Working Around Your Schedule
Emergency work? No. That starts immediately. Reconstruction work? Yes, we coordinate with you.
The difference matters. When water’s flooding your basement right now, we’re not waiting for your convenient time slot. We’re coming immediately to stop damage from getting worse. When we’re rebuilding your kitchen three weeks later? We schedule around your life.
If you need restoration work right now, call 303-816-0068 regardless of what time it is. We’re here 24/7. For emergency response, your schedule and our schedule don’t matter—stopping damage matters. For everything else, we coordinate.
Your insurance company requires immediate action to prevent further damage. That requirement overrides schedule preferences. But once emergency mitigation is complete, we’re flexible about reconstruction timing.
I’ve been doing this for over 30 years. Schedule coordination comes up constantly. Business owners need us working when customers aren’t around. Homeowners need us working when they’re not trying to sleep. We get it. We accommodate when physically possible.
Emergency Work Happens Immediately
Some situations can’t wait for schedule coordination.
True emergencies requiring immediate response:
Water flooding property. Sewage backup. Fire damage requiring emergency board-up. Storm damage leaving property exposed. Any situation where every hour of delay causes exponentially more damage.
These situations don’t wait for your business hours. They don’t pause while you’re at your kid’s soccer game. They don’t stop getting worse because it’s 3 AM Saturday.
Why immediate response matters:
Water spreads. Mold grows. Fire residue etches surfaces. Exposed structures sustain more weather damage. Theft risk increases in unsecured properties. Additional damage costs more money and takes longer to fix.
Your insurance policy requires you to prevent further damage. Waiting for convenient timing violates that requirement. Insurance companies can deny coverage for damage that occurs after loss discovery if you didn’t act immediately.
What I’ve seen happen is property owners wanting to schedule emergency mitigation around their vacation or work travel. We explain that’s not an option. Damage doesn’t wait. Neither can we.
Commercial Schedule Flexibility
Business interruption costs money. We work around that reality.
Commercial scheduling options:
After business hours. Before business opens. Overnight if needed. Weekends and holidays. Whatever minimizes disruption to your operations.
A restaurant can’t lose dinner service for water extraction. We come at 11 PM after close, work through the night, finish before morning prep starts. Retail store can’t close during holiday shopping season? We work nights and Sundays.
Office building with 200 employees? We coordinate floor-by-floor to keep most of the building operational. Medical facility that never closes? We work section by section with extensive coordination.
Why commercial flexibility matters:
Lost business revenue during closure often exceeds restoration costs. Employee productivity drops when work environment is disrupted. Customer relationships suffer when businesses aren’t accessible. Lease obligations continue whether business is open or not.
Tim Carter from Ask the Builder writes about commercial construction needing different scheduling than residential. Business owners understand time is literally money. Good contractors respect that.
Commercial coordination challenges:
Working outside normal hours costs more. Night and weekend labor rates are higher. That’s industry standard. Insurance usually covers reasonable costs including after-hours work when necessary to minimize business interruption.
Some commercial situations require 24/7 crews working in shifts. Major water damage in a hotel? We can’t shut down for 8 hours overnight. Continuous work gets the property back in service faster.
Residential Coordination
Once emergency mitigation is complete, residential reconstruction can often be scheduled.
When we coordinate with homeowners:
Reconstruction work timing. Access to property when you’re at work. Working around your work-from-home schedule. Avoiding times when kids are doing homework or sleeping. Scheduling utility shutoffs when you can plan around them.
What we need from you:
Clear communication about restrictions. Realistic understanding of project timeline implications. Flexibility when unexpected issues arise. And honestly, recognition that some things can’t be scheduled perfectly.
Things we can coordinate:
Starting time each day. Leaving by certain time. Skipping specific days if you need property to yourself. Working around family schedules when possible. Coordinating major disruptions like utility shutoffs.
Things we usually can’t accommodate:
Working only 2 hours per day (project would take forever). Only working every other day. Stopping work every time someone needs to use bathroom. Completely silent work (construction makes noise).
Lee Wallender from The Spruce explains that home renovation and restoration require reasonable expectations. Contractors want to accommodate homeowners. But some requests make work impossible or extend timelines unreasonably.
The Emergency vs. Non-Emergency Distinction
Understanding this distinction explains our scheduling approach.
Emergency mitigation (cannot wait):
Water extraction. Emergency board-up. Sewage cleanup. Mold containment when discovered. Fire damage stabilization. Anything preventing additional damage.
