When talking about apartment renovations in Porto, Portugal, we cannot help but touch upon such a feature as apartment renovations in winter. We all know that there are no negative temperatures in Porto and that in winter the temperature at night drops below 5 degrees Celsius. And if we talk specifically about renovations inside apartments or houses, then with or without heating, the temperature inside the premises is quite comfortable for finishing work.
However, there is an opinion that it is undesirable to carry out repairs in the winter. And precisely because of the temperature.
Well. We do not agree with this point of view and here is why.
Repair times in winter
First of all, it is worth saying that, indeed, the drying processes of such building materials as plaster, primer or even paint in winter occur much more slowly, which can increase the repair time. It is also undesirable if the external walls are not insulated and therefore condensation can accumulate on them during the repair process, which will not only hinder drying, but may also simply not allow the surface to be made smooth. In winter, especially on rainy days, humidity can reach such values that when painting the ceiling inside the room, the paint cannot dry even in a day!
These were the cons. Now let's look at the pros.
The pros usually concern high-quality repairs. For example, in winter, using a thermal imager (we provide a service for checking apartments with a thermal imager and this service is relatively inexpensive), you can identify problem areas in the apartment that require insulation or waterproofing. As a rule, these are external walls and places near the window. In summer, it is quite warm and it is impossible to see where on the wall there may be a problem and where there is not. In winter, the temperature difference is large and the thermal imager shows everything perfectly.
As for the drying processes, they can be greatly reduced using a conventional fan heater. At the same time, the electricity costs for it will not be that high. But the result is almost instantaneous. Yes, we can say that these are unjustified costs. But in winter, it is easier to find contractors to do the work. More craftsmen are available and they can offer lower prices than in the summer.
In addition, the humidity is quite high in the summer. That is why gypsum board as a finishing material is so widespread in Portugal. Because it greatly reduces the repair time and the layers of putty that are applied to it are quite thin and therefore dry quickly.
If we summarize the above, we can come to the conclusion that in winter the applied materials dry longer, but it is easier and faster to find craftsmen than in summer. As a result, we do not see a global difference between repairs in winter or summer. It is only worth noting that this applies exclusively to interior work. As for external work, such as roof repair or facade insulation, weather conditions play a big role here, since you cannot dry the outside of the house.
