I thought renovating in winter would simply mean pulling on an extra jumper and keeping the kettle busy. Instead, I’ve collected enough cold-season horror stories to fuel a whole series of renovation reality TV.
From waking up to frost on the inside of the windows to cooking dinner beside a stack of damp plasterboard, renovating a house through the winter months wasn’t glamorous – and it certainly wasn’t warm – but it taught me more than any glossy renovation guide ever could. Now, whenever someone mentions taking on a winter project, I have the kind of sage, slightly battle-worn advice you only earn by living through it.
Yet even after all the chaos, I’d still take on another winter renovation, provided I was far better prepared for what was coming. Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way, so you don’t have to repeat my mistakes.
1. Winter throws your timelines off more than you think
I went into my first winter renovation thinking the only real difference would be the temperature, but I was spectacularly wrong. Not only does winter slows things down, it can completely change the entire timeline of a build.
Trades tend to start later because it’s pitch black first thing, and no one’s cutting timber or climbing scaffolding in the dark. Mortar, adhesives and anything that needs to cure seem to take twice as long. As for exterior work – one frost, and suddenly it’s rescheduled for “when the weather behaves again”, which could mean tomorrow… or next week.
I genuinely thought I’d allowed enough slack in the programme, but winter quickly taught me otherwise. The build stretched, little delays compounded, and even the best laid plans started to feel more like wishful thinking.
My top tip: If you’re planning a winter renovation, the best thing you can do is double your buffer time and then add a bit more. Winter moves at its own pace, and you have to plan for that rather than fight it.
2. The lack of natural light can really impact your mood
Nothing tests your mood quite like renovating in winter. The days are shorter, the house is colder, and suddenly the simplest tasks feel ten times harder. I’ve lived through kitchens sealed off with dust sheets, cooking on a camping hob because the oven was disconnected, and creating “no-go zones” with tape to stop draughts ripping through the house. But what surprised me most was how much the lack of daylight affected my energy levels. When you’re already living in a building site, shorter, darker days quickly add to the stress.
And even when the tools finally go down, the need for good light doesn’t disappear. According research by VELUX 30% of homeowners say natural light directly affects their mood, yet it’s still one of the most overlooked elements in early renovation planning. The VELUX team told me that they often hear renovators say, “I wish I’d thought about how the space would feel, not just how it would look.”
Another common misconception is thinking lighting can be “fixed later”. VELUX warn that retrofitting natural light – whether through roof windows, bigger openings or layout tweaks – is far more disruptive and expensive once a renovation is complete.
My top tip: Treat natural light as a necessity. Plan where it will come from during the design stage so your finished space feels brighter and calmer – and keep it front of mind during the renovation too. In winter, daylight is limited, so make the most of it: schedule key tasks for the brightest part of the day, keep temporary coverings as open as possible, and try not to block the little natural light you do have.
3. There are hidden costs that no one warns you about
Winter has a knack for introducing you to renovation costs you never even thought to budget for. I went into my winter reno feeling organised – spreadsheets, contingency fund, the lot – but the season always finds a way to drain your wallet.
There are temporary heaters to keep trades from freezing, industrial dehumidifiers running around the clock, endless rolls of tarps and sheeting every time a storm blows through – and it all adds up. There’s also the small issue of energy bills. Trying to heat a house with half its walls open is effectively like heating the garden, and if you’re not careful, your bills will double overnight.
As for delays, these are practically guaranteed. When mortar won’t cure and exterior jobs stall because the ground is frozen, the whole schedule slips. Those delays inevitably nudge labour costs up and push other trades further down the calendar. And as Izzy Taylor-Wood, MD of Woody’s Concrete Company, reminds me, it’s rarely down to poor organisation: “Weather, drying times, supplier backlogs and structural surprises all impact the sequence of works. Renovations never move in a perfectly straight line; they naturally ebb, flow and pause.”
My top tip: If you’re renovating in winter, pad your budget generously. Winter builds always cost more than you think, and having that extra buffer means the inevitable surprises won’t derail the whole project.
Izzy Taylor-Wood is Co-Founder and Director of Woody’s Concrete Co., leading a skilled team creating luxury polished concrete surfaces for residential and commercial projects across the UK.
4. Moisture management will become a full-time job
If you’ve never renovated in winter, you genuinely won’t believe how quickly moisture takes over. Within days of the first wall coming down, plaster refused to dry, and every surface felt a little bit damp to the touch. At one point, I had three dehumidifiers running at once in the liveable part of our home.
It gets even more complicated when you’re working with older, breathable materials. Parts of our house are cob and lime, and winter means you’re constantly thinking about moisture levels. Cob walls don’t behave like modern construction – they hold onto water differently, they dry slowly, and they absolutely hate being exposed to prolonged wet weather.
And as Izzy Taylor-Wood of Woody’s Concrete Co. explains, “Drying times and curing periods catch most people out. Floors, plaster, concrete and paint all need far longer than expected to settle, and the majority of delays come from trying to rush processes that physically can’t be rushed.” Winter magnifies that truth: everything simply takes longer, whether it’s a skim coat drying or a new floor curing.
If you’re also renovating an older property and opening up sections in winter, keep them covered, avoid cement-based products, and let them dry gently with steady ventilation rather than blasting them with heat. A little patience goes a long way with traditional materials – and where possible, it’s usually best to tackle these types of renovations during summertime.
There’s also the daily dance of trying to ventilate your home without turning it into a walk-in freezer. Open the windows and doors to your DIY building site and the temperature drops instantly; keep everything shut and the condensation returns just as fast. I spent weeks trying to find a balance between letting the house breathe and not losing all the heat we were paying for.
My top tip: If you’re renovating during the colder months and have the option to live elsewhere during the messiest phase, take it. It makes the whole process far more bearable – and a lot less damp.
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5. Logistics become surprisingly dramatic
I didn’t realise how theatrical winter renovation logistics could be until I lived through them. For example, skip collection became a saga of its own. If the ground was frozen, the lorry couldn’t get onto the drive, and if it wasn’t frozen, it had turned to mud, and the lorry still couldn’t get onto the drive. Deliveries were delayed by frost, cancelled because of ice, or rescheduled for “after the next weather window”.
Trades have to adapt too, and winter forces everyone to work differently. External jobs pause the moment temperatures drop, anything involving mortar or adhesives takes longer, and certain tasks simply can’t be done safely in the cold or the dark. I quickly learned that no one is being awkward when they reshuffle the schedule, most of the time they’re just trying to stop your project from going wrong.
My top tip: Don’t ever be afraid to communicate. Ask your trades what weather conditions affect their work, what they need from you to keep things moving, and which tasks can be swapped around when the forecast turns. Flexibility makes a huge difference in winter. The more you treat the project as a collaboration – not a fixed timeline – the smoother the whole renovation feels.
If you’re gearing up for your own project, it’s worth brushing up on the things that will make your house renovation look cheap. A little know-how goes a long way and it’ll help you avoid the pitfalls that can undo all your hard work.
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