So as of the last update, we had gotten our construction loan and were hoping to start during the first or second week in January. However (of course there’s a "however"), the unpleasant, single-digit cold snap started right around that time. We met with the builder and he said he was willing to start, but wanted us to know what the risks were. Part of one of our additions is below grade for about half its length, so that part requires a concrete block wall. Since it’s also on the windiest side of the house, that means it’s at the highest risk for concrete cracking during the cold and, while you can take steps to mitigate that risk (cover it up with blankets, use a heater, etc), it’s a risk that we decided it would be best to avoid by waiting a bit longer. We decided to wait until the end of February as a possible starting time.
It’s now the end of February and there’s been quite a bit of single-digit, overnight temperatures, so we’re going to wait another couple weeks and hope the weather moves on to a warming trend here so the ground can thaw out a bit and we’ll have better conditions for excavating, laying pipe, pouring foundations, and building block walls. So as it stands, our anticipated target date is the week of March 16th.
I hope construction workers don’t need to take off for St. Patrick’s Day.