How do other deck builders manage to keep the cash flowing when the snow’s blowing?
A Andy Engel, editor of PDB, replies: I used to build decks and houses through the winter — I once started framing a house on a day that dawned at minus 28°F. If you want to work in the winter, market in the fall so you have jobs to go to. Slogans like “Build your deck this winter to enjoy it all next season” resonate with smart consumers. You could offer a discount on winter- built decks, but don’t knock too much off the price, and don’t oversell, either. In the winter, work goes slower, and days will likely be lost to bad weather. Probably the toughest part of working in the winter is digging footings. If you can, put your footings in before the ground freezes and build the decks later. If you can’t, at least insulate the ground where they’ll go with a couple of square feet of 2-inch foam insulation. It is possible to dig frozen ground, if you must. One way to get through the frost layer a little easier is to heat it up with charcoal fires. Use a chimney starter to fire the charcoal,
