Winter project planning: when to commission

Sydney winter, June to August, is the right time to commission interior joinery. Three reasons.

First, the supply chain. Timber suppliers run their books on a calendar year. Stock decisions for the next year happen in winter. Order in winter, you're at the front of their queue when material arrives in spring. Order in October, you're behind every other carpenter doing the same.

Second, our schedule. Most calls happen in spring when people are looking at their houses with fresh eyes. By October our diary is already half full. By December it's locked. Winter calls get the best of our attention because we have headroom.

Third, your house. Joinery installed in winter has stabilised by the time the summer humidity cycle hits. Boards that are going to move have done their moving in our shop, not in your living room.

Practical: an entire built-in library, from first call to handover, takes about 8-10 weeks. Call in early June and you're sitting in front of finished oak in early September. Same job started in October finishes after Christmas, meaning install during peak heat, peak humidity, and the worst time for the timber to settle.