It's rained on the Parade of Homes.
Directors of the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association voted this week to postpone the event from Sept. 22-30 to Oct. 20-28 because of construction delays.
Constant rain and muddy job sites have kept builders from being able to make adequate progress on homes they have entered in the parade, said Caleb McCaleb, association president.
The annual Parade of Homes is staged to showcase the best metro area builders have to offer. Builders plan to have 175 homes in this year's parade, said Terri Akers, executive vice president of the association.
It was a tough call, she said. Association members do not like to see the dates for the parade changed once they've been set.
On the other hand, they want the parade, once it starts, to come off swimmingly.
Right now, they're struggling with swamps. And even after the rains stop, it will take time for job sites to recover, said Jeff Click, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the association.
"What many don't realize is that it's not just when it's raining that exterior construction activity ceases, but often for a few days afterwards. Job sites need time to adequately dry out for some of the exterior components of construction,” Click wrote on his blog at www.jeffclickhomes.com.
Click has been blogging about the weather and construction delays for a couple of weeks.
It's not just parade homes that are stalled. The deluge has slowed all construction in the Oklahoma City area, Click said.
"In times like these, there's a struggle between the urge to just make some progress to help move things along and keep clients happy, as opposed to waiting for the right conditions to properly proceed with the more moisture-affected processes,” he wrote.
"Masonry usually continues quickly after rain ends, but any work related to dirt definitely has to have some dry time. That includes preparing sites for concrete drives, patios, and sidewalks, to final grade, irrigation systems and landscaping.”
Interior work is not slowed by rain, but it can be tricky keeping mud out of a house under construction with so much of it on job sites, he wrote.
"When the roof is on and windows are installed, interior work can continue, from plumbing top-outs, to (heating-ventilation-air conditioning) installation and electrical rough-in. For projects already past these phases, insulation can installed, and Sheetrock can begin,” Click said on his blog.
"However, when Sheetrock is being taped, bedded and textured in these conditions, more time must be allowed due to the humidity, which slows down the drying process, a crucial need between each step of this part of construction.
"Additionally, tile and trim can be installed, as well as painting, and all of the final installations of products beyond the paint phase. We do have to take extra steps to care for and maintain reasonable cleanliness within homes being built under these conditions.
"Oklahoma red dirt makes for some pretty heavy duty mud that is known to create a stain or two.”
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