Orion Blog
When Should You Actually Start Planning a Home Renovation in Maine?
Maine homeowners are accustomed to thinking about winter as the “off-season”. And while winter here doesn't mean that construction on home renovations stops, it does result in a few complexities. So, when should you actually start planning a home renovation in Maine? The answer is often much earlier than homeowners expect: about six months.
If you’re considering a major renovation next year, the time to start talking to your architect/contractor may be now, even if construction feels a long way off.
Why Six Months?
When we make this recommendation, that doesn’t necessarily equate to six months of actively making decisions every week. It simply accounts for the various steps that have to happen before construction can realistically begin:
- Design development
- Architectural drawings
- Structural planning, estimating
- Permitting
- Contractor coordination
- Material selections
- Scheduling
Let’s break down the preconstruction process of a typical home renovation project. The timeline for each phase listed below can move quicker or slower depending on project scope and complexity, client deliberation time, rounds of discussion at each phase of planning, and so on, but these are the typical timeline ranges we see.
- Initial consultation and project definition, 1-2 months: the initial site visit and discussions to define the project scope, timeline and budget goals.
- The “pen to paper” phase, 2-3 months: architectural/design work, structural engineering plans (if needed), pricing estimates, material selections and project visualization.
- The final preconstruction logistics phase, 1-2 months: Permitting, final planning, scheduling trades, and ordering materials.
The Maine Consideration
For substantial projects involving excavation, foundations, additions, exterior structural work, or other groundwork, winter conditions can create complications and potentially additional costs. Frozen ground, snow, mud season, limited daylight and weather delays can all affect how efficiently certain phases of work can happen.
So…When is the Best Time to Start Your Project?
Work backward from your ideal construction date. Let’s use May 2027 as an example.
May 2027 → desired construction start
March/April 2027 → permitting, final planning, scheduling, material coordination
Winter 2026 → architectural drawings, engineering, estimating, selections
Fall 2026 → initial conversations and project development
A professionally managed, well-planned and executed renovation takes proper planning, and proper planning requires setting proper expectations before diving into a project. We’re here to help with all of that!
Ready to start putting the feelers out there for a big home project? Send us an email at projects@orionwoodshop.com so you can start getting the answers you need, and kick off construction at the time you want.