Tomah area home improvement specialists are hoping for a busy season this spring. A low economy and high interest rates have slowed business in the past few years, but builders say the calls for appointments have started coming in.

"Home builders have been suffering from the slow economy," said Scott Wilson of Wilson Builders. "But the phone starts ringing in March and early April. Times start filling up and we just keep booking them through fall."

When interest rates are high, remodeling projects are more common than new houses because people are less inclined to invest in an entire home. And when the housing market slows, so does the work, said Bob Kewit of Kewit Construction LLC. To offset these effects many improvement specialists try to spread their projects out over the year by offering lower prices in the winter months when business is slower. The most common types of projects vary each year depending on the economy.

“Projects fluctuate from year to year,” said Kewit. “Last year new construction was most common, but the year before that we saw more remodeling. Mid-summer is always busiest with a rush in the fall before the ground freezes. ”

A modern competitor that has affected builders and improvement specialists is the modular home industry. These companies build houses in a shop or factory and then haul them on trucks to properties. Some are skeptical of the practice because of shifting and shaking that can occur on the road before the house arrives at its destination, but these homes are often cheaper than houses built from the ground up.

Tomah is home to many small business builders and improvement specialists that service the city and surrounding area. The businesses offer competitive prices and can often schedule and finish projects faster than larger construction companies. Many have their own teams of workers like Mark Pierce’s group at The Carpenter’s Touch, which means clearer communication and faster completion, according to Pierce. Small home improvement businesses can also take on smaller projects like decks, patios, siding, roofing and home additions. With labor focused on one project at a time instead of managing several operations, these small builders offer efficient specialty services.