Why you should start planning your landscaping projects in the Winter

When you buy lumber for your landscaping projects can be as important as where you buy. Lumber for outdoor projects is often cheaper during the winter months.

Winter is a great time to start thinking about landscape projects, especially starting the design and purchasing phase. Many people think that landscape work shuts down in the winter and it is usually the last thing on the minds of homeowners in the dead of winter, but it is actually the ideal time.

Most homeowners may think that the best time to build a deck is the spring, but in reality, the best time to consider building a new deck is probably in the winter.

The first thing you have to think of when considering building any type of deck or other outdoor structure is the type of lumber you choose or if you want the foundation of your structure to be constructed using pressure treated wood.

The winter time has less humidity and the pressure treated wood will stabilize itself and dry more evenly when you build in the winter. On the other hand, a summer deck construction exposes the pressure treated wood to higher humidity conditions.

In addition, when drying in the hot sun, pressure treated wood will undergo expansion and contraction which can cause cracking, warping and other damage to the wood itself.

Overall, planning and purchasing the lumber needed for a winter project can work to your advantage.

A winter landscaping project will also cause less of an interruption in your life because homeowners typically spend less time outdoors and less time participating in outdoor activities during the colder months of the year.

Best of all, completing a project during the winter means you can enjoy it as soon as the weather turns warm. You are also saving money on the lumber you purchase and the quality is usually much better during that time.

Return to Tree Care Articles