GUIDE
Local businesses o er home improvement tips
HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
WEATHER READY AT HOME In addition to preparing for disasters by stockpiling food and water, homeowners can prepare themselves and their homes for severe weather events through home maintenance and repairs.
COMPILED BY CLAIRE SHOOP & MATT STEPHENS
Renovations: while updating appliances, ooring, walls and windows
Construction: during
Now: immediately and are renter-friendly
Measures that can be taken:
ASK A LANDSCAPER
the design phase of a new home or addition
Cody King, a horticulturist at Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery, provided information about maintaining landscaping during the Texas summers. WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO TO KEEP THEIR YARDS LOOKING GOOD DESPITE THE TEXAS HEAT?
Walls & oors
Windows & doors
R C Plants Trees can protect
Roofs
actually want to take your sprinkler head out and clean out those calcium deposits. The issue is whenever the calcium dries, it solidi es and can end up blocking the irrigation heads. WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PEOPLE TO PLANT LANDSCAPING IN THEIR FLOWER BEDS OR GARDENS? For herbaceous plants, that would de nitely be early to late spring. Herbaceous and woody plants are completely di erent. I wouldn’t plant anything herbaceous in the fall, but the fall is a great time to plant woody plants like redbuds, oaks and shrubs.
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Insulating pipes with foam sleeves can protect them from extreme temperatures.
Overhanging roofs can shade windows from the sun while still allowing indirect light in.
Weather stripping can protect doors and windows from rain and external moisture.
sunny sides of buildings. Native trees are best adapted to the home’s climate.
Proper fertilization in the spring and fall is key, and so is good irrigation. They have to install certain irrigation lines that accommodate whatever turf they have—there’s Bermuda or zoysia or St. Augustine—and there’s shade and sun requirements for each of these grasses. WHAT KIND OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE CAN PEOPLE DO ON THEIR IRRIGATION SYSTEM? Here we have a lot of calcium in our water. So, once every year or two you
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Using mold- resistant insulation can improve air quality, especially in homes that are humid or prone to ooding.
Solar panel installation can be paired with a smart inverter
Thermal curtains can protect against both extreme heat and cold while conserving energy.
for optimal energy use.
Cody King Sales team lead/horticulturist Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery 1407 N. Bell Blvd., Cedar Park 512-260-5050 www.hillcountrywatergardens.com
183A TOLL
N. BELL BLVD.
SOURCES: HOUSTON ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER, TEXAS STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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