These happen on emergency schedule. We arrive as fast as possible. We start immediately. We work until critical mitigation is complete.
Reconstruction (can be scheduled):
Drywall installation. Painting. Flooring. Trim work. Most repair work after structure is dried and stabilized.
These can be scheduled around reasonable constraints. Start later in morning. Finish by certain time. Work specific days of the week.
The gray area:
Drying equipment needs to run 24/7 but we coordinate initial setup timing when possible. Mold remediation is urgent but we can sometimes wait a day or two for better timing. Reconstruction that’s weather-dependent must happen when weather cooperates.
Working Around Children and Pets
Families with kids or pets need different scheduling.
Common requests we accommodate:
Starting after kids leave for school. Finishing before they get home. Avoiding nap times for young children. Working around virtual school schedules. Minimizing weekend disruption for family time.
Pet considerations:
Working when pets can be elsewhere. Giving advance notice so pets can be secured. Being careful about door security so pets don’t escape. Avoiding work areas where pets are.
Something that can happen is families with home-based businesses needing quiet hours for client calls. We coordinate around those. Teacher doing virtual instruction? We work around class schedule. Night shift worker sleeping during day? We adjust timing when possible.
Timeline Implications of Schedule Restrictions
Schedule flexibility affects timeline. That’s unavoidable.
Flexible schedule timeline:
Work 8-10 hours daily. Five or six days per week. Project progresses efficiently. Shortest reasonable timeline.
Restricted schedule timeline:
Work 4 hours daily. Only Tuesday through Thursday. Can’t start before 10 AM. Project takes significantly longer.
Math is simple:
Project requiring 80 work hours. Full-time schedule (8 hours/day, 5 days/week) = 2 weeks. Restricted schedule (4 hours/day, 3 days/week) = 6-7 weeks.
Both approaches complete the same work. Timeline difference reflects schedule availability.
What affects your decision:
Can you tolerate longer disruption for schedule control? Does faster completion justify less convenient timing? Insurance will pay for reasonable timeline—they might question extended timelines from excessive restrictions.
Insurance Considerations
Insurance companies expect reasonable timelines.
What insurance considers reasonable:
Working normal business hours. Standard 5-day work weeks. Taking time to do work properly. Reasonable delays for material delivery or permitting.
What insurance questions:
Extensive delays from homeowner scheduling restrictions. Work proceeding at unnecessarily slow pace. Project timeline that’s double or triple normal duration for no technical reason.
If your scheduling restrictions significantly extend timeline, insurance might limit their additional living expense coverage accordingly. They’ll pay for reasonable time to complete work. They might not pay extra months of hotel costs because you only allowed work two days per week.
Our recommendation:
Balance schedule preferences with timeline efficiency. Some restrictions make sense. Excessive restrictions cost you money and extend disruption.
Geographic Scheduling Challenges
Mountain properties have unique scheduling constraints.
Weather affects schedule:
Blizzard shuts down mountain access. We’re not working regardless of schedule preferences. Materials can’t be delivered during storms. Some work requires good weather.
Highway 285 closes frequently in winter. That might delay crew arrival regardless of scheduled time. Mountain weather is unpredictable and sometimes forces schedule changes.
Seasonal considerations:
Summer allows more scheduling flexibility. Work can extend later into evening with daylight. Weather delays are rare. Winter has shorter work days and frequent weather delays.
Access challenges:
Some mountain properties are difficult to reach. That affects timing. We need extra travel time to get there. We might arrive later than we would for Lakewood properties.
Communication About Scheduling
Upfront discussion about scheduling needs prevents problems.
Questions we ask:
What schedule restrictions do you have? Are there times we absolutely cannot work? How flexible can you be when unexpected issues arise? What’s your priority—speed or schedule control?
What we tell you:
What schedule we can reasonably accommodate. How restrictions affect timeline. What flexibility we need for efficient work. When we need uninterrupted access.
Ongoing coordination:
We confirm timing before we arrive. We notify you of schedule changes. We discuss coordination when scope changes. We keep communication open throughout.
What can happen is schedule needs changing during project. Maybe work goes faster than expected and next phase can start early. Maybe we discover issues requiring immediate attention outside scheduled times. Communication handles these situations.
After-Hours and Weekend Work
We can work outside normal business hours. That capability varies by situation.
When after-hours work makes sense:
Commercial properties avoiding business disruption. Homeowners with inflexible work schedules. Projects where noise during normal hours is prohibited. Situations requiring accelerated timeline.
