Cold, wet weather leaves local builders in a bind

It's been a rough three months for the construction trade in Southeast Missouri. After a cold start to the year, a major ice storm followed by flooding rains is forcing delays for projects ranging from new homes to commercial contracts.

In all, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport recorded 37 days with measurable precipitation from Jan. 1 to March 31. Construction crews are slogging through mud to reach their worksites and some are working Sundays to make up for work missed during the week.

Denali Construction has part of the contract for the new Family Video store building at Broadway and North West End Boulevard. While his crews aren't working Sundays, Ed Thompson of Denali Construction said builders from another construction company working the job have been.

"The mud over there is knee deep to a giraffe," Thompson said. "This whole spring you can't plan anything. It seems as soon as it starts to dry a little bit, here comes some rain, some ice or something. Trying to schedule things this spring has been a nightmare."

In contrast, the weather gave builders a break last year. While there have been only eight more rainy days this year, there were no major storms that disrupted work for day upon day and on many days, only minor amounts of rain fell.

From late February through most of March in 2007, daytime temperatures were more often in the 60s, 70s and even the 80s. "The weather was moderate last year," Thompson said. "This year has been anything but moderate."

Thompson estimated that his crews worked five full days during February and four half days. Overall, he said his crews have lost at least one-third of their regular work days during the first three months of the year.

The weather's effect on construction, and the schedule disruptions for contractors, can be seen in the number of building permits issued in Cape Girardeau and Jackson in the first three months of the year.

Only nine permits for new homes have been issued in Cape Girardeau, compared to 24 by March 31 last year. In Jackson there are only 10 new homes versus 20 in 2007.

Contractors who remodel commercial buildings are also finding it difficult to begin projects, with only 12 permits for commercial remodeling granted this year in Cape Girardeau compared to 29 at this time in 2007.

To make up for lost time, crews are working weekends and in miserable conditions, said Gayle Zoellner of Zoellner Construction in Perryville, Mo.

"We have one project that just has to be done, period, and the guys have had to work in mud, conditions we hate for them to have work in," Zoellner said. "They have been working extended hours and on Saturdays, which normally doesn't happen with our company."

She declined to name the project.

Zoellner said her firm has been fortunate to be able to keep its crews working on renovation and remodeling jobs that keep them indoors. And while most construction contracts have a provision for days missed due to bad weather, she admits that it hurts.

"It takes time to work around that," she said. "And you have to document the precipitation."

Sometimes the only way to catch up is long hours. When the concrete slab that forms the foundation of the Family Video store was poured, Thompson said, crews were on the site for 24 hours.

But sometimes, Thompson said, customers just want their building finished and they aren't sympathetic to their contractors.

"You take into consideration that it is wintertime and projects aren't going to go smoothly," Thompson said. "The problem is that the owners don't necessarily remember that when the weather gets nicer. When the weather breaks, they want to see things happen. You can have some nice days, but it is still too wet, or what owners think is a great day to work may not be a great day to work."

A forecast for heavy rain, such as the storm that raked the area Thursday, can result in a lost day before the weather hits because the scheduled work cannot get wet, he said.

The overall picture for construction in Southeast Missouri was pretty good when the year began, Thompson said. And if the weather relents, the lost time will be just a bad memory.

"We were actually looking like we were going to have a good year," Thompson said. "I've been talking to several other contractors lately, and I think people are rather optimistic, actually. It seems to be there is work coming along."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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