It’s easy to forget how harsh winter is in Calgary during the long summer months, but there comes a time in every homeowner’s year that they must start preparing for winter in Calgary. The unique location of the city means that it gets more inches of snow than any other place in Alberta. While this makes for a lot of fun at weekends, work and school still need to happen, so you need to have a plan in place for when the white stuff starts to fly.
Of course, it’s possible to deal with the snowfall by yourself, and a good regimen of ice melt, shoveling and gritting will help keep your driveway and sidewalk clear. In a big storm, all these take time and effort, and on those frigid days of day-long snowfall, it can be hard to find time to keep up with the snow clearance as well as finding places to put it all.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The City of Calgary snow and ice bylaw states that within 24 hours after snowfall has ended, all snow and ice must be completely removed from homeowner sidewalks.
Fortunately, there are many residential snow removal services that cover the whole city who will help dig you out and keep you going all winter long. However, finding the best Calgary snow removal services for your needs can be hard, so consider asking these questions as you start to get estimates for the work:
Questions to ask Snow Removal Companies in Calgary
1. How regular is your shovelling service?
You need reassurance that your professional snow removal company will be able to service your property daily during the winter months in Calgary.
2. What is their response time?
It’s worth finding out how long it will take your sidewalk or driveway to be shovelled, especially in the case of heavy snowfall or winter storms.
3. What is their overnight policy?
While the city plows run throughout the night to get the roads clear for the morning commute, some Calgary snow removal services won’t get started until sunrise at the earliest. Of course, you’ll pay a premium for night time snow clearance, but if you’re in a job that requires you to be in work no matter what, the higher cost may be worth paying.
4. Where will they put the snow?
Believe it or not, but there are some snow removal services who do just that – remove the snow – but don’t share with you where they’ll put it. This can make you unpopular with the neighbours if it’s blown into their yards, or make more work for you if it’s taken into the road. A good residential snow removal service will have plans as to how clear the snow and keep the rest of the neighbourhood moving.
The final details, such as the method of call-out, the tools that they will use to do the job, and how you pay for the service, will change from business to business, but shouldn’t be a deciding factor for your winter preparations in Calgary this year.
Get your FREE Snow Removal Estimate Today!