You’ve been there. We’ve all been there. That moment when you wake up early on a day off and give the car a much-needed wash, or schedule your morning around plans to mow the lawn — only to have gray skies and pouring rain throw everything out the window. It’s an inconvenience, to be sure, but for the most part it doesn’t do much harm. When those storms roll in while you’re in the midst of major construction projects, however, it’s another story entirely.

Adverse weather can lead to a whole slew of obstacles on the jobsite, from construction slowdowns to crew member injuries and finished products with structural imperfections. Still, there are ways to avoid such outcomes. At T&T Construction, we encourage our team members and clients to stay a step ahead of Mother Nature by having a rainy-day plan in place. Here are a few ways to do just that.

Pull up the forecast.
Oftentimes the simple steps are easiest to overlook. If you know you’ll have crews doing work next Wednesday, take a moment to see what the weather will look like. If storms will roll in that afternoon, consider rescheduling quick projects for earlier that day. Alternately, you might contact the company about pushing things back a couple of days. The crew could also regroup and refocus their efforts on other aspects of your overall project which won’t be affected by outdoor conditions.

Stay flexible.
Hard and fast deadlines are a part of life, but in the world of construction they don’t always pan out. When downpours leave your jobsite a soggy, muddy mess, or lightning storms place workers’ lives at risk, crews simply aren’t able to do their jobs. Take that into consideration when laying out a timeline. Know approximately when you’d like to see completion — spring of 2017, for instance — and communicate that with the construction team. Any company worth its salt with do everything in its power to meet those goals while keeping all parties safe along the way.

Communicate with your construction crew.
Weather concerns are nothing new in the world of construction. Chances are your crew is prepared to handle whatever Mother Nature throws its way. If you worry a pending storm might throw a wrench in things, give them a call. Ask how they’ve handled such problems in the past, what they suggest for the pending weather event and what it might mean for your overall timeline and budget. We bet they’ll be willing to work with you, and you’ll feel a lot better once that conversation is over.

We hope this helps! If you have additional questions about keeping your project weather-ready, or questions regarding anything else construction-related, please feel free to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.