The Woodlands Edition | July 2022

GUIDE

Local businesses oer home improvement tips

HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE

ASK AN HVAC MAINTENANCE COMPANY

Bradbury Brothers is a family-owned company specializing in heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance in The Woodlands for over 30 years.

COMPILED BY KYLEE HAUETER

drain clogs, it will turn o the system— which is what it’s supposed to do. It stops creating water. And then, know where your HVAC system is. Check to see if there’s water in the drain and outside of the condenser. Check to see if the line is frozen. If the line is frozen, you have to turn it o immediately. In the hot summer months, it is important for homeowners to stay on top of keeping their systems running eciently. HVAC MAINTENANCE TIPS

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR HVAC SYSTEM UPKEEP? Have your air conditioning cycle serviced once a year and have your heating system serviced once a year. It doesn’t matter when you have it serviced. It can be done anytime as long as you have them done yearly. WHAT ARE SOME WARNING SIGNS OF A PROBLEM? Make sure you have overow protection. Because ... typically homes are built with a secondary drain, and it’s usually by a window or someplace—a door—where people will notice it. So nd out where your secondary drain is and make sure and keep an eye on it. But also have overow protection installed because it may cost a little now, but it will save you lots and lots of damage. ... We have such a humid environment; we have gallons and gallons of water going through HVAC drain lines, and they go into a plumbing drain line. Find out which bathroom they drain through, and make sure [to clean it out] if you start seeing that sink draining slowly. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS WITH AIR CONDITIONING UNITS? Dirty, lthy lters. Make a reminder on your phone that you check your lters monthly because when that builds up, it drops o and turns into almost mud in your drain system, and it will clog your drains rapidly. So keep them very, very clean. It’s as simple as that, but it leads to major problems. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR AC GOES OUT? They should check the drains because if they do have overow protection, if the

DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen has been remodeling kitchens and bathrooms nationally since 1975. ASK A HOME RENOVATION COMPANY

IS THERE A HIGH DEMAND FOR REMODELING RIGHT NOW? Yes, absolutely. There’s certainly increased demand with things leading into the pandemic, where folks were spending more time within their homes and able to save more money with less expenses from travel and things they may have typically been doing. Now, they’ve been prepared to invest that money back into their home, wanting to improve some of their spaces— certainly within their kitchens and their bathrooms. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS WHEN GOING INTO A HOME RENOVATION? We strongly encourage people to really think about what their needs are for the project. Certainly you have the utility aspects, but then you have the aspects of how it looks and feels. Getting familiar with what some of the options are in the marketplace. And then after doing some research on what those are, there are some resources like the National Kitchen and Bath Association that oers kind of general budget ranges for projects. We always tell clients there’s pretty good ranges from one project to the next based on the size of the home or the nishes that one would like to put into their projects. [They can consider] what they believe their budget will be on the front end and then working within that budget with their partner in design and build on the model.

Keep the HVAC unit away from bushes and trees

Many customers change their kitchen countertop surfaces for ease of maintenance.

Check lters monthly

Have the system serviced yearly Turn o HVAC system if line is frozen Do not delay repairing a leak Do not let external HVAC system get covered in dirt, dog hair, etc. Do not let HVAC lter get dirty

• Spaces that are more open and functional • Pull-out trash cans inside kitchen islands • Warmer and brighter colors • Quartz or quartzite countertops • Brushed nickel and champagne bronze • Energy-ecient LED lighting • Designer pendants and chandeliers Je Vargo said many homeowners are looking for ways to improve functionality and design at home. CURRENT REMODELING TRENDS

Do not try to repair the system without professional help

Je Vargo Co-owner and general manager DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen 8000 McBeth Way, Ste. 180, The Woodlands 833-569-1386 www.dreammaker-remodel.com

Jacki Bradbury-Guerrero Director of marketing Bradbury Brothers 30045 FM 2978, Magnolia 281-651-5484 www.bradburybrothers.com

WOODLANDS PKWY.

2978

PINELN.

ASHLANE WAY

SCUBA DIVING CENTER

Full service SSI Master Training Facility SCUBA Lessons in the The Woodlands Full SCUBA retail, repair service facilities, travel, and swim lessons • • • $ 35 OFF Dive Certification

www.woodlandsdivecenter.com

25701 Interstate 45 North Spring, TX 77380 (281)367-6664

COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM