Seasonal Information

Please view our seasonal information videos below, as well as an explanation of some common seasonal tasks.

Part of Pacesetter’s construction process is arranging the completion of exterior items for your home. Alberta is known for having long, cold winters, and the window of opportunity to complete exterior work on your home is about 6-7 months. For this reason, we call these “Seasonal Tasks” and they include the following:

• Driveways, Sidewalks & Rear Parking Pads
• Deck Stairs & Skirting
• Exterior Painting
• Parging
• Rough Grading
• Landscaping
• Developer Inspection

Seasonal work generally takes place between May and October. Once the weather allows us to start these tasks, the assigned trades are scheduled to begin work. To ensure maximum efficiency during the summer, some of these tasks will be carried out area by area, rather than by possession dates.

Driveways, Sidewalks & Rear Parking Pads (Concrete Work)

Concrete crews will begin work once all frost in the ground has completely thawed, and the area has dried out. A lack of snow alone is not a sign of a site being ready for work to take place. Due to job backlog over the winter months, it is more efficient for concrete crews to complete all the work in a single subdivision, then move on to the next. We appreciate your patience during this area-by-area process. Any rain or other unforeseen factors can also cause delays on concrete work.

Deck Stairs & Skirting:

Temporary stairs are placed on the front deck and will remain in place until front concrete is poured (note that temporary stairs will be removed for a short period while concrete work is under way), at which point permanent stairs will be scheduled for installation. Our decking contractor will arrive without prior notice and will need to plug into your external power outlet to complete their work. Please contact our Seasonal Department if you need any adjustments to the temporary front stair or metal walkways.

Exterior Painting:

Exterior painting will take place after the permanent stairs and skirting is installed. Our contractors have multiple crews that make continuous rounds in our communities to ensure all painting is attended to. They may leave your area for a period in time, but you can rest assured that the work is scheduled for your first summer in your new home. Painters will show up without prior notice and may need to use a man-lift to safely reach upper areas of your home. Please note that we do not paint the surface of deck boards or pressure treated rear railings.

Parging:

Parging is the textured cement that is applied to the visible concrete foundation (below the siding) around your home. This work can take place at any time during the season, and the crews will work area-by-area until the work is finished. Please note, workers will need access to your water hose connection to clean the foundation prior to applying parging, to mix their material, and clean up after work has been completed.

Rough Grade:

Once your concrete is poured, the rough grade will then be scheduled. Rough grading shapes the lot by packing down soil to adhere to the lot grading plan as per municipality requirements. It ensures your property is sloped for surface drainage and directs water toward a lane or street. Grading work only begins once all frost has left the ground and the soil has firmed up enough to support heavy equipment such as trucks and bobcats. All items must be moved from your lot to prevent any interference with grading. Once the rough grade is complete, your lot will be issued a surveyor certificate which is then sent to your municipality for their inspection/approval. As soon as approval documents are issued, a notification email will be sent to you. We kindly request that you hold off on any projects that would interfere with the rough grade (fencing, decks, sheds, or landscaping) until we have received a surveyor certificate and gained approval from the municipality.

Landscaping (Topsoil, Sod, Trees and Shrubs):

If landscaping is included in your Sales Agreement, our contractors will begin work on adding topsoil, sod, trees, and shrubs. Your landscaping plan is determined by community guidelines set by the developer as well as any municipality requirements. We will provide you with a final grade surveyor certificate and city approval at the end of this process.

If you are handling landscaping yourself, you will need to wait until you receive a notification email confirming that your rough grade has been approved before continuing. If you fail to do so, Pacesetter will no longer be responsible for drainage requirements. We recommend requesting a final grade surveyor certificate and municipality inspection on topsoil, but this can also be done after sod is placed. Any costs associated with surveyors or municipality inspections are the responsibility of the homeowner. Landscaping is to be completed within one year of rough grade approval, or, extension arrangements should be requested through the Seasonal Department. Please ensure that you are aware of the developer/municipality requirements before you prepare for trees, shrub beds, and/or fencing (detailed information is provided in your Homeowner Portal).

Developer Inspections:

Following the completion of landscaping, and once final grade documents have been issued, a developer inspection should be requested to trigger the release of the security deposit. If you have completed landscaping yourself, please email the Seasonal Department at seasonal@yourpacesetter.com. Please include the final grade surveyor certificate, final grade municipality approval, and current pictures of the front landscaping. We will then forward to the developer for approval. Once approved, a cheque will be mailed out to you. Should the inspection fail, you will be notified of the items for correction and will be asked to contact us for a re-inspection when ready. Please note, a third inspection may incur a fee which is automatically deducted from the security deposit. The developer will decide start and end dates of their inspections for the season, with typical inspections occurring from April to September. The inspection and processing of deposit may take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the current volume of requests. The deposit is intended to ensure that no changes are made to the exterior of the home by the homeowner prior to the required developer inspection.

Where Pacesetter has provided landscaping, the inspection is automatically requested, and the homeowner does not need to arrange anything.

For further clarification on our seasonal process, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions button below. Do not hesitate to contact us by email (seasonal@yourpacesetter.com) or by telephone (780-733-7357) at any time!