.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME AGAINST WINTER
It doesn't matter at what stage the current construction is, an unfinished house should always be adequately protected against winter. This applies to both the building and the area around it. The method of protection will depend on the stage at which construction has been completed.
In the case of zero condition, you should focus on the protection of exposed fragments of thermal insulation, e.g. with foil or roofing felt. It would help if you also took care of securing the floor on the ground or the ceiling above the basement. By far, the best moment to suspend construction works is the shell state. The basic structure of the house is made, i.e. walls, chimney and roofing. Securing your home in this condition is practically limited to killing the outside of the window and door. Sometimes already at this stage, the water installation is fully functional. In this case, it is essential to drain the water before the winter period.
PREPARATION FOR WINTER FINISHING
Modern solutions allow for trouble-free construction and finishing works during the winter, both inside and outside the building. However, use caution and common sense. If we can do most of this work in the spring and without fear of sudden frosts, it will be better to refrain from them during the winter. On the other hand, if we want to finish the house as soon as possible, and we consider every day of inactivity lost - there is a solution! We can continue some finishing works even in winter, of course under certain conditions. During this period, it is also easier to find the right specialist.
Regardless of the type of finishing works planned, it is worth following the weather forecast. The lower the outside temperature, the higher the expenditure for temporary heating of the building's interior. Why do we mention warming? Since most building and renovation work in a building can only be done at a temperature of at least 15°C. So how to finish the interior of the house in winter and not lose property on its temporary heating?
HEATING THE HOUSE FOR THE RENOVATION IN WINTER
There are vquite a few ways to heat your home during winter finishing. However, it is worth using solutions that prove to be very useful, safe, and do not burden our wallet too much. Air heaters are perfect for this role. This type of equipment is lightweight, fully portable and requires no special equipment. Electric heaters are the cheapest, their cost in the case of reputable manufacturers is already in the range of several hundred zlotys.
Electric air heater TROTEC TDS 20
This inexpensive equipment is perfect for heating small and medium-sized rooms while remaining a relatively cheap solution. An airflow of 335 m³/h and a maximum heating capacity of 3.3 kW are sufficient parameters to use this device for temporary space heating. The heater weighs only 5.3 kg, so you can quickly move it to any place.
Oil air heater WACKER NEUSON HD 50
For definitely larger rooms, oil heaters, which are much more efficient, will work better. This Wacker Neuson model has a heat output of 46 kW and has a heating capacity of 6,000 m³. The heater is powered by diesel, and the built-in tank will hold 42 litres of this fuel.
Electric air heater REMKO ELT 18-S
Efficient and quiet electric heater from Remko, perfect for medium-sized heating rooms. The equipment enables three-stage regulation of heating power in the range of 3 - 18 kW, and the airflow is maintained at 1600 m³/h.
It is crucial not to use an open fire to heat the rooms. Also, remember about adequate ventilation to effectively control humidity.
Air heater Trotect TDS 75
WHICH FINISHING WORKS CAN BE PERFORMED IN WINTER?
If the air temperature inside the building or room allows it, even in winter, it is possible to perform some finishing works. You can include a deal with alterations or assembly of the electrical installation, construction of partition walls, manufacture of cladding and even laying of ceramics. In the case of the last position, adhere to the adopted principle that during the installation of tiles, the air temperature remains at a level of at least 5°C.
It is a good practice to use building materials with low water absorption under these conditions. The heating of the building should also function during the drying of plasters and adhesive mortars. Downtime can also be used to make additional measurements inside the building and accurately plan subsequent finishing work, and thus - hypothetical determination of their costs. For this purpose, you can use, among others, precise distance meters. Modern instruments of this kind, e.g. the Nivel System HDM-50 distance meter, also allows you to calculate the area and volume of a room automatically. This significantly speeds up measurements and calculations.
WHAT WINTER WORK IS BETTER NOT TO PERFORM?
It's best to refrain from any work related to the facade of the building. You can decide to plaster and insulate the facade if the temperature remains well above 0°C. However, they should be discontinued when the temperature approaches 0°C or frosts appear. Adhesive for foamed polystyrene at low temperatures very slowly sets. Also, leaving exposed polystyrene boards may result in yellowing or crushing in the spring. Remember not to leave exposed mineral wool, which loses its properties after soaking with water.