After-hours considerations:
Labor costs increase for evening and weekend work. That’s standard across construction industry. Crew availability varies—some trades available after hours, others aren’t. Material suppliers operate on business hours, affecting what work we can do.
Weekend work:
More readily available than night work. Standard for commercial projects minimizing weekday disruption. Often necessary for meeting aggressive timelines.
Our Lakewood-area work can more easily accommodate after-hours schedules than remote mountain properties. Crew travel time affects feasibility of short evening work windows.
Vacation and Travel Coordination
Planning vacation during restoration creates scheduling opportunities.
Working while you’re away:
Ideal for extensive projects. We access property without coordinating around your presence. Work proceeds efficiently. You return to completed project.
Security arrangements:
You provide keys or access codes. We secure property daily. Someone checks on work periodically if you prefer. Your contents are safe—we’re bonded and insured.
Communication while you’re traveling:
Daily text or email updates. Photos of progress. Immediate contact if decisions are needed. You stay informed without being present.
A common thing seen in the industry is homeowners scheduling two-week vacation during major reconstruction. They leave when demolition starts. They return to finished work. That eliminates living through the messy middle of projects.
Coordinating Multiple Trades
Reconstruction involves multiple trades working in sequence.
Trade scheduling complexity:
Electrician needs to finish before drywall. Drywall needs to hang before plumber rough-in inspection in some cases. Painter needs surfaces properly cured. Flooring installer needs subfloor completely dry.
Your schedule affects trade coordination:
If we can only work Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and electrician is available Thursdays, there’s conflict. Trade availability doesn’t always align with restricted schedules.
Our job as general contractor:
Coordinating trades efficiently. Scheduling them in proper sequence. Managing their timing to keep project moving. But coordination becomes exponentially harder with severe schedule restrictions.
Norm Abram from This Old House demonstrates repeatedly how proper sequencing and coordination produce quality results on schedule. Poor coordination creates delays and problems.
The Honest Reality
Perfect schedule accommodation isn’t always possible. We do our best within physical and practical constraints.
What we can usually accommodate:
Reasonable hour restrictions. Weekend or evening work for good reason. Coordinating around major life events. Working around work-from-home schedules. Giving advance notice before arriving.
What’s difficult or impossible:
Extreme time restrictions that make work impractical. Frequent last-minute schedule changes. Expecting silent work. Requiring us to start and stop multiple times daily. Working only 1-2 hour windows.
The balance:
Your schedule preferences matter. Project efficiency matters. Insurance timeline expectations matter. Safety requirements matter. Quality standards matter. We balance all of these.
When Schedule Flexibility Isn’t Possible
Some technical requirements override schedule preferences.
Concrete work:
Needs to be completed in one pour. Can’t pause mid-work. Temperature and weather constrain timing. Must happen when conditions are right.
Some equipment setup:
Large equipment delivery requires street access during certain hours. Crane work requires daylight and good weather. Utility company coordination happens on their schedule.
Critical drying:
Equipment must run continuously. We set it up at mutually agreeable time, but then it runs 24/7 until drying completes. No stopping because of schedule preferences.
Sequential work requiring completion:
Some work must finish in one session. Stopping partway creates problems. These tasks happen when they happen, coordinated as much as possible but not infinitely flexible.
Making It Work
Most scheduling challenges have solutions through communication and flexibility.
Successful coordination requires:
Clear communication from both sides. Reasonable expectations about what’s possible. Mutual flexibility when unexpected things arise. Understanding that some technical requirements override preferences. And honestly, patience from everyone.
Our commitment:
We accommodate reasonable schedule requests whenever physically possible. We communicate proactively about timing. We respect your time and your property. We work efficiently to minimize disruption duration.
Your part:
Communicate needs clearly upfront. Be realistic about limitations. Show flexibility when technical requirements demand it. Understand that perfect accommodation isn’t always possible. And maintain communication throughout project.
The Bottom Line on Scheduling
Emergency work starts immediately. Reconstruction work coordinates with you when possible. Commercial work can happen outside business hours. Residential work works around your life within practical constraints.
Call 303-816-0068 to discuss your specific scheduling needs. We’ll tell you honestly what we can accommodate and what constraints exist. We’ll find scheduling that works for everyone whenever physically possible.
Thirty years doing this has taught me that most scheduling challenges have solutions when both parties communicate openly and approach situations flexibly. Some situations demand immediate response regardless of schedule. Most situations allow coordination that respects everyone’s needs.
Discuss Your Scheduling Needs:
303-816-0068 — American Restoration — We Work With Your Schedule When Possible